Our Purpose

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Title and Summary

Director, Software Engineering

Director, Software Engineering – Agile Delivery & IAM

The Software Engineering function at Mastercard builds scalable, secure, and intelligent technology that powers the global B2B and B2B2C payments ecosystem. As a Director of Software Engineering, you will lead high-performing Agile teams, deliver complex enterprise-grade solutions, and drive innovation across Java/J2EE technology stacks.

You will be responsible for building and scaling secure, high-availability systems while leading the development of next-generation identity and access management (IAM) platforms. This role requires deep hands-on knowledge of enterprise software development, cloud-native design, and identity frameworks—coupled with an ability to lead large engineering teams and influence strategic technical direction.

Role:
Engineering Leadership & Agile Execution:
•\tLead, mentor, and grow distributed Agile engineering teams building enterprise-grade applications using Java/J2EE and modern development practices.
•\tDrive the end-to-end delivery of scalable microservices-based architectures in a CI/CD-enabled DevOps environment.
•\tChampion test automation, quality engineering, observability, and SRE principles across teams.
•\tCollaborate with product owners, architects, and cross-functional leaders to translate business requirements into high-impact engineering solutions.
•\tOversee sprint planning, delivery metrics, retrospectives, and continuous improvement cycles.
Identity & Access Management (IAM):
•\tServe as the technology owner and SME for IAM platforms and services, including authentication, authorization, SSO, MFA, and federated identity.
•\tDefine and implement IAM roadmaps, integrating with enterprise security, compliance, and governance frameworks.
•\tDrive modernization initiatives using modern IAM protocols (OAuth2, SAML, OIDC, FIDO2)
•\tEnsure security by design, data privacy, and compliance across the IAM and broader software landscape.

Strategic Technology Delivery:
•\tAlign engineering output with Mastercard’s digital and security strategy, ensuring business value through technology innovation.
•\tProvide architectural leadership in transitioning legacy systems to cloud-native platforms on AWS, Azure, or GCP.
•\tLead cross-team engineering initiatives, resolving technical and operational bottlenecks.
•\tPartner with enterprise architecture and platform teams to evolve Mastercard’s core software capabilities.

Governance, Compliance & Security:
•\tEnforce engineering governance, secure coding practices, and robust access controls.
•\tEnsure compliance with Mastercard’s cybersecurity policies, regulatory standards, and secure SDLC practices.
•\tPromote engineering excellence through code quality, peer reviews, and knowledge-sharing sessions.

All About You:
•\tExtensive experience leading Agile engineering teams in large-scale enterprise environments.
•\tProven track record in Java, J2EE frameworks, Spring Boot, and RESTful APIs with deep backend engineering expertise.
•\tStrong IAM domain experience—hands-on with identity platforms, SSO, MFA, LDAP, OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, and directory services.
•\tDemonstrated experience building and operating large-scale systems in public or hybrid cloud environments.
•\tExpertise in DevOps, CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI), containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), and infrastructure as code.
•\tExperience in Agile at scale (SAFe, LeSS, or similar frameworks).
•\tStrong communication skills and executive presence to engage senior stakeholders and business partners.
•\tProven ability to coach teams, foster talent, and build inclusive engineering cultures.

Preferred Qualifications:
•\tBachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related technical discipline.
•\tCertifications in IAM (e.g., CIAM, CISSP), Java, cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP), or Agile frameworks (Scrum, SAFe).
•\tBackground in digital transformation, modernization, and secure application development.
•\tExperience with IAM tooling like ForgeRock, Okta, Ping, Azure AD, or SailPoint

Mastercard is a merit-based, inclusive, equal opportunity employer that considers applicants without regard to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We hire the most qualified candidate for the role. In the US or Canada, if you require accommodations or assistance to complete the online application process or during the recruitment process, please contact reasonable_accommodation@mastercard.com and identify the type of accommodation or assistance you are requesting. Do not include any medical or health information in this email. The Reasonable Accommodations team will respond to your email promptly.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;

Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;

Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and

Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.

In line with Mastercard’s total compensation philosophy and assuming that the job will be performed in the US, the successful candidate will be offered a competitive base salary based on location, experience and other qualifications for the role and may be eligible for an annual bonus or commissions depending on the role. Mastercard benefits for full time (and certain part time) employees generally include: insurance (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, life insurance), flexible spending account and health savings account, paid leaves (including 16 weeks new parent leave, up to 20 paid days bereavement leave), 10 annual paid sick days, 10 or more annual paid vacation days based on level, 5 personal days, 10 annual paid U.S. observed holidays, 401k with a best-in-class company match, deferred compensation for eligible roles, fitness reimbursement or on-site fitness facilities, eligibility for tuition reimbursement, gender-inclusive benefits and many more.

Pay Ranges

O'Fallon, Missouri: $165,000 - $264,000 USD

Arlington, Virginia: $190,000 - $304,000 USD