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Principal Software Engineer at MasterCard
MasterCard
September 28, 2026
Full-time
On-site
Overview
Mastercard is looking for a talented Principal Software Engineer to join the Mastercard Foundry Research and Development team in Nairobi. In this role you will be working with a highly agile development team building innovative large-scale software platforms and solutions from ideation to release.
Our team is built on a foundation of research and development, mining innovation internally, innovating new product lines with emerging technology, managing new products from inception to market validation and engaging strategically with start-ups to shape the future of commerce with and for our customers.
At Mastercard Foundry you will help define the future of commerce through new product development, emerging technology research and thought leadership.ÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂï
About the Role:
As a Principal Software Engineer, you will:
Lead the architecture & design of software systems and applications
Influence architecture decisions across multiple teams
Collaborate with product teams to understand requirements, identify solutions, and provide technical thought leadership
Ensure solutionsÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂïmeet corporate security standards and adhere to operability principles.
Drive a culture of engineering excellence
Build great relationships with technical peers across the organization
All About You
Broad experience as a Software Engineer / Full Stack Developer
Working experience across a variety of languages and frameworks
Experience designing distributed, mission-critical, highly available systems supporting millions of transactions daily
Deep understanding of resiliency, fault tolerance and scalability patterns
In depth knowledge of Public Cloud platforms, containersÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂïand container orchestration
Hands-on technical leader who consistently demonstratesÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂïleadership,ÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂïbuilds trust, develops talent and inspires the team
High-energy, detail-oriented and proactive with the ability to function under pressure with minimal supervision
Have a passion for continuous learning and enjoy challenging opportunities
Strong communication skills - both verbal and written - with strong relationship building, collaborative skills and organizational skills
Drives outcomes through strong commitment to timely delivery of key objectives
Demonstrates strong decision-making skills
Required Experience
Experience in software engineering within enterprise-scale environments.
-Experience providing technical leadership, architecture guidance, or principal engineering contributions.
-Demonstrated success designing and delivering large-scale distributed systems and leading complex engineering initiatives across multiple teams.
Proven track record designing and delivering large-scale distributed systems.
Experience leading complex engineering initiatives across multiple teams.
Mastercard is looking for a talented Principal Software Engineer to join the Mastercard Foundry Research and Development team in Nairobi. In this role you will be working with a highly agile development team building innovative large-scale software platforms and solutions from ideation to release.
Our team is built on a foundation of research and development, mining innovation internally, innovating new product lines with emerging technology, managing new products from inception to market validation and engaging strategically with start-ups to shape the future of commerce with and for our customers.
At Mastercard Foundry you will help define the future of commerce through new product development, emerging technology research and thought leadership.ÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂï
About the Role:
As a Principal Software Engineer, you will:
Lead the architecture & design of software systems and applications
Influence architecture decisions across multiple teams
Collaborate with product teams to understand requirements, identify solutions, and provide technical thought leadership
Ensure solutionsÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂïmeet corporate security standards and adhere to operability principles.
Drive a culture of engineering excellence
Build great relationships with technical peers across the organization
All About You
Broad experience as a Software Engineer / Full Stack Developer
Working experience across a variety of languages and frameworks
Experience designing distributed, mission-critical, highly available systems supporting millions of transactions daily
Deep understanding of resiliency, fault tolerance and scalability patterns
In depth knowledge of Public Cloud platforms, containersÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂïand container orchestration
Hands-on technical leader who consistently demonstratesÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂïleadership,ÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂïbuilds trust, develops talent and inspires the team
High-energy, detail-oriented and proactive with the ability to function under pressure with minimal supervision
Have a passion for continuous learning and enjoy challenging opportunities
Strong communication skills - both verbal and written - with strong relationship building, collaborative skills and organizational skills
Drives outcomes through strong commitment to timely delivery of key objectives
Demonstrates strong decision-making skills
Required Experience
Experience in software engineering within enterprise-scale environments.
-Experience providing technical leadership, architecture guidance, or principal engineering contributions.
-Demonstrated success designing and delivering large-scale distributed systems and leading complex engineering initiatives across multiple teams.
Proven track record designing and delivering large-scale distributed systems.
Experience leading complex engineering initiatives across multiple teams.