Lead Service Management Engineer

About the role

We are seeking a Lead Data Engineer to join Mastercard Architecture & Analytics team. You will help shape our innovation roadmap by exploring new technologies and building scalable, data-driven prototypes and products.

Responsibilities

• Drive Data Architecture: Own the data architecture and modeling strategy for AI projects. Define how data is stored, organized, and accessed. Select technologies, design schemas/formats, and ensure systems support scalable AI and analytics workloads.
• Build Scalable Data Pipelines: Lead development of robust ETL/ELT workflows and data models. Build pipelines that move large datasets with high reliability and low latency to support training and inference for AI and generative AI systems.
• Ensure Data Quality & Governance: Oversee data governance and compliance with internal standards and regulations. Implement data anonymization, quality checks, lineage, and controls for handling sensitive information.
• Provide Technical Leadership: Offer hands-on leadership across data engineering projects. Conduct code reviews, enforce best practices, and promote clean, well-tested code. Introduce improvements in development processes and tooling.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineers, scientists, and product stakeholders. Scope work, manage data deliverables in agile sprints, and ensure timely delivery of data components aligned with project milestones.

Requirements

• Extensive Data Engineering: 8–12+ years in data engineering or backend engineering, including senior/lead roles. Experience designing end-to-end data systems, solving scale/performance challenges, integrating diverse sources, and operating pipelines in production.
• Big Data & Cloud Expertise: Strong skills in Python and/or Java/Scala. Deep experience with Spark, Hadoop, Hive/Impala, and Airflow. Hands-on work with AWS, Azure, or GCP using cloud-native processing and storage services (e.g., S3, Glue, EMR, Data Factory). Ability to design scalable, cost-efficient workloads for experimental and variable R&D environments.
• AI/ML Data Lifecycle Knowledge: Understanding of data needs for machine learning—dataset preparation, feature/label management, and supporting real-time or batch training pipelines. Experience with feature stores or streaming data is useful.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Ability to translate ambiguous goals into clear plans, guide engineers, and lead technical execution.
• Problem-Solving Mindset: Approach issues systematically, using analysis and data to select scalable, maintainable solutions.

Qualifications

• 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.
• 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.

Skills

• The successful candidate will be offered a competitive base salary 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 of new parent leave and up to 20 days of bereavement leave); 80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time, 25 days of vacation time and 5 personal days, pro-rated based on date of hire; 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; and many more.
• Mastercard benefits for interns generally include: 56 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time; jury duty leave; and on-site fitness facilities in some locations.

Pay

Pay ranges for the role may vary depending on multiple factors, including but not limited to location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. For positions in O'Fallon, Missouri, the base salary offered may range from $122,000 to $207,000 USD.