Director, AI Platform Engineering

Mastercard; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A global technology company is seeking a Director of AI Platform Engineering in Vancouver. This hands-on leadership role involves designing AI platforms, managing infrastructure, and guiding a team of engineers. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience with AI/ML platforms, proficiency in Python, and expertise in cloud services such as AWS, Azure, and GCP. Join this dynamic organization to shape the future of AI in commerce.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading teams in AI/ML platform development.
• Strong proficiency in Python and backend frameworks.
• Expertise in cloud platforms and containerized environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a scalable AI platform using Kubernetes and microservices.
• Manage cloud infrastructure to ensure secure deployments.
• Oversee the development of backend services and integrations.

Skills

Proven experience leading engineering teams in AI/ML platform development and DevOps practices

Strong proficiency in Python

Expertise in Kubernetes

Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines

Excellent communication and leadership skills

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Docker

Terraform

Job description

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, AI Platform Engineering

About Mastercard: Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry, connecting billions of consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, and businesses worldwide. We are driving the future of commerce by enabling secure, simple, and smart transactions. Artificial Intelligence is at the core of our strategy to make Mastercard stronger and commerce safer, smarter and more personal.

The Role: At Mastercard, we’re building next-generation AI‑powered platforms to drive innovation and impact at global scale. As the Director of AI Platform Engineering, you will lead the design, development, and operational excellence of our AI platform. This is a hands‑on leadership role where you’ll architect and implement robust, scalable systems while guiding a team of engineers in building secure, high‑performance AI solutions.

You will own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of the AI platform—from infrastructure automation and container orchestration to backend services and AI integration. Your responsibilities will span development, DevOps, and platform reliability, ensuring our AI capabilities are deployed efficiently and securely across cloud environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement a scalable AI platform leveraging Kubernetes, Docker, and microservices architecture.
• Manage cloud infrastructure using Terraform and other IaC tools to ensure repeatable, secure deployments.
• Establish CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and alerting systems using Git, Grafana, Prometheus, and related tools.
• Oversee development of backend services, APIs, and integrations for AI agents and LLM‑based applications.
• Implement guardrails and security best practices for AI systems, ensuring ethical and compliant deployments.
• Assess emerging AI technologies, frameworks, and LLMs to identify opportunities for platform enhancements.
• Mentor and manage a team of engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement.

All About You

• Proven experience leading engineering teams in AI/ML platform development and DevOps practices.
• Strong proficiency in Python, backend frameworks (FastAPI, Flask, Node.js), and containerized environments.
• Expertise in Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines, Git workflows, and observability tools (Grafana, Prometheus).
• Familiarity with LLMs, prompt engineering, and AI safety principles.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with a hands‑on approach to problem‑solving.

Why Join Us?

At Mastercard, you’ll shape the future of AI in global commerce—building platforms that power secure, scalable, and innovative AI solutions. You’ll work with world‑class talent, cutting‑edge technologies, and make a lasting impact on financial inclusion and trust worldwide.

#AI1 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 [e-mail] 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.