Director of Software Engineering

Mastercard; Pune District; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 5,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Mastercard is seeking a visionary Director of Engineering to lead a service group within our Decision Management Platform for fraud detection. You will shape engineering strategy, mentor high‑performing teams, and ensure delivery of complex software at scale.

You will champion DevOps, CI/CD, and observability, drive operational excellence, and partner with Product, Operations, and executives to align roadmaps with business goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS, Engineering, or related field.
• 15+ years in software engineering with leadership on complex platforms.
• Proven track record delivering distributed, high-volume systems.
• Experience in fintech, digital payments, authentication, or identity systems.
• Strong security and PCI compliance knowledge.
• Mentoring and people leadership experience.
• Ability to align engineering with business goals.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive engineering strategy aligned with business goals.
• Lead cross-functional teams to deliver scalable software on time and budget.
• Champion DevOps, CI/CD, and observability practices.
• Own end-to-end software delivery lifecycle and budget.
• Partner with Product, Operations, and executives to align roadmaps.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Cloud architecture

DevOps

CI/CD

Observability

Budgeting

Fintech/payments

Security

Stakeholder mgmt

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Engineering

15+ years software engineering

Tools

AWS/Azure cloud

Kubernetes

CI/CD tools

Job description

We are seeking a visionary and results-driven Director of Engineering to lead a service group in our critical Decision Management Platform for fraud detection. This role is pivotal in driving engineering excellence, scaling delivery capabilities, and fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement. You will be responsible for aligning engineering strategy with business goals, mentoring high-performing teams, and ensuring the successful delivery of complex software solutions.

• Are you passionate about low latency (the speed it takes to authorise a payment card), high volume (think Google searches and then some), and highly available (5 9s) software solutions?
• Would you like to work on a team that is building industry leading solutions for fighting fraud?
• Do you want to learn cutting edge technologies and help solve complex business problems?

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Execution

• Define and drive the engineering strategy in alignment with company objectives.
• Lead cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality, scalable software products on time and within budget.
• Champion engineering best practices, including DevOps, CI/CD, Observability and agile methodologies.
• Identify and mitigate technical and delivery risks across programs and initiatives.

People Leadership & Coaching

• Build, mentor, and retain high-performing engineering teams through career development, coaching, and performance management.
• Foster a culture of ownership, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Set clear goals and expectations, and provide regular feedback and development plans.

Operational Excellence

• Own the end-to-end software delivery lifecycle, from requirements through release and support.
• Continuously improve engineering processes, tools, and metrics to optimize team performance and product quality.
• Ensure operational readiness, including incident response, monitoring, and service reliability.
• Partner with Product, Operations, and Business stakeholders to define scope, priorities, and roadmaps.
• Communicate technical vision and progress to executive leadership and non-technical stakeholders.
• Represent engineering in strategic planning and budgeting discussions.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 15+ years of experience in software engineering and architecture, including leadership roles on complex, mission-critical platforms.
• Proven track record of delivering distributed/scalable systems and high-volume transaction applications.
• Experience with fintech, digital payments, authentication, or identity systems.
• Strong grounding in security, secure SDLC, PCI considerations, and compliance-driven architecture.
• Familiarity with reliability engineering, observability platforms, and operational excellence practices.
• Prior leadership in an organization undergoing significant platform evolution or transformation.

Technical & Business Acumen

• Deep understanding of modern software architecture, cloud infrastructure, and service-oriented systems.
• Strong grasp of software operations, including monitoring, incident management, and performance tuning.
• Experience managing budgets, forecasting, and resource planning.

Leadership & Communication

• Exceptional communication, executive presence, and ability to simplify complex technical topics for senior stakeholders.
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to inspire and influence across all levels of the organization.
• Skilled at translating complex technical concepts into clear, actionable plans.