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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Lead Software Development Engineer - **Company:** Mastercard - **Location:** O'Fallon, MO, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $140,000.0 - $231,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Java (Programming Language), Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Engineering, Software Quality, Cyber Security, Continuous Integration, Distributed Systems, Fault Tolerance, Load Testing, Software Architecture, Reliability Engineering, Secure Coding, Software Engineering, Spring-boot, Software Security, Event Driven Architecture, Integration Tests, Kubernetes, Infrastructure Automation Frameworks, Low Latency, Apache Kafka, Virtual Agents, Restful APIs, Docker, Microservices - **Published:** July 18, 2026 - **Apply:** https://mastercard.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/CorporateCareers/job/OFallon-Missouri/Lead-Software-Development-Engineer_R-286165 ## About the Role 10+ years of software engineering experience. - 3+ years leading large-scale distributed system initiatives. - Expert-level Java, Spring Boot, REST APIs, microservices architecture, and distributed systems expertise. - Strong software architecture and software design leadership experience. - Deep expertise in performance engineering and reliability engineering. - Extensive experience implementing secure coding standards and software quality practices. - Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical decision-making. - Deep understanding of observability, monitoring, operability, and production support. - Demonstrated experience with AI-assisted software development, AI agents, MCP, RAG, and agentic workflows. - Strong communication, stakeholder management, and technical leadership skills. ## Description The Lead Software Development Engineer is a technical leader responsible for driving software architecture, engineering strategy, and delivery of Mastercard's next-generation payment platforms. This role combines hands-on engineering leadership with architecture ownership, modernization initiatives, and adoption of Agentic AI-powered engineering practices. What You Will Do Software Architecture & Engineering Leadership - Lead software design and architecture decisions across multiple teams and platforms. - Define engineering standards for software development, testing, security, operability, and deployment. - Conduct architecture reviews and provide technical governance across projects. - Mentor engineers and cultivate a culture of engineering excellence. Scalable Distributed Systems - Architect highly available, fault-tolerant distributed systems capable of processing millions of transactions daily. - Drive performance engineering initiatives including load testing, capacity planning, scalability analysis, and production optimization. - Design solutions supporting low latency, high throughput, resiliency, and operational excellence. Event-Driven Architecture - Design and implement large-scale event-driven architectures utilizing Kafka and modern messaging patterns. - Drive adoption of asynchronous processing and distributed system design best practices. Cloud Native Engineering - Lead development and deployment using PCF, Kubernetes, Docker, and CI/CD platforms. - Champion platform engineering and infrastructure automation practices. Security, Reliability & Operations - Establish secure coding standards and application security best practices. - Drive operational readiness, observability, monitoring, and supportability strategies. - Lead complex troubleshooting efforts, root cause analysis, and remediation activities. - Establish standards for unit, functional, and integration testing. Agentic AI Engineering - Lead adoption of AI-assisted development, AI agents, MCP-based integrations, autonomous workflows, and modern engineering productivity tools. - Evaluate and implement emerging AI engineering capabilities while ensuring governance and responsible AI practices., 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. ## Related Videos - [Next Level Enterprise Architecture: Modular, Flexible, Scalable, Multichannel and AI-Ready?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1017-next-level-enterprise-architecture-modular-flexible-scalable-multichannel-and-ai-ready) - [Docker Compose: Rediscovered](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1978-docker-compose-rediscovered) - [Understanding Kubernetes in a visual way](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100085-understanding-kubernetes-in-a-visual-way) - [Microservices: how to get started with Spring Boot and Kubernetes](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/242-microservices-how-to-get-started-with-spring-boot-and-kubernetes) - [Docker build without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100114-docker-build-without-docker) - [Instant KAI Sandboxes with vCluster: Multi-Tenant, Multi-Scheduler GPU Sharing](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100333-instant-kai-sandboxes-with-vcluster-multi-tenant-multi-scheduler-gpu-sharing) ## Related Articles - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [What’s the Difference between a Junior, Mid, and Senior Developer?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/238-what-s-the-difference-between-a-junior-mid-and-senior-developer) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [Why Attend a Developer Event in 2026?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/688-why-attend-a-developer-event-in-2026) - [The Best X (Twitter) Accounts for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/294-the-best-x-twitter-accounts-for-developers) - [What is Software Engineering?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/289-what-is-software-engineering)