Principal Software Engineer
2026-09-09T10:56:29+00:00
Mastercard Foundation
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https://mastercardfdn.org/en/
FULL_TIME
Nairobi
Nairobi
00100
Kenya
Nonprofit, and NGO
Computer & IT, Science & Engineering
2026-09-29T17:00:00+00:00
8
Mastercard is a global technology company specializing in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and empower an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by ensuring transactions are safe, simple, smart, and accessible. Utilizing secure data and networks, strategic partnerships, and passion, our innovations and solutions support individuals, financial institutions, governments, and businesses in realizing their greatest potential
Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and influences everything we do both within and outside of our company. With connections spanning more than 210 countries and territories, we are committed to building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all
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.
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 solutions meet 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, containers and container orchestration
- Hands-on technical leader who consistently demonstrates leadership, builds 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
- 12 plus years of software engineering experience in enterprise-scale environments.
- 5 plus years of experience in technical leadership, architecture, or principal engineering roles.
- Proven track record designing and delivering large-scale distributed systems.
- Experience leading complex engineering initiatives across multiple teams.
* 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 solutions meet corporate security standards and adhere to operability principles. * Drive a culture of engineering excellence * Build great relationships with technical peers across the organization
* 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, containers and container orchestration * Hands-on technical leadership * Strong communication skills – both verbal and written * Strong relationship building, collaborative skills and organizational skills * Strong decision-making skills
* 12 plus years of software engineering experience in enterprise-scale environments. * 5 plus years of experience in technical leadership, architecture, or principal engineering roles. * Proven track record designing and delivering large-scale distributed systems. * Experience leading complex engineering initiatives across multiple teams.
JOB-6aa13b5daa8a2
Vacancy title:
Principal Software Engineer
[Type: FULL_TIME, Industry: Nonprofit, and NGO, Category: Computer & IT, Science & Engineering]
Jobs at:
Mastercard Foundation
Deadline of this Job:
Tuesday, September 29 2026
Duty Station:
Nairobi | Nairobi
Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, September 9 2026, Base Salary: Not Disclosed
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JOB DETAILS:
Mastercard is a global technology company specializing in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and empower an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by ensuring transactions are safe, simple, smart, and accessible. Utilizing secure data and networks, strategic partnerships, and passion, our innovations and solutions support individuals, financial institutions, governments, and businesses in realizing their greatest potential
Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and influences everything we do both within and outside of our company. With connections spanning more than 210 countries and territories, we are committed to building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all
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.
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 solutions meet 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, containers and container orchestration
- Hands-on technical leader who consistently demonstrates leadership, builds 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
- 12 plus years of software engineering experience in enterprise-scale environments.
- 5 plus years of experience in technical leadership, architecture, or principal engineering roles.
- Proven track record designing and delivering large-scale distributed systems.
- Experience leading complex engineering initiatives across multiple teams.
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: 12
Level of Education: bachelor degree
Job application procedure
Application Link:Click Here to Apply Now
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