Principal AI Engineer

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.

We are building the next generation of AI‑powered platforms that drive innovation, efficiency, and impact. As a Senior AI Engineer, you will work hands‑on with cutting‑edge AI tools, large language models (LLMs), and emerging frameworks to develop intelligent systems that power our platform. You’ll collaborate closely with senior engineers, data scientists, and product teams—learning from experts while contributing to real‑world AI applications.

• Agentic AI Development – Build and enhance AI agents and backend systems that power Mastercard’s AI platform.
• Experimentation & Evaluation – Test and evaluate new LLMs, emerging AI technologies, and frameworks to identify opportunities for innovation.
• Prompt Engineering – Design, refine, and optimize prompts for LLMs to achieve desired outputs.
• Guardrail Development – Implement safeguards to ensure AI responses are accurate, secure, and aligned with ethical guidelines.
• Backend Engineering – Contribute to the development of APIs, microservices, and data integrations for AI‑powered features.
• Best Practices in Software Development – Write clean, maintainable, and well‑documented code following industry standards.
• Continuous Learning – Stay current with the latest developments in AI, LLMs, and software engineering best practices.

• Strong hands‑on experience with AI/ML concepts, with a passion for working with LLMs and generative AI.
• Professional hands‑on experience with Python and backend development frameworks (e.g., FastAPI, Flask, Node.js).
• Understanding of REST APIs and cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Strong problem‑solving and analytical skills, with curiosity for exploring new AI capabilities.
• Comfortable working in a collaborative environment and open to feedback and mentorship.
• Eagerness to learn prompt engineering, AI safety/guardrail development, and large‑scale AI deployment.

At Mastercard, you’ll help shape the future of AI in global commerce—solving complex problems at scale, enabling financial inclusion, and ensuring the security and trust that define our brand.

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 reasonable 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.

• 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.

Arlington, Virginia: $170,000 - $273,000 USD

Mid‑Senior level

Full‑time

Engineering and Information Technology

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