Lead Platform 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.

Title and Summary

Lead Platform Engineer

Job Specification – Lead Platform Engineer
Location
Dublin
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced Lead Platform Engineer with strong expertise in PostgreSQL and Cassandra database technologies. The successful candidate will be responsible for the build, design, engineering, administration, automation, and operational support of mission-critical database platforms across Mastercard.
The role requires a proactive individual who can ensure high availability, reliability, scalability, performance, and compliance across enterprise database environments while supporting cloud adoption, platform modernization, and automation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities
Database Administration & Operations
• Build, administer, maintain, and support enterprise PostgreSQL and Cassandra database environments.
• Perform database installations, upgrades, patching, migrations, and configuration management.
• Manage backup, recovery, and disaster recovery solutions.
• Monitor database health, availability, performance, and capacity.
• Troubleshoot and resolve database incidents and performance issues.
• Ensure database environments meet security, governance, and compliance requirements.
• Support additional database platforms including Oracle, MongoDB, Redis, and SQL Server where required.
Performance & Reliability
• Analyse and optimise database performance through query tuning, indexing strategies, and database configuration improvements.
• Implement and support high-availability, replication, clustering, and failover technologies.
• Conduct capacity planning and performance forecasting.
• Develop automation solutions to improve operational efficiency and reduce manual intervention.
• Establish observability practices and proactive monitoring across database platforms.
Architecture & Engineering
• Design scalable, resilient, and secure database solutions leveraging PostgreSQL and Cassandra technologies.
• Support database modernization, cloud adoption, and migration initiatives.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, application development, platform engineering, and security teams.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance on database architecture, operational standards, and best practices.
• Evaluate and recommend emerging database technologies and platform improvements.
Automation & DevOps
• Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code and database automation solutions.
• Support CI/CD processes involving database deployments and schema changes.
• Implement monitoring, observability, and automated remediation capabilities across database platforms.
• Improve platform reliability through automation, standardization, and self-service capabilities.

Required Skills & Experience
Essential Technical Skills
PostgreSQL
• Extensive experience managing PostgreSQL databases in large-scale production environments.
• Experience with PostgreSQL replication, clustering, backup, recovery, and high-availability solutions.
• Strong understanding of PostgreSQL architecture, performance tuning, optimisation, and troubleshooting.
• Experience implementing and supporting failover and disaster recovery solutions.
• Knowledge of PostgreSQL security, access controls, and governance practices.
Cassandra
• Strong hands-on experience administering and supporting Apache Cassandra environments.
• Deep understanding of Cassandra architecture, data modelling, partitioning, replication, and consistency levels.
• Experience managing Cassandra clusters, upgrades, repairs, backup strategies, and capacity planning.
• Expertise in Cassandra performance tuning, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
• Knowledge of high-availability and multi-region deployment architectures.
Database Engineering
• Deep understanding of database architecture, distributed systems, and data management principles.
• Strong SQL and query optimisation skills.
• Experience implementing backup, recovery, business continuity, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Knowledge of database security, encryption, auditing, and access management.
• Experience operating highly available and resilient data platforms within enterprise environments.
Automation & Scripting
• Experience with Python, Shell, PowerShell, or similar scripting languages.
• Experience automating database administration and operational tasks.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code, and DevOps practices.

Desirable Skills
Additional Database Technologies
Experience with one or more of the following technologies:
• Oracle Database (RAC, ASM, Data Guard, RMAN)
• MongoDB
• Redis
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Other NoSQL or distributed database technologies
Cloud Platforms
AWS
• Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL
• EC2-based database deployments
• AWS Backup, CloudWatch, IAM, KMS
• Experience deploying and operating Cassandra and Keyspaces workloads in AWS
• DocumentDB, Elasticache, Valkey
Microsoft Azure
• Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Azure Virtual Machines hosting PostgreSQL, Cassandra, or other database technologies
• Azure Backup and Recovery solutions
• Azure Monitor and Log Analytics
Additional Technologies
• Terraform, Ansible, Bicep, or other Infrastructure as Code tools..
• Monitoring and observability tools such as Dynatrace and Splunk, or similar.

Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related discipline.
• PostgreSQL and/or Cassandra certifications desirable.
• Oracle, MongoDB, Redis, or SQL Server certifications advantageous.
• AWS and/or Azure cloud certifications advantageous.

Personal Attributes
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to work independently and within cross-functional teams.
• Focus on operational excellence, reliability, scalability, and continuous improvement.
• Strong customer and service-oriented mindset.
• Ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor engineers across database disciplines.

Experience Required
• 5+ years of database administration, engineering, or platform engineering experience.
• Proven experience supporting mission-critical PostgreSQL environments.
• Proven experience operating and managing Cassandra clusters in production environments.
• Experience with database automation, cloud platforms, and infrastructure engineering practices.
• Experience operating within large enterprise or regulated environments preferred.

Primary Technology Focus
PostgreSQL & Cassandra
Desirable Technology Focus
Oracle, MongoDB, Redis, SQL Server, AWS & Microsoft Azure Cloud Platforms.

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.