Lead Technical Program Manager (SDLC / Payments Domain)
Job ID: R-248144
Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India – 411006
Experience Required: 14+ Years
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering / Computer Science / Related Discipline
Service Line: Software Engineering
Role Overview
Mastercard is seeking a Lead Technical Program Manager to drive successful program execution and delivery of strategic, large-scale software products in the payments domain. This role requires strong technical depth, SDLC and Agile expertise, and program management experience across multiple engineering teams.
Key Responsibilities
Manage multiple end-to-end technology projects, ensuring alignment with Mastercard’s product and engineering goals.
Oversee planning, execution, and delivery of complex initiatives with a deep focus on timelines, quality, and customer experience.
Serve as the key delivery liaison across engineering, product, design, and external vendors to mitigate risks and resolve dependencies.
Define technical roadmaps, program execution strategies, and milestone tracking to ensure delivery success.
Identify and address cross-team architectural or delivery gaps.
Champion Agile/SAFe processes across all squads; facilitate grooming, sprint planning, retrospectives, and reporting.
Drive visibility and transparency by proactively sharing metrics, dashboards, and reporting with leadership.
Anticipate technical and delivery risks and develop mitigation plans; handle escalations effectively.
Deeply understand platform architecture, underlying technologies, and development constraints to contribute meaningfully to trade-off decisions.
Influence and guide software engineers, architects, and TPMs on system simplification, technical quality, and scalability.
Engage with industry vendors or partners supporting Mastercard’s architecture and roadmap; ensure velocity and quality improvements.
Optimize development and delivery processes across teams for greater speed and efficiency.
Technical Requirements
Proven experience managing cloud-native software product delivery in high-scale environments.
Strong technical knowledge of APIs, microservices, CI/CD pipelines, DevOps, and platform-based architectures.
Deep understanding of SDLC, Agile, Kanban, Scrum, and modern engineering principles.
Expertise in payments platforms, IaaS, PaaS, NoSQL, distributed systems, and serverless technologies (preferred).
Proficiency in identifying system design simplifications and conducting technical deep dives with engineering teams.
Experience with metrics-driven delivery tracking, reporting, and dashboard creation.
Demonstrated success in stakeholder communication and executive reporting.
Background in software development and testing early in career is highly valued.
Preferred Skills
Strong analytical and critical thinking abilities with attention to detail.
Ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
Effective communicator with stakeholders at all levels, from engineering teams to C-level executives.
Strong organizational, facilitation, and problem-solving skills.
Strategic mindset with the ability to prioritize business goals and align them with technical outcomes.
