STEM OPT Lead Software Engineer Jobs
Lead Software Engineer roles qualify for STEM OPT when your degree maps to an eligible CIP code in computer science, engineering, or a related STEM field. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and the 24-month extension gives you up to 36 months total to build seniority, negotiate equity, and work toward long-term sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsOur 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 Software Engineer (Azure Platform Engineering)
ABOUT MASTERCARD
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart, and accessible. At Mastercard, our industry expertise is enhanced by our commitment to being a force for good in the world. We do well by doing good. Our core values of trust, partnership, agility, and thoughtful risk taking are displayed in everything we do. Our culture of collaboration and inclusion makes our company the place where the best people choose to be.
Overview
On the Cloud Platform team, you will be working with Mastercard’s Azure Platform Engineering team. The team is responsible for developing the best of breed Azure Platform capabilities to application development teams such that automated cloud infrastructure can be provided to software engineering and operation teams.
The Role
- Implement solutions to manage Mastercard’s Azure infrastructure via code.
- Engage and improve the lifecycle of the Azure platform and services - from development to deployment, operation, and refinement.
- Scale systems sustainably through mechanisms like automation, and evolve systems by pushing for changes that improve reliability and velocity.
- Design and Develop scalable platform solutions.
- Practice sustainable incident response and blameless postmortem.
All About You
- Experience in the fields of Computer Science or Software Engineering.
- Experience in Azure infrastructure provisioning through automation tools Terraform.
- Experience programming in at least one of the following languages: Python, Java, Go, Bash, etc.
- Experience using DevOps tools such as ADO, Jenkins, BitBucket, Artifactory, SonarQube, etc.
- Having an understanding of best practices for Logging, Monitoring, and Alerting solutions.
- Experience with software deployment and configuration automation.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, or a related technical field involving programming.
- Expertise in designing, analyzing, and troubleshooting large-scale systems.
- Ability to debug, optimize code, and automate routine tasks.
- Systematic problem-solving approach, with effective communication skills and a sense of drive.
- Understanding of Windows/Linux operating systems.
- Implement solutions to manage Mastercard’s Azure infrastructure via code.
- Engage and improve the lifecycle of the Azure platform and services - from development to deployment, operation, and refinement.
- Design, develop, and implement software systems and applications on Azure platform.
- Establish and ensure adherence to Azure cloud best practices and standards.
- Troubleshoot issues and provide solutions to complex problems.
- Stay updated with the latest Azure updates, features, and capabilities.
- Contribute to design, architecture, process, and development discussions.
- Assist in the deployment, scaling, and performance tuning of applications on Azure.
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_accommodation@mastercard.com 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.
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.
In line with Mastercard’s total compensation philosophy and assuming that the job will be performed in the US, the successful candidate will be offered a competitive base salary and may be eligible for an annual bonus or commissions depending on the role. The base salary offered may vary depending on multiple factors, including but not limited to location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Mastercard benefits for full time (and certain part time) employees generally include: insurance (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, life insurance); flexible spending account and health savings account; paid leaves (including 16 weeks of new parent leave and up to 20 days of bereavement leave); 80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time, 25 days of vacation time and 5 personal days, pro-rated based on date of hire; 10 annual paid U.S. observed holidays; 401k with a best-in-class company match; deferred compensation for eligible roles; fitness reimbursement or on-site fitness facilities; eligibility for tuition reimbursement; and many more. Mastercard benefits for interns generally include: 56 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time; jury duty leave; and on-site fitness facilities in some locations.
Pay Ranges
O'Fallon, Missouri: $140,000 - $231,000 USD
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 Software Engineer (Azure Platform Engineering)
ABOUT MASTERCARD
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart, and accessible. At Mastercard, our industry expertise is enhanced by our commitment to being a force for good in the world. We do well by doing good. Our core values of trust, partnership, agility, and thoughtful risk taking are displayed in everything we do. Our culture of collaboration and inclusion makes our company the place where the best people choose to be.
Overview
On the Cloud Platform team, you will be working with Mastercard’s Azure Platform Engineering team. The team is responsible for developing the best of breed Azure Platform capabilities to application development teams such that automated cloud infrastructure can be provided to software engineering and operation teams.
The Role
- Implement solutions to manage Mastercard’s Azure infrastructure via code.
- Engage and improve the lifecycle of the Azure platform and services - from development to deployment, operation, and refinement.
- Scale systems sustainably through mechanisms like automation, and evolve systems by pushing for changes that improve reliability and velocity.
- Design and Develop scalable platform solutions.
- Practice sustainable incident response and blameless postmortem.
All About You
- Experience in the fields of Computer Science or Software Engineering.
- Experience in Azure infrastructure provisioning through automation tools Terraform.
- Experience programming in at least one of the following languages: Python, Java, Go, Bash, etc.
- Experience using DevOps tools such as ADO, Jenkins, BitBucket, Artifactory, SonarQube, etc.
- Having an understanding of best practices for Logging, Monitoring, and Alerting solutions.
- Experience with software deployment and configuration automation.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, or a related technical field involving programming.
- Expertise in designing, analyzing, and troubleshooting large-scale systems.
- Ability to debug, optimize code, and automate routine tasks.
- Systematic problem-solving approach, with effective communication skills and a sense of drive.
- Understanding of Windows/Linux operating systems.
- Implement solutions to manage Mastercard’s Azure infrastructure via code.
- Engage and improve the lifecycle of the Azure platform and services - from development to deployment, operation, and refinement.
- Design, develop, and implement software systems and applications on Azure platform.
- Establish and ensure adherence to Azure cloud best practices and standards.
- Troubleshoot issues and provide solutions to complex problems.
- Stay updated with the latest Azure updates, features, and capabilities.
- Contribute to design, architecture, process, and development discussions.
- Assist in the deployment, scaling, and performance tuning of applications on Azure.
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_accommodation@mastercard.com 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.
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.
In line with Mastercard’s total compensation philosophy and assuming that the job will be performed in the US, the successful candidate will be offered a competitive base salary and may be eligible for an annual bonus or commissions depending on the role. The base salary offered may vary depending on multiple factors, including but not limited to location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Mastercard benefits for full time (and certain part time) employees generally include: insurance (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, life insurance); flexible spending account and health savings account; paid leaves (including 16 weeks of new parent leave and up to 20 days of bereavement leave); 80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time, 25 days of vacation time and 5 personal days, pro-rated based on date of hire; 10 annual paid U.S. observed holidays; 401k with a best-in-class company match; deferred compensation for eligible roles; fitness reimbursement or on-site fitness facilities; eligibility for tuition reimbursement; and many more. Mastercard benefits for interns generally include: 56 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time; jury duty leave; and on-site fitness facilities in some locations.
Pay Ranges
O'Fallon, Missouri: $140,000 - $231,000 USD
See all 238+ Lead Software Engineer jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Lead Software Engineer roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Lead Software Engineer
Verify your CIP code before applying
Check that your degree's CIP code appears on the official STEM OPT designated degree program list. A mismatch between your transcript field and the approved list is the most common reason DSOs deny extension requests before you ever reach an employer.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Before signing anything, ask your recruiter for the company's E-Verify employer ID or look up their enrollment status directly through E-Verify. A company that isn't enrolled cannot legally employ you on STEM OPT, regardless of how willing they are to sponsor later.
Target engineering orgs with existing I-129 filing history
Lead Software Engineer roles almost always require H-1B sponsorship after OPT ends. Use Migrate Mate to filter for employers with active STEM OPT hiring and H-1B filing history, so you're joining teams already familiar with the extension and transition process.
Structure your I-983 around engineering deliverables
Your training plan must tie each learning objective to a specific technical goal, such as system design ownership or platform architecture decisions. Generic plans citing 'software development' without role-specific milestones draw scrutiny from USCIS during compliance checks.
Time your extension request against your OPT end date
File your STEM OPT extension application with USCIS at least 90 days before your current EAD expires. If your card expires while the application is pending, you're covered by a 180-day automatic cap-gap provision, but only if you filed on time.
Negotiate H-1B sponsorship terms before day one
Engineering offers at the lead level often include multi-year vesting and promotion tracks. Get written confirmation that your employer will file an H-1B petition during your STEM OPT window, and clarify which filing fees they cover versus what falls to you.
Lead Software Engineer jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Lead Software Engineer JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Does a Lead Software Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your degree is in a STEM-designated field such as computer science, electrical engineering, or information systems, and your employer is enrolled in E-Verify. The Lead Software Engineer role falls under SOC code 15-1252 (Software Developers) in O*NET, which consistently maps to STEM OPT eligible positions. Confirm your specific degree CIP code with your DSO before filing.
What does the I-983 training plan need to include for a Lead Software Engineer?
Your I-983 must list specific learning objectives tied to your engineering responsibilities, such as leading system architecture reviews, mentoring junior engineers, or owning end-to-end delivery for a product area. Vague objectives like 'improve coding skills' won't satisfy USCIS compliance standards. Your employer's engineering manager typically co-signs the plan, and USCIS can audit it at any point during your 24-month extension.
How do I verify that a company is enrolled in E-Verify before accepting a Lead Software Engineer offer?
Ask your recruiter for the company's E-Verify employer ID number directly. You can also search the public E-Verify employer search tool maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, which lists enrolled companies by name and location. If a company can't provide enrollment confirmation, they can't legally hire you on STEM OPT, and the offer isn't compatible with your status.
What happens to my STEM OPT if my Lead Software Engineer employer withdraws sponsorship mid-extension?
You have a 60-day grace period after your employment ends to find a new E-Verify enrolled employer, transfer your training plan to them, and update your DSO. If you can't secure a new position within that window, your STEM OPT authorization lapses. This is why targeting employers with strong H-1B filing history matters from the start. Migrate Mate lets you filter Lead Software Engineer roles by employers who have active sponsorship records.
Can I use my STEM OPT extension to bridge to H-1B sponsorship as a Lead Software Engineer?
Yes, and the math works in your favor at the lead level. The 24-month STEM OPT extension gives your employer two H-1B lottery cycles to get you selected. If you're in cap-gap status when your extension is pending and the H-1B is filed before your EAD expires, USCIS automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of the fiscal year. Confirm your employer will file during your first eligible cycle, not your second.
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