Senior Manager, Software Engineering

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Manager, Software Engineering to lead the design, development, and execution of our 3D Secure (3DS), KYB/KYC, and Fraud platform initiatives. You will play a pivotal role in building high-performance, real-time systems on AWS that support 500+ transactions per second, while embedding AI/ML models to proactively detect and prevent fraud across 3DS rails.

This role requires a hands-on technical leader with deep experience in payments, fraud detection, 3DS protocols, and distributed system design, who thrives in solving complex problems and unblocking teams. You should be comfortable bridging across internal systems, third-party networks, and cross-functional stakeholders.

We work Flexible First. This role can be performed remotely anywhere within the United States or from our headquarters in Oakland, CA. We’d love for you to join us!

The Impact You’ll Have

• Architect, design, and implement scalable, reliable, and secure distributed systems for issuer card processing and real-time transaction management.
• Build and operate low-latency APIs capable of processing 500+ TPS using cloud-native AWS technologies (e.g., Lambda, ECS, EKS).
• Lead the adoption of Generative AI and Agentic AI to drive a 10x increase in developer productivity, while leveraging these technologies to build innovative business solutions.
• Define and champion engineering best practices, including CI/CD, observability, incident response, automation, and high availability, to ensure delivery excellence across the SDLC.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Risk, Compliance, and Fraud teams to define and prioritize customer needs, technical features, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish and maintain secure, reliable network integrations with all major U.S. card networks and internal services built on AWS.
• Partner with data science and fraud teams to integrate real-time ML models into the 3DS flow to detect Fraud behaviors and anomalies.
• Define and monitor key metrics for system throughput, model accuracy, fraud prevention efficacy, and overall platform stability.
• Ensure engineering excellence by implementing rigorous development, testing, deployment, and monitoring standards aligned with architectural goals and SLA requirements.
• Contribute directly to high-impact projects by building core modules, internal frameworks, automation tools, and proof-of-concepts for new technologies.
• Mentor, unblock, and grow engineering teams through technical leadership, hands-on support, and a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Who You Are

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 4 years leading high-performing engineering teams.
• Proven, hands-on experience designing and operating highly available (99.999%), multi-region, real-time critical systems with end-to-end latency consistently under 50ms, ideally in payments, fraud, or risk decisioning.
• Deep expertise in cloud-native architectures on AWS, including services like Lambda, ECS, and EKS; real-time data streaming using Kafka; and experience building high-performance APIs (REST/gRPC) under tight latency SLAs
• Solid background in distributed systems design, including asynchronous processing, circuit breakers, retries, and rate-limiting.
• Strong understanding of DevOps practices, including CI/CD, observability, automation, containerization (Docker), and orchestration using Kubernetes.
• Hands-on technical ability to write code, debug issues, or write queries to unblock teams, validate new ideas, and integrate emerging technologies.
• Proficiency in SQL and data analysis using tools like MySQL, Snowflake, and scripting languages.
• Experience with real-time data streaming using Kafka or AWS Kinesis in support of event-driven architecture.

Nice to Haves

• Experience integrating with third-party KYC/AML vendors and building identity verification systems.
• Integration experience with U.S. card networks and fraud/identity platforms to incorporate inline risk signals during authorization.
• Knowledge of relevant compliance frameworks such as PCI-DSS, PSD2, Reg-E, Reg-Z, and AML requirements in the financial services industry.
• Deep expertise in EMV 3DS 2.x protocols and their use in verifying PAN ownership and step-up authentication.
• Proficiency with observability tools such as Datadog and AWS X-Ray to diagnose latency and system issues.
• Proven experience leveraging Generative AI/Agentic AI to drive team productivity and enhance product innovation.
• Demonstrated success partnering with ML and fraud teams to deploy real-time models into production with tight latency constraints.
• Familiarity with emerging AI/ML techniques such as deep learning, reinforcement learning, or graph neural networks applied to fraud detection.

Your Manager:

• Ashok Agrawal, Senior Director, Software Engineering

Recruiter For This Role:

• Kayla Osuna

Typical  process:

1. Application Submission
2. Recruiter phone call
3. Hiring manager video call
4. Virtual “Onsite” consisting of 4-5, 1 hour calls
5. Offer!

Compensation and Benefits

Marqeta is a Flex First company which allows you to choose your best working environment, whether that be from home or at a company office. To support Flex First, we calibrate pay to a competitive value according to working location. Compensation is aligned according to three tiers within the United States:

• National: A baseline tier that applies to most of the geographic territory of the United States.
• Premium: Slightly elevated from the National tier, and oriented toward a narrower set of higher cost-of-living areas, such as Los Angeles CA and Seattle WA.
• Premium Plus: A tier for the most expensive working areas, like the San Francisco Bay area and New York City.

Visit this page or consult with a Recruiter to determine which tier would be applicable to you.

When determining salaries, we consider several factors including, but not limited to, skills, prior experience, and work location. The new-hire base salary range for this position is:

• National: $182,000 - $227,500
• Premium: $197,000 - $246,200
• Premium Plus: $214,100 - $267,600

We also believe in recognizing the contributions of our people. That’s why we award annual bonuses to eligible employees, rewarding both individual performance and the success of the entire company.

Along with monetary compensation, Marqeta offers

• Multiple health insurance options
• Flexible time off – take what you need
• Retirement savings program with company contribution and after tax contributions
• Equity in a publicly-traded company and an Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Family-forming benefits, fertility support, and up to 20 weeks of Parental Leave
• Free therapy sessions, financial and professional coaching, and legal advice
• Monthly stipend to support our remote work model
• Annual “development dollars” to support our people growth and development
• Through Flex First, the freedom to live and work wherever you and your family thrive

About Marqeta

Marqeta is on a mission to change the way money moves. We’re one of the earliest enablers of embedded finance, a market opportunity sized up in the trillions. Our card issuing platform provides unprecedented flexibility and control for companies to issue cards, authorize transactions, and manage payment operations in real time. Marqeta is powering the most well known brands in the new economy (Block, Cash App, Affirm, Instacart, Doordash, Uber, Walmart, etc). You don’t need to be a Payments expert to join the Marqeta Team, let us help you with that.  This is the opportunity of a lifetime to work with innovators around the world and unlock equitable financial access for all.

Marqeta’s Values

– Solve for the Customer: With a deep understanding of our customers’ business and empathy for their needs, we deliver products and services that drive their success. Earning and keeping their trust guides everything we do.

– Do What’s Right: Knowing businesses and livelihoods depend on us, we pursue solutions that disrupt responsibly and deliver high-quality results that our customers count on. We own our work from start to finish.

– Simplify and Innovate: We approach challenges with curiosity and take smart risks. Innovation comes from finding better, simpler ways to achieve extraordinary outcomes.

– Win as a Team: We succeed together by embracing diverse perspectives and pushing each other to raise the bar. We lead with humility and set aside hierarchy to work as a team.

– Make it Count: We drive forward with focus and agility. With a sense of urgency and purpose, we get the job done, and done right.

Equal Employment Opportunity, Accommodations and Privacy

Marqeta is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, childbirth, or related medical conditions), veteran status or uniformed service member status, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, physical or mental disability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information (including testing or characteristics) or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Marqeta endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please submit this form with your specific accommodation request.

Personal data that is provided as part of the application and recruitment process is processed in accordance with the Applicant Privacy Notice. Additional information for California residents can be found here.