Title and Summary

Director, Operations and Strategy, Global R&D

Mastercard Foundry is a global innovation group focused on the evolution of technology and consumer trends and the implication of these forces on the payments and commerce industry. Foundry is a collective of interdisciplinary teams powering Mastercard's ability to create and deliver differentiated products, services, and experiences.
Within Foundry, the global Research and Development (R&D) team does applied research on emerging and advanced technologies and brings it to bare to deliver new products at scale for Mastercard.

Foundry R&D is made up of talented developers, engineers, scientists, designers, researchers, data specialists, and program managers. We build knowledge in emerging technologies like quantum computing, extended reality, privacy enhancing technologies, generative AI and machine learning to conceptualize and create new products, services and experiences for Mastercard. We also bring the knowledge of cutting and bleeding edge technology to create concepts of future which not only inspires our customers but also fosters the culture of Innovation within Mastercard.
This employee will be responsible for principal management of Mastercard's Global R&D function (overseeing operations and partnering with executive assistant, communications advisor, and HR) and will also hold responsibility for team engagement. The employee will be a member of the R&D program management team and help support the team in accomplishing their goals.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
PRINCIPAL MANAGEMENT
• Develop and manage briefing book process.
• Partner with executive assistant and Communications to strategically manage scheduling requests.
• Write memos and research topics as needed for R&D engagements.
• Attend meetings as backbench participant to execute on follow-up action items.
• Provide forward-looking perspective, think ahead, and maintain pulse and awareness of enterprise-wide R&D engagements.
TEAM ENGAGEMENT
• Drive effective team organization and communication.
• Facilitate connection among the team by organizing leadership meetings, all-hands calls, office hours, etc.
• Partner with communications advisor to provide regular team-wide internal updates.
• Solicit and implement feedback from the team on a regular basis.
• Drive a positive and productive culture that aligns with the Mastercard way.
- Lead and facilitate global efforts related to employee experience, business continuity

SPECIAL PROJECTS
• Enable strategic initiatives and achievement of objectives.
• Lead taskforces and content creation. Examples may include: board meeting materials, executive briefings, emerging technology, product development topics, product strategy, M&A/acquisition strategy, thought leadership, team narrative development, ad hoc leadership needs.
• Shepherd leadership team through cycled commitments and planning tasks. E.g.: priorities/objectives, quarterly business reviews, quarterly operating reviews, investor relations needs, corporate scorecard tracking, board preparation, risk tracking, and more.
• Nimbly respond to what the business needs. Execute on urgent needs, be a sounding board for team members, serve as a connection point for incoming (and outgoing) team requests.

CRITICAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES
In a competitive environment the R&D organization must drive outcomes at an enterprise-level as well as within its three core businesses.
As a result, it will be critical for this employee to:
• Collaborate and Influence
• Be a critical core member of the R&D team
• Enable executive stakeholders to effectively influence the organization on the collective R&D agenda
• Identify and enable opportunities to build relationships that will help Mastercard achieve business objectives
• Collaborate across the Foundry to manage projects, solve problems, and address challenging issues
• Collaborate closely with cross functional teams, providing them with the necessary tools, and resources

ALL ABOUT YOU
The right person for this position will:
• Demonstrate a high level of creative problem-solving, a strong personal presence, manage change, thrive when dealing with uncertainty, and demonstrate a focus on execution and organization.
• Have an entrepreneurial approach and vision; proactive self-starter seeking initiatives to advance
• Demonstrate strong thinking across technology and business with strong execution track record
• Have excellent problem-solving skills - pursues alternative ways to solve problems, address difficult situations, and produce actionable recommendations
• Have Project and Program management experience leading complex initiatives in a structured manner
• Exhibit tenacity, encourages healthy debate, and challenges conventional thinking
• Demonstrate strong prioritization and re-prioritization abilities
• Have strong communication, presentation and interpersonal skills including the ability to work with and manage internal and external stakeholders

Mastercard is an 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. 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 based on location, experience and other qualifications for the role and may be eligible for an annual bonus or commissions depending on the role. 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 new parent leave, up to 20 paid days bereavement leave), 10 annual paid sick days, 10 or more annual paid vacation days based on level, 5 personal days, 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, gender-inclusive benefits and many more.