Director, Strategy & Regulation

This role is key in leading and supporting the identification of risks and opportunities in the evolving payment landscape, initiating and leading scenario planning projects, and driving mitigating actions and opportunities. Informing, aligning, and respecting the Global and European strategy will be crucial in developing future action plans.

To achieve this, the candidate will lead confidential projects in close cooperation with regulatory, public policy, strategy, pricing, product, and business development teams across the region. The candidate will also build robust external partnerships with consultants and economists.

The ideal candidate for the role will be a highly motivated, result-driven, and organized individual with a proven talent for working cross-functionally to achieve goals. Problem-solving and turning complex situations into simple, executable stories are essential attributes. The candidate should operate comfortably at all levels of the organization and apply critical thinking. Excellent project management and presentation skills are essential in this role.

Role

• Lead cross-functional strategic projects for the region, from defining problem statements to developing and executing robust plans.
• Understand the complexities of the European payment market and develops a strong business sense of the payment regulatory landscape in Europe.
• Perform research and build data-driven insights to better articulate the value provided by Mastercard in the payment ecosystem.
• Engage with other teams and guide solution-finding processes. Identify and highlight key risks and related action plans.
• Drive external partner teams (consultants), design project roadmaps, and ensure outputs meet expectations.
• Develop and deliver engaging presentations and create impactful insights, targeted at an audience up to senior C-level.

All About You:

• Proven track record of leading business and strategic projects with significant impact, demonstrating an ability to navigate and influence at the highest levels of the organization.
• A problem-solver with an analytical mindset, capable of cutting through noise and complexity to deliver clear, actionable insights.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate cross-functional teams without direct reporting lines, showcasing strong leadership and collaboration skills.
• Proven ability to influence various senior stakeholders and drive substantial change, requiring excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Quick to adapt to new topics and projects, comfortable juggling multiple high-priority initiatives.
• Deep knowledge of the payments industry is a strong plus and appetite for the payment regulatory landscape.
• Curiosity and eagerness to learn about all aspects of Mastercard, including product, finance, and technology, to drive informed strategic decisions.

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.