Lead Technical Program Manager (AI Initiatives)

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 Technical Program Manager (AI Initiatives)

Overview
The Business Operations (BizOps) team is seeking a Lead Technical Program Manager to serve as a strategic link between AI research, site reliability engineering teams, and business stakeholders. This role focuses on planning, execution, and delivery of complex AI initiatives to establish and scale an AI Community of Practice across the enterprise.
The Process and Governance team within Payment Network BizOps is driving efforts to embed AI at scale, creating a foundational competitive advantage. This initiative will enable Mastercard’s internal processes, products, and services to continuously enhance value, improve consumer experiences, and optimize operational efficiency.

Role

Lead and accelerate a portfolio of related technology projects across multiple teams, aligning dependencies and removing blockers.
Establish mechanisms for reporting and execution, ensuring predictable delivery for large or complex initiatives.
Drive continuous improvement by streamlining processes and eliminating inefficiencies.
Oversee outcomes from inception to delivery across full-stack services or enterprise-wide integrations.
Act as the primary point of contact and source of truth for project status, providing accurate updates to the right audience at the right time.
Understand business strategy and design approaches to represent team services credibly.
Stay current with evolving technologies and evaluate designs for scalability, security, performance, and data integrity.
Navigate ambiguity with limited guidance, initiating momentum and creating predictable delivery patterns.
Communicate complex ideas clearly and confidently to senior leadership.
Collaborate with external technology providers to accelerate implementation and optimize cost.
Advocate for engineering and operations needs while ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
Regularly review metrics and introduce improved visibility mechanisms to keep programs on track.


All About You

Proven experience leading AI-driven initiatives with strong knowledge of Business Operations and Service Management.
Expertise in program and project management, driving cross-functional teams to successful outcomes.
Exceptional leadership, collaboration, and organizational skills; proactive and self-motivated.
Strong communication skills for engaging executives, SMEs, and vendors.
Strategic thinker with attention to detail; adept at leveraging data and analytics for decision-making.
Experienced in Agile methodologies, including sprint planning and iterative delivery.
Proficient in tools such as Confluence, Rally/JIRA, Microsoft Project, and Excel.
Comfortable in a global, matrixed, fast-paced environment managing multiple priorities.
Familiarity with technical concepts like APIs, integrations, SSO, and software development lifecycles.

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: $122,000 - $207,000 USD