Counsel, Digital Transformation, Optimization

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

Counsel, Digital Transformation, Optimization

JOB DESCRIPTION FOR COUNSEL - OPTIMIZATION
January 13, 2026

WHO IS 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. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments, and businesses realize their greatest potential.

Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

OVERVIEW

Mastercard is looking for an experienced lawyer to support the global Optimization product team. Mastercard’s legal team is a critical part of the business, helping to drive the identification, development and distribution of products and solutions that meet the needs of various market stakeholders. The candidate will be part of a highly agile team, building exciting and innovative products.

The Optimization team’s mission is to empower Mastercard to optimize and help customers realize the full potential of the Mastercard solutions. The Optimization team works alongside the product and engineering teams focused on strategy, governance, data & analytics, optimization, commercialization, distribution and fintechs. Optimization isn’t a single task or function; it’s a discipline that examines how something works today and elevates how it can work tomorrow. The Optimization team drives impact across product, data, strategy, and go-to-market by applying a unified, disciplined approach to lift performance.

The ideal candidate is a curious, self-motivated, technology- and payments-minded lawyer with extensive transactional experience. The candidate must demonstrate sound business and legal judgment, thrive in a fast-paced environment with a diverse workload, and have a proven track record of providing pragmatic and proactive legal advice. The candidate must be able to engage at both the tactical and strategic level to support his or her internal clients.

This full-time role is based in Purchase, New York and reports to a Senior Managing Counsel in the Core Payments legal team.

ROLE
As Counsel, the candidate will handle product development and support matters for the business on a day-to-day basis, identifying and analyzing relevant issues and helping the business effectively navigate legal, governance and regulatory risks and implement appropriate controls, policies and processes. This role will:
• Collaborate with the business to bring to market and scale new product and service offerings.
• Independently structure, draft, and negotiate commercial agreements with Mastercard customers and partners within the payments ecosystem (e.g. acquirers, issuers, merchants, processors, vendors, and other stakeholders).
• Provide detailed legal advice to the business on a wide range of product development, commercial and contractual matters.
• Work cross-functionally with various product and legal teams, including data privacy, intellectual property, anti-trust, regulatory affairs, public policy, and franchise functions to provide holistic support to Mastercard’s global and regional products strategy.
• Work with internal and external regulatory counsel and regional colleagues to help ensure compliance with laws and government regulations relating to Mastercard's consumer products.
• Advise business teams in monitoring and evaluating applicable laws and government regulations affecting the operation and product development of Mastercard’s Optimization products.
• Implement improvements and efficiencies in the product development process.
• Develop strong relationships with key internal stakeholders, including product, business and sales teams, and senior management in the regions.
• Assist with the creation of project plans, trackers, training materials and guides, and provide training for business clients and law department colleagues.

Please note that roles within Mastercard evolve with the needs of the business and department. Therefore, the above is a guideline and by no means comprehensive. From time to time, there may also be opportunities to work on other matters within the Core Payments business. As the team supports the business globally, the role requires the ability to support other time zones and may require some travel.

ALL ABOUT YOU

• Minimum four years of solid technology, commercial transactions, complex negotiations, and/or payments experience required.
• Qualified lawyer with a solid academic and training background, licensed to practice in the
relevant jurisdiction in which the job is located.
• Able to analyze and identify core legal issues, skilled at explaining technical problems succinctly and clearly.
• Working knowledge of data privacy, regulatory, and intellectual property issues and how they relate to emerging technology.
• A fast learner who can gain rapid familiarity with complex products, services and legal frameworks and maintain knowledge of those changing products, services and legal frameworks.
• Should have a positive “can-do” attitude, willing to take initiative and ready to go the extra mile.
• Solutions-oriented with excellent time management, planning and organizational skills.
• Able to work flexibly under pressure and with tight deadlines.
• Strong drafting, writing, oral communication and negotiating skills, able to effectively communicate vision and more detailed approaches to a wide variety of stakeholders.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with proven experience in relationship building and partnering with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Global mindset and in-house experience, particularly in a multi-national company, is preferred.
• Must be flexible, solutions oriented and able to multi-task within tight timelines.

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 [email protected] 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

Purchase, New York: $159,000 - $254,000 USD