Director, Business Development, Emerging Segments

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

Director, Business Development, Emerging Segments

Overview
The Global Partnerships team drives Mastercard’s engagement with strategic partners to unlock new payment flows across industries undergoing rapid transformation. We focus on opportunities where the digitisation of traditional sectors or the emergence of new business models can deliver meaningful growth for the Mastercard network.
We define segment strategies, build compelling value propositions, and mobilise our global ecosystem to capture untapped payment volumes. Operating in a highly collaborative, consultative manner, we bring together internal and external stakeholders to accelerate the shift to simple, secure, and scalable digital payments.
The Emerging Segments team sits at the forefront of this effort building relationships with global scale players, shaping new markets, and driving top-down commercial engagement. We translate global strategy into local execution by equipping regional and market teams with the insight, tools, and direction to win in-market.
We are seeking a true intrapreneur someone who thrives in ambiguity, operates at pace, and can build belief in new opportunities from a low or non-existent base. This role requires resilience, curiosity, and a “test, learn, and adapt” mindset to continuously refine strategies and deliver impact.

Role
Commercial Leadership & Execution
• Own commercial growth and go-to-market execution across target emerging segments
• Structure and close high-value partnerships that deliver scalable, long-term revenue
• Drive pipeline creation and conversion across global and regional opportunities
• Lead negotiations, develop commercial constructs, and execute partnership agreements
Strategy & Market Development
• Identify and prioritise target segments, use cases, and growth opportunities
• Define segment strategies and opportunity roadmaps in partnership with regional teams
• Translate insights into actionable go-to-market plans and commercial initiatives
• Enable and support regional teams to scale execution locally
Innovation & Solution Development
• Identify gaps and opportunities within target segments and champion solution development
• Partner with product, data, and consulting teams to shape differentiated offerings
• Co-innovate with partners to develop new propositions addressing critical industry challenges
• Ensure solutions align with digital transformation priorities scalable, seamless, and cost-effective
Ecosystem & Thought Leadership
• Position Mastercard as a leader in emerging segments through industry engagement
• Represent Mastercard at key conferences, forums, and executive discussions
• Influence stakeholders to align on strategic priorities and execution
Cross-functional Leadership
• Mobilise internal teams across regions and functions to deliver shared goals
• Align segment strategy with product development and commercial execution
• Provide oversight on key deals, including RFPs and complex partnership opportunities

All About You
We are looking for a high-impact, commercially driven leader who is comfortable operating in fast-paced, evolving environments and turning ambiguity into opportunity.
• Proven experience in payments, fintech, or adjacent industries with strong understanding of evolving business models
• Track record of defining and executing global strategies and building scalable partnerships
• Experience developing new business lines or propositions from early-stage opportunities
• Strong commercial acumen, including business case development, ROI analysis, and deal structuring
• Ability to navigate complex, matrixed organisations and influence senior stakeholders
• Confident engaging externally at executive and industry level
• Experience working across regions, with an appreciation for local market dynamics
• Entrepreneurial mindset: thrives in ambiguity, operates with pace, and embraces a test-and-learn culture

This is an opportunity to define new markets, unlock entirely new payment flows, and build scalable growth engines for Mastercard from the ground up.

Mastercard is a merit-based, inclusive, equal opportunity employer that c