Director, People Business Partner

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, People Business Partner

Overview
The Director, People Business Partner (PBP) is a hands-on leadership role within the People & Capability (P&C) organization, responsible for driving the local execution of people priorities while also leading and developing a team, or Pod, of Location People Business Partners. This role operates as a player–coach, maintaining a local PBP portfolio while providing people leadership, coaching, and day-to-day guidance to PBPs within the Pod.
The Director serves as a trusted advisor to people leaders and employees, supporting both location-based needs and broader P&C priorities. This role partners closely with business leaders, People Business Partners, and COEs to ensure people programs, processes, and initiatives are effectively implemented, locally relevant, and aligned with Mastercard’s people strategy and business goals.
This role reports to the Vice President, People Business Partner, U.S. Location PBPs and plays a critical role in enabling strong, consistent people leadership across U.S. locations.
Success in this role requires strong execution skills, the ability to lead through influence, and comfort balancing strategic leadership with hands-on delivery in a dynamic, evolving environment.

Role
Leadership Through Change & Ambiguity
• Leads with confidence during periods of change, transformation, and ambiguity, helping people leaders, employees, and PBPs navigate evolving priorities, organizational shifts, and new ways of working.
• Applies strong change management principles to translate enterprise and P&C strategy into clear, actionable local execution.
• Acts as a stabilizing presence for the Pod, broader team, and local stakeholders, balancing speed, clarity, and thoughtful decision-making.
People Leadership & Pod Management
• Leads, coaches, and develops a team of Location People Business Partners, providing ongoing direction, feedback, and support to ensure high-quality delivery of P&C services.
• Acts as a player–coach by maintaining a local PBP portfolio while modeling strong business partnering and people leadership behaviors.
• Sets clear priorities, ensures consistent ways of working, and supports capability-building across the Pod.
People Strategy & Program Execution
• Drives the local execution of core People & Capability programs, including talent and performance management, learning and development, employee engagement, workforce planning, and year-end compensation processes.
• Partners with P&C leadership and COEs to translate enterprise people strategies into effective local and regional execution.
• Shares local and field-based insights to inform the ongoing evolution and effectiveness of people programs and initiatives.
Business Partnership & Employee Support
• Serves as a trusted advisor to people leaders and employees within the Director’s local portfolio, providing coaching and guidance on development, performance, reward, and people processes.
• Manages a range of employee relations and general talent matters for U.S.-based employees and leaders, in partnership with Employee Relations Services as appropriate.
• Supports community engagement and culture-building efforts within assigned locations.
Advisory, Coaching & Collaboration
• Coaches people leaders and employees on navigating people processes, utilizing self-service tools, and addressing complex or sensitive matters.
• Collaborates closely with BU People Business Partners, COEs, and the GBSC to ensure seamless delivery of P&C services.
• Serves as a subject matter expert on the local labor market and regulatory environment, ensuring compliant and thoughtful people practices.
Operational Excellence
• Contributes to the daily delivery of local P&C operations, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and a positive employee experience.
• Balances strategic leadership with operational execution, ensuring both immediate needs and longer-term priorities are effectively addressed.

All About You
General
• Proven success coordinating and delivering corporate HR programs and processes (e.g., talent management, performance management, and year-end compensation planning), includin