Director, Solution Architect

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

It is the powerhouse for all Mastercard capabilities in a geography, and it aims to drive Mastercard business growth by creating and delivering compelling data-driven, scalable needs-based solutions to new and existing customers by tapping into Mastercard’s extensive toolbox of products and services offerings.

The Solution Architect is the main partner to the frontline team during the solutioning process to maximize the impact of solutions for the client. The Solution Architect is a curator of solutions and aggregator across products for segments during solution bundling and helps Account Managers & Directors bring to life comprehensive and complex, yet cohesive multi-product and multi-platform solutions to client. They play a critical role in ensuring relevancy and driving differentiation across all segments resulting in better relationships, market share and revenue.

Solution Architect reports to Customer Solutions Center Lead.

Key Responsibilities:

> MA capabilities expert for assigned segment

• Understands value chain of assigned segments to identify trends, needs and opportunities for Mastercard
• Has a good understanding of Mastercard Products, Services and corporate strategy
• Collaborates with frontline teams to identify customer needs and opportunities through account planning; recommends needs-based solutions in coordination with Products, Services and Marketing
• Bridges gap between Frontline sales team and product/solution expertise

> Lead complex value proposition and solution development and help drive sale from pitch to closure:

• Pulled into deals by CSCL when solution is complex or requires customization (e.g., requires combination of multiple products, service, or platforms)
• Works with the CSCL to identify the right “squad” from a solutioning perspective to ensure the appropriate expertise is assigned to a client opportunity/RFP
• Main partner to AMs and BDs in developing and quantifying value proposition for integrated, customized solutions across products / services
• Iterates with frontline teams at different stages (e.g., value proposition creation, proposal development) to ensure solution meets client-specific needs
• Develops business requirements document in collaboration with product specialists and technical architect.
• Engages relevant expertise (from Sales Specialist and Solution Specialist) within the CSC, and across other CSCs (engage other SA’s assigned to other segments) as needed

> Market/segment innovation

• Creates solutions & proactively builds solutions for known market needs. Solutions across the Mastercard toolbox, knitting together assets in bundles that can be readily deployed to address key customer “pain points.”
• Identifies enabling partners i.e. external parties such as fintechs, for solutioning when capabilities are not present internally within MA
• “Rinses and repeats” successful solutions and sales approaches

> Knowledge, insights and best practice sharing:

• Shares best practices with Solution Architect community
• Provides input to the product/solution groups and segment leads to enhance their product/solution and segment strategy to meet the needs of the segment

All About You / Key Requirements:

• Deep understanding, experience and discipline of product development, product management, consumer experience and problem solving.
• Good understanding of Mastercard products and services.
• Good understanding of technical basics, APIs, process flows. Ability to comprehend the business, market context and customer needs to drive and architect integrated and innovative solutions
• Able to architect integrated solutions by combining MasterCard’s products and services in ways that meet the customer’s key strategic needs. Deep knowledge of which solutions work in which environments.
• Highly collaborative; strong communicator, natural integrator with demonstrated ability to develop and deliver products and solutions for customer needs.
• Ability to rally and gain backing from internal stakeholders in order to build organizational support for the proposed solution.

• Demonstrated ability to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data, and derive meaningful implications and recommendations from said data

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.