Principal , Product Management-Technical

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

Principal , Product Management-TechnicalPrincipal Product Manager - Technical, Mastercard Networks Exchange

Mastercard Networks Exchange (NEX) provides a single payment connection supporting both Mastercard and non-Mastercard branded financial transactions. It is a central point of connectivity that enables transaction originators and receivers - issuers, acquirers, merchants, and processors - to reach the networks of their choice, reducing the time, expense, and complexity of maintaining multiple direct connections.

NEX spans the full transaction lifecycle: a universal authorization interface to multiple global and US regional networks; a single-system clearing solution that lets customers manage multiple dual-message networks; consolidated funds settlement with supporting reporting and data; and a single platform for dispute management interfacing to network dispute processing platforms.

We are seeking a Principal Product Manager - Technical to own a core NEX product domain end to end. This is a senior individual-contributor product role for someone equally comfortable setting multi-year direction and going deep on message specifications, data models, settlement and reconciliation processes, dispute processing flows, and network rules. You will define what we build and partner with engineers to deliver it, while helping raise the bar for technical product quality across the team.

The Role

Product Domain Ownership

Author high-quality product definitions: functional and non-functional requirements, acceptance criteria, and user stories precise enough for engineering to build against without ambiguity.

Conduct in-depth assessments and present the analysis needed to inform decisions on scope, sequencing, and architecture within the domain.

Provide pre-sales support - partnering with regional teams to define solutions for customer needs, and leading tradeoff analysis, estimation, and sizing for projects.

Technical Product Definition

Partner with engineers and solution architects on architecture, data models, and integration design, ensuring solutions meet both current requirements and forward-looking needs.

Manage dependency and scope risk across parallel workstreams, escalating clearly and early when delivery is at risk.

Define test strategy and acceptance scenarios for the domain - partnering with QA and engineers on coverage for functional, regression, and network certification testing, and supporting UAT, customer validation, and production readiness through launch.

Network and Partner Engagement

Work on NEX interfaces with global and US regional networks, including compliance with network mandates and release calendars.

Work with external processors, gateways, and network partners to align delivery timelines and resolve integration questions.

Technical Product Leadership

Act as a senior technical product voice across the team - reviewing specifications, coaching product managers on requirements quality, and setting standards others follow.

Partner closely with Product Development, Product Operations, Go-To-Market and Regional product to deliver roadmap outcomes.

Represent the domain in roadmap, prioritization, and architecture forums, and communicate status, risk, and tradeoffs clearly to senior leadership.

Build cross-functional relationships across Product, Engineering, Operations, and customer-facing teams.

All About You

10-15 years of Experience in technical product management, or in engineering or solution architecture roles with a clear progression into product.

Deep domain expertise in card transaction processing - meaningful depth in at least two of authorization, clearing, settlement, reconciliation, or disputes, and working familiarity with the rest.

Strong technical background and hands-on understanding of payment message formats and processing logic; able to read a specification, reason about edge cases, and identify what a requirement leaves unanswered.

Strong ability to translate customer and business inputs into clear product direction.

Experience partnering closely with engineers on complex systems - APIs, integrations, data models, and distributed architecture.

Track record of delivering results, with the ability to learn quickly, pivot as priorities shift, and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Experience working with external processors or gateway partners on joint delivery.

Experience mentoring product managers or setting requirements standards across a team.

Strong verbal and written communication - able to produce specifications engineers trust and summaries executives can act on.

Comfortable operating in a matrixed, global environment with shifting priorities and multiple stakeholder groups.

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.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. THIS POSTING RELECTS ONE OR MORE CURRENT VACANCIES ON OUR TEAM, AND MASTERCARD INTENDS TO FILL THIS POSITION BY 12/16/2026. If the fill date has passed, Mastercard intends to fill this position as soon as possible.

Pay Ranges

O'Fallon, Missouri: $156,000 - $265,000 USD