Lead Technical Program Manager; AI Initiatives

Title and Summary

Lead Technical Program Manager (AI Initiatives)

The Business Operations (Biz Ops) team is seeking a Lead Technical Program Manager to serve as a strategic link between AI research, site reliability engineering teams, and business stakeholders. This role focuses on planning, execution, and delivery of complex AI initiatives to establish and scale an AI Community of Practice across the enterprise.

The Process and Governance team within Payment Network Biz Ops is driving efforts to embed AI at scale, creating a foundational competitive advantage. This initiative will enable Mastercard’s internal processes, products, and services to continuously enhance value, improve consumer experiences, and optimize operational efficiency.

• Lead and accelerate a portfolio of related technology projects across multiple teams, aligning dependencies and removing blockers.
• Establish mechanisms for reporting and execution, ensuring predictable delivery for large or complex initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement by streamlining processes and eliminating inefficiencies.
• Oversee outcomes from inception to delivery across full-stack services or enterprise-wide integrations.
• Act as the primary point of contact and source of truth for project status, providing accurate updates to the right audience at the right time.
• Understand business strategy and design approaches to represent team services credibly.
• Stay current with evolving technologies and evaluate designs for scalability, security, performance, and data integrity.
• Navigate ambiguity with limited guidance, initiating momentum and creating predictable delivery patterns.
• Communicate complex ideas clearly and confidently to senior leadership.
• Collaborate with external technology providers to accelerate implementation and optimize cost.
• Advocate for engineering and operations needs while ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
• Regularly review metrics and introduce improved visibility mechanisms to keep programs on track.

• Proven experience leading AI-driven initiatives with strong knowledge of Business Operations and Service Management.
• Expertise in program and project management, driving cross-functional teams to successful outcomes.
• Exceptional leadership, collaboration, and organizational skills; proactive and self-motivated.
• Strong communication skills for engaging executives, SMEs, and vendors.
• Strategic thinker with attention to detail; adept at leveraging data and analytics for decision-making.
• Experienced in Agile methodologies, including sprint planning and iterative delivery.
• Proficient in tools such as Confluence, Rally/JIRA, Microsoft Project, and Excel.
• Comfortable in a global, matrixed, fast-paced environment managing multiple priorities.
• Familiarity with technical concepts like APIs, integrations, SSO, and software development life cycles.

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 reasonable 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.

• 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.
• Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.

O'Fallon, Missouri: $122,000 - $207,000 USD