Director, Government Affairs & Policy

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, Government Affairs & Policy

Overview
The post holder will contribute to the work of Mastercard’s UK Government Affairs and Policy department in managing the relationships between Mastercard and politicians, civil servants and other government officials, central banks and other key third party stakeholders.

Based in London but with regular travel across the UK and occasional travel to other countries, the post holder is accountable to the Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy, UK; and in turn part of the global Government Affairs and Policy division.

The post holder will also contribute to the logistical running of the department, managing the day to day relationship with consultancy support and other suppliers; supporting the production of thought leadership and strategies for engaging stakeholders across the UK.

The post holder will also be responsible for owning and developing a number of thematic ‘specialisms’ within the UK Government Affairs and Policy team (e.g. inclusion, network economics, small business support, etc). The post holder will be responsible for maintaining open communication channels with wider Mastercard Government Affairs and Policy colleagues to ensure consistent messaging and approach to stakeholder management.

Role
The postholder will:
• Engage in direct advocacy with UK policymakers to advance policy priorities and mitigate legislative risk.
• Anticipate significant policy and political trends and develop strategies to navigate the environment.
• Coordinate strategy, identify deliverables, track results, and report progress to management across a wide range of policy issues.
• Communicate regularly with internal business line owners to ensure awareness of potential risks and benefits of various legislative initiatives.
• Provide senior management with guidance and analysis on key policy issues to enable informed business decisions.
• Engage relevant trade associations, industry organisations and 3rd parties to advance Mastercard’s policy priorities.
• Build meaningful relationships with Parliamentarians, civil servants, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Manage the production and dissemination of materials to support Mastercard’s engagement of external stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities and develop strategies to engage key stakeholders on a range of issues using different means to do so.
• Manage the day-to-day relationship with external consultancy service providers.

All About You
Essential
• Experience of working in a UK public policy/public affairs/government relations role either in a consultancy/agency, in house or trade association in a related field; OR experience of working for Government or a regulatory authority (payments, financial services or economic regulator).
• Knowledge of and experience of public policy issues in the payments market; tech or wider Fintech or banking sectors.
• Knowledge and experience of the UK political and legislative process.
• Experience of managing the development of internal positions and responses to external stimuli (e.g. Government policy).
• Strong written communication skills and capable of producing high quality written work for different audiences.
• Strong verbal communication, presentation and influencing skills. Comfortable engaging directly with senior internal and external stakeholders. Fluency in English – oral and written.
• Must be able to work effectively and lead across a matrix organisation; building successful working relationships within the business.
• Capable of handling competing demands on their time and delivering tasks to often tight deadlines.
• Excellent attention to detail.

Desirable
• Experience of working with Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly and local government
• Detailed knowledge of one or a number of issues including network economics, digital and financial inclusion, small business policy
• Experience of working with or in EU-level or other international political institutions.
• Additional language/s (conversational or fluent).
• Experience of working in multinational and multicultural environments.

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.