Manager, SME Portfolio Optimization, LAC

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

Manager, SME Portfolio Optimization, LAC

In virtually every country in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Micro, Small, and Medium Businesses (MSMEs) are the lifeblood of economic vitality. They represent ~90% of the workforce and ~55% of GDP.

Mastercard is dedicated to enabling businesses to grow and thrive, stronger than before. Our rallying cry is "Empowering Every Business, Everywhere". This segment is central to Mastercard's growth strategy – not only because of their regional and global impact, but also because of the large role MSMEs play in the payments ecosystem as both payers and acceptors of electronic payments.

The Regional SME team is looking for a SME Manager Portfolio Optimization (PO) LAC, Sales Specialist, to serve as the regional orchestrator for PO projects across LAC (North LAC, South LAC, and Brazil). Working in close partnership with SME Product, Sales, and Services teams, this role is responsible for ensuring PO initiatives are effectively sold, managed, and integrated into client portfolios — driving their healthy growth and development. The ideal candidate is passionate about the MSME segment, highly motivated, intellectually curious, analytical, and brings strong cross-functional coordination skills and sales acumen

In this manager position, the selected candidate will:
• Act as the regional orchestrator and coordination lead for SME Portfolio Optimization (PO) initiatives across LAC (North LAC, South LAC, and Brazil), driving productivity and profitability, in co responsibility with Services, SME Products and Sales
• Serve as the primary bridge between Services teams (e.g., BDLs, Services leadership) and the SME organization, ensuring full visibility of PO projects, priorities, and status across the region.
• Coordinate closely with SME Product, Sales, Services, and AMs, ensuring PO initiatives are jointly managed and executed, with clear ownership and alignment across all stakeholders.
• Ensure that PO initiatives delivered by Services have clearly defined success metrics and measurable outcomes, and that Services teams are actively tracking, measuring, and reporting results over time.
• Support complex sales processes and negotiations in partnership with Services and AMs, including Services funded initiatives and strategic commercial deals.
• Lead regular cross‑regional and cross‑functional alignment sessions with Services, SME teams, and AMs to track progress, resolve gaps, and maintain execution momentum.
• Own and maintain end to end visibility of the PO project pipeline, including priority clients and opportunity gaps in close coordination with Services, SME team and AMs.
• Ensure PO initiatives are embedded into sales opportunities and key account gaps are proactively escalated, working jointly with Services, SME teams and AMs, while maintaining high standards of quality, accuracy, and discipline in PO pipeline management in Salesforce
• Monitor performance, KPIs, and pipeline to support delivery of business targets

The ideal candidate for this position should have:
• Solid experience in financial services and/or payments, preferably with SME focus.
• Strong commercial leadership and ability to manage complex, multi country sales processes.
• Proven capability to work cross functionally with strong stakeholder management skills.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to translate client opportunities into financial impact.
• Experience with CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce) to ensure pipeline quality and data accuracy.
• Self driven, results oriented professional who thrives in a fast paced environment.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or postgraduate degree preferred.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Regional exposure across Latin America and the Caribbean is a strong plus.
• Fluent in English and Spanish required; Portuguese is a plus.

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.