Certification Program Manager Job Listing at Mastercard in Athens (Job ID R-243480-Athens, Greece, 11854)

Description

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

Certification Program Manager Who is Mastercard?
We work to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. We cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation and delivers better business results.

Job Summary
The Certification Program Manager is responsible for the design, development, and management of certification programs. This role involves conducting job task analyses, defining competency frameworks, creating exam blueprints, and ensuring assessments are developed in alignment with industry standards and organizational goals. The ideal candidate will collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs), maintain rigorous quality assurance processes, and manage certification program integrity through structured reviews, psychometric validation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities
Competency Framework & Exam Blueprint Development
• Conduct job role and competency research to ensure relevance and rigor of certification programs
• Design and maintain competency frameworks for certification programs, ensuring alignment with industry trends and best practices
• Develop exam blueprints, defining assessment objectives, content domains, and weightings based on job task analysis and SME input
• Establish version control and update cycles for frameworks and blueprints based on industry evolution
Assessment Development & Psychometric Validation
• Oversee the development of valid and reliable assessment items in collaboration with SMEs.
• Implement item writing workshops with SMEs to ensure high-quality question development aligned with the certification framework.
• Manage item review processes, including technical accuracy, clarity, and cognitive level appropriateness.
• Oversee psychometric analysis, standard setting, and cut-score studies using statistical methodologies.
• Ensure all assessments meet industry standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 17024, ANSI, NCCA) and internal quality criteria.
SME Engagement & Certification Governance
• Engage and manage subject matter experts (SMEs) to contribute to the design and development of competency frameworks and assessments.
• Facilitate SME working groups, ensuring clear guidance, training, and alignment with certification objectives.
• Establish governance models for ongoing certification program oversight, including periodic review cycles.
Quality Assurance & Exam Integrity
• Develop and implement robust quality assurance (QA) processes for certification content and assessments.
• Oversee the review and approval of assessment items, ensuring alignment with competency requirements.
• Conduct item performance analysis and refresh assessments as needed to maintain validity and reliability.
• Select and oversee the implementation of an assessment platform that meets exam security protocols to prevent integrity breaches, including proctoring requirements.
Stakeholder Collaboration & Continuous Improvement
• Work closely with internal teams to integrate certifications within broader learning ecosystems.
• Collaborate with external vendors or platforms for exam delivery, proctoring, and badging and scoring solutions.
• Monitor candidate feedback and industry changes to drive iterative improvements in certification programs.
• Lead certification program audits and reporting, ensuring alignment with accreditation standards.

All about you
Key Qualifications & Experience
• 5+ years of experience in certification program management, curriculum design, assessment development, psychometrics, or a related field.
• Proven experience in developing competency frameworks and exam blueprints for professional certification programs.
• Strong background in assessment design, validation, and cut-score methodologies.
• Familiarity with industry standards such as ISO/IEC 17024, ANSI, NCCA, or other credentialing best practices.
• Experience in managing SME engagement, item writing workshops, and governance models.
• Knowledge of psychometric principles and ability to analyze assessment data for reliability and validity.
• Proficiency with assessment development platforms, item banks, and proctoring solutions.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to oversee multiple certification initiatives simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Education, Assessment, Learning Science, Psychometrics, or a related field preferred.
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Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in financial services, payments, fintech, or technology sectors.
• Certification (e.g., Certified Credentialing Specialist, Certified Test Developer, or related credential).

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.

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