Data Science Director Job Listing at Mastercard in San Carlos, CA (Job ID R-265307-San Carlos, United States of America, 94070)

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

Data Science Director About Mastercard
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry, connecting billions of consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, and businesses worldwide. We are driving the future of commerce by enabling secure, simple, and smart transactions. Artificial Intelligence is at the core of our strategy to make Mastercard stronger and commerce safer, smarter and more personal.

Overview
At Mastercard, we're building an Agentic AI platform to transform how our products and services deliver intelligent, personalized experiences. We are looking for a Data Science Director to lead the development and deployment of our Graph database and Reinforcement Learning capabilities in a multi-agent simulation platform.

Responsibilities:

Leadership & Strategy
• Define and execute the data science vision and roadmap for Graph database and Reinforcement Learning capabilities, aligning initiatives with business priorities and product strategy.
• Recruit, lead, and mentor a high-performing data science team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and collaboration.
• Partner with product, engineering, and business leaders to shape requirements and deliver data-driven capabilities that improve customer experience and reduce disputes.

Product Impact
• Build and scale Graph database and Reinforcement Learning capabilities that enrich merchant and transaction data.
• Guide the design and implementation of Graph database and Reinforcement Learning capabilities that leverage generative AI, multi-agent systems, NLP, and computer vision to enhance platform experiences.
• Monitor and continuously improve deployed models to ensure accuracy, reliability, and compliance in a regulated financial environment.

Technical & Operational Excellence
• Provide hands-on technical leadership in model development, deployment, and governance across cloud environments (Azure, Snowflake, Spark).
• Ensure compliance with Mastercard's data governance, security, and privacy requirements.
• Review and oversee code, models, and engineering components developed by the team to maintain enterprise-grade standards.

Innovation & Thought Leadership
• Drive exploration of cutting-edge technologies, including generative AI and agentic frameworks, to strengthen the product offering and Mastercard technical competence.
• Represent Mastercard's AI leadership through patents, publications, conference presentations, and academic partnerships.
• Incubate prototypes and proofs-of-concept to evaluate new methods before scaling into production.

All About You:
• Proven experience leading data science teams and delivering enterprise-scale AI/ML solutions.
• Deep expertise in supervised, unsupervised, and generative AI methods, with strong understanding of their mathematical foundations.
• Hands-on background in building and implementing Graph database and Reinforcement Learning capabilities in real world applications.
• Strong track record of translating complex data problems into scalable, measurable business outcomes.
• Proficiency in Python, ML frameworks (Scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow), SQL, Spark, and Azure ML/Snowflake.
• Experience working in highly regulated industries, with an emphasis on data governance and compliance.
• Skilled at engaging with senior stakeholders, presenting technical results to diverse audiences, and driving alignment across functions.
• Master's degree required; PhD preferred.

Nice to Have:
• Experience in payments, FinTech, or consumer transaction data.
• Prior patents or publications in AI/ML.
• Demonstrated success applying GenAI or multi-agent systems in production environments.

#AI1 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_accommodation@mastercard.com 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.

Pay Ranges

Arlington, Virginia: $170,000 - $273,000 USD Purchase, New York: $170,000 - $273,000 USD San Francisco, California: $178,000 - $284,000 USD

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