Principal, Program Manager

About the company

Mastercard operates across more than 200 countries and territories, helping people, businesses, and governments make secure, simple, and accessible digital payments. The company combines technology, innovation, partnerships, and network capabilities to create products and services that support economic growth and sustainability.

Role overview

Mastercard Foundry is the company’s global innovation organization, focused on emerging technology trends and how they shape the payments and commerce landscape. Its Research and Development team applies advanced technologies to build scalable new products and experiences. The group includes developers, engineers, scientists, designers, researchers, data specialists, and program managers who work across areas such as quantum computing, extended reality, privacy-enhancing technologies, generative AI, and machine learning.

The organization is seeking an experienced program manager to run complex initiatives in a fast-moving environment. This person will coordinate internal and cross-functional teams, keep delivery on track, and help ensure programs move forward even as priorities change.

What you will do

• Own planning and delivery for technical vision and roadmap execution, while helping connect platforms, data assets, and business units.
• Serve as the main coordination point for infrastructure and cloud capabilities across distributed R&D teams worldwide.
• Promote standard ways of working, alignment across initiatives, and strong global program governance.
• Look for opportunities to reduce manual work through automation and improve execution in an AI-first environment.
• Act as the program link for product development efforts, guiding teams and helping ensure scope and timelines are met.
• Maintain strong Jira discipline, including clean backlogs, accurate status updates, and consistent usage.
• Create automated reporting and dashboards using AI tools and code where appropriate, and track burndown, utilization, and delivery health metrics.
• Support local initiatives, events such as code drives, and other operational activities that keep programs aligned.
• Remove blockers and find practical paths forward when work becomes difficult or ambiguous.
• Bring predictability to large and complex efforts while simplifying processes and eliminating waste.

What we are looking for

You should bring proven experience in strategy, planning, and project management methods. The role also requires hands-on experience creating and automating operational dashboards with AI and other automation tools.

Strong leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills are essential, along with the ability to share complex information clearly and concisely with executives, peers, and team members. The ideal candidate is a confident problem solver who handles change well, stays organized, and can operate effectively in uncertain situations.

You should be skilled in planning, multitasking, and adjusting priorities as business needs evolve. A strong ability to work through difficult problems, explore alternatives, and turn findings into practical recommendations is also important.

Experience in global operations and program management, plus familiarity with AI best practices for delivery in an AI-native environment, is required. Experience working with Mastercard shared services teams and deploying global applications on cloud platforms is considered an advantage.

Corporate security responsibilities

Anyone working for or on behalf of Mastercard must follow the company’s security requirements. This includes complying with security policies and practices, protecting the confidentiality and integrity of accessed information, reporting suspected security incidents or breaches, and completing all required periodic security training.

Additional information

This role is based in Greater Dublin and is a full-time, on-site position.