Vice President Merchant Risk Scoring Solutions

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

Vice President Merchant Risk Scoring Solutions

Overview
At Mastercard, we power economies and empower people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone by making transactions safe, simple, smart, and accessible.

The AI Network Services team (within Fraud & Decisioning, Security Solutions) develops AI-driven, network-scale risk intelligence products that help ecosystem participants make smarter decisions in real time.

As Vice President, Merchant Risk Scoring Solutions, you will lead one of Mastercard’s most strategic growth areas developing next-generation merchant risk products and unlocking a largely untapped merchant-facing opportunity across the global payments ecosystem.

This role sits at the intersection of AI, product innovation, and commercialization, driving solutions that improve fraud detection, enhance trust, and enable safer digital commerce at scale.

Role Overview & Impact
• Leads Mastercard’s merchant risk scoring portfolio within AI Network Services, driving strategy, execution, and commercialization of AI-powered risk solutions
• Owns end-to-end product lifecycle from identifying market pain points to building, scaling, and commercializing solutions globally
• Drives 0→1 innovation, developing new merchant-focused risk products in a largely untapped space beyond traditional issuer/acquirer models
• Partners closely with data science and engineering to deliver AI-driven solutions leveraging network-scale data and advanced analytics
• Operates with hands-on technical product leadership, able to guide technical decisions, navigate complexity, and overcome development challenges
• Leads with a strong execution and problem-solving mindset, continuously iterating and adapting based on customer feedback and real-world performance
• Expands Mastercard’s reach into the merchant ecosystem, defining new solutions that merchants can directly adopt and utilize
• Drives global commercialization and client adoption, partnering with sales and regional teams to deliver measurable impact (fraud reduction, improved decisioning)
• Acts as a cross-functional leader, aligning product, data science, engineering, and commercial teams in a highly matrixed environment
• Ultimately shapes how merchant-level risk is understood and managed across the payments ecosystem, unlocking growth while improving trust and safety

All About You
• Proven track record delivering complex, data-driven products at scale, with a strong focus on execution and measurable outcomes
• Strong technical foundation (engineering or data-oriented background preferred), with the ability to work deeply with engineering and data science teams to shape solutions
• Solid understanding of AI/ML concepts (e.g., predictive modeling, graph analytics, anomaly detection) and their application in fraud and risk domains
• Experience in payments, fraud, or risk ecosystems, with understanding of issuer, acquirer, and emerging merchant risk dynamics
• Demonstrated ability to build and scale products from concept through commercialization (0→1 and beyond)
• Strong problem solver who can navigate complexity, unblock teams, and identify alternative paths to deliver outcomes
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, evolving environments, where products continuously iterate based on customer feedback
• Commercially minded, with the ability to translate technical solutions into clear customer value and business impact
• Experience working directly with customers to validate solutions and demonstrate impact (e.g., back-testing, portfolio insights)
• Strong cross-functional leader, with proven ability to influence stakeholders across product, engineering, data science, and go-to-market teams
• Effective relationship builder, able to drive alignment and outcomes in a highly matrixed organization
• Resilient and adaptable, with the ability to pivot quickly, respond to feedback, and continuously improve products and strategy

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 [email protected] 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

Purchase, New York: $235,000 - $375,000 USD