Associate Consultant, Launch Program 2026 - United States

Mastercard•Boston, MA

23h•$95,000

About The Position

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. Services within Mastercard is responsible for acquiring, engaging, and retaining customers by managing fraud and risk, enhancing cybersecurity, and improving the digital payments experience. We provide value-added services and leverage expertise, data-driven insights, and execution. As an Associate Consultant, you will collaborate within small teams to help some of the world's biggest brands answer and often implement solutions for their most challenging strategic questions. You will immediately create meaningful contributions through taking ownership of deliverables and building external relationships with clients. Focusing on technology and data, you will gain broad exposure to a range of industries, including financial services, retail, restaurants, hospitality and more. We are looking for passionate and talented professionals, who share our vision for helping our customers with their most urgent business needs, and we are recruiting for 2 career tracks that make up our team: 1. Strategy & Transformation Guide clients through strategic, tactical, operational, and transformational challenges to enhance performance and operations. Our engagements cover diverse areas, including product development, marketing, customer loyalty, and innovation. Working with clients from various industries, many S&T engagements directly interface with numerous Fortune 500 companies. This role aligns with the practices of traditional management consulting firms. Sampling of questions we help our customers answer: How can a global financial services institution be successful at entering a hyper competitive new market? How can a customer improve its operating model to better achieve operational, financial and strategic goals? Team members typically support 1-3 projects concurrently, with each project lasting for approximately 8-16 weeks. 2. Business Experimentation Leverage Mastercard's industry-leading predictive analytics platform, Test & Learn®, and SQL to run data-backed business experiments for our clients. Consultants focus on data science-based solutions to provide insights on various business initiatives, including product launches, marketing campaigns, customer loyalty, and pricing across various industries that touch many Fortune 500 companies. Partner directly with clients to share findings and help determine which ideas are effective, as well as where, when, and how to implement them. Sampling of questions we help our customers answer: Where should a retailer open new stores to maximize profitability and minimize the cannibalization of nearby omnichannel sales? What bonus should be provided to someone opening a credit card account to entice them to use the card regularly? Team members will typically support 2-4 clients concurrently, and develop a deep understanding of client business challenges through longer term engagements (typically lasting 1-2 years).

Requirements

Undergraduate degree with an expected graduation date of Spring 2026
Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States, now as well as in the future, without employer sponsorship (e.g., F1 visa holders, including CPT or OPT, are not eligible)
Actively seeks responsibility and takes pride in delivering the highest quality results and recommendations to our clients
Proven record of leadership in a work setting and/or through extracurricular activities
Demonstrates a strong aptitude for structured problem solving, analytical and quantitative skills
Clear interest in the world of business, and intuition for the way that companies make decisions
Eagerness to learn quickly, both through Mastercard's structured training curriculum and organic development opportunities
Willingness to work within small teams to produce outstanding deliverables, with a will to win attitude
Outstanding record of academic achievement
Commitment to Mastercard's values of honesty and integrity with a willingness to embrace and learn from mistakes
Brings a unique skillset or approach to the table in every client engagement or internal activity
Ability to communicate complex ideas effectively
Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

Experience using data analysis or querying tools (e.g., SQL, SAS, Excel or Tableau)

Responsibilities

Collaborate within small teams to help some of the world's biggest brands answer and often implement solutions for their most challenging strategic questions
Create meaningful contributions through taking ownership of deliverables
Build external relationships with clients
Gain broad exposure to a range of industries, focusing on technology and data
Guide clients through strategic, tactical, operational, and transformational challenges to enhance performance and operations (Strategy & Transformation track)
Support 1-3 projects concurrently, with each project lasting for approximately 8-16 weeks (Strategy & Transformation track)
Leverage Mastercard's industry-leading predictive analytics platform, Test & Learn®, and SQL to run data-backed business experiments for clients (Business Experimentation track)
Focus on data science-based solutions to provide insights on various business initiatives (Business Experimentation track)
Partner directly with clients to share findings and help determine which ideas are effective, as well as where, when, and how to implement them (Business Experimentation track)
Support 2-4 clients concurrently, and develop a deep understanding of client business challenges through longer term engagements (typically lasting 1-2 years) (Business Experimentation track)

Benefits

Insurance (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, life insurance)
Flexible spending account
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
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