Director, Data Acquisition

Mastercard • O'fallon, MO

3d • $156,000 - $265,000

About The Position

The Data Sources team in the Data Strategy & Management organization (AI and Data Office) is responsible for the management, acquisition, ingestion and evaluation of enterprise data and data capabilities utilized by a wide range of Mastercard product teams. The Director, Data Acquisition will lead the global strategy for acquiring and integrating partner and third-party data, driving the development of data products and services.

Requirements

• Significant professional history in data acquisition, data commercialization, or vendor management.
• Proven expertise in third party data contracts, pricing models, and negotiation strategy.
• Strong understanding of data ecosystems, data management, and analytics.
• Experience with data products (acquisition, evaluation, pricing, commercialization).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; ability to translate complex data concepts clearly.
• Analytical problem solver with a commercial, product driven mindset.
• Program/project management experience preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree required, master’s preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with cloud data environments, ML/AI, and data marketplaces is a plus.
• Preferred experience with Mastercard products, data visualization, and cloud-based processing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the enterprise strategy for acquiring external and partner data aligned with product, analytics, and business objectives.
• Act as Mastercard’s subject matter expert on third party data, data rights, usage terms, pricing, and commercialization potential.
• Lead vendor evaluations and negotiations, assessing data value, contractual risks, supplier capabilities, and competitive pricing.
• Conduct market and competitive research to identify emerging data sources and industry trends.
• Partner with data quality, governance, risk, and security teams to define standards and ensure compliant, high integrity data ingestion.
• Contribute to modernizing Mastercard’s third party data ecosystem, including governance, analytics, and discovery processes.
• Communicate acquisition insights, strategic recommendations, and value outcomes to senior leadership.
• Assess, acquire, and ingest third party data into cloud and on prem environments in collaboration with engineering and platform teams.
• Manage vendor relationships end to end, including pipeline oversight, timelines, deliverables, data quality, and commercial outcomes.
• Maintain documentation, dashboards, and KPIs to track acquisition performance and operational effectiveness.
• Gather and validate business requirements with product teams to ensure effective use of third-party data.
• Ensure compliance with privacy and regulatory requirements (GDPR, CCPA) through proper governance and documentation.
• Facilitate stakeholder workshops and provide education on data acquisition tools, processes, and best practices.

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees