Director - Regional Operational Excellence

Mastercard • O'fallon, MO

2d

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. Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart, and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments, and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. The GCD&C Operational Excellence team is looking for a Director - Regional Operational Excellence to drive our customer experience strategy forward by consistently innovating and problem-solving. At Mastercard, we power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere. The Director, Regional Operational Excellence is a senior leader responsible for advancing this mission by driving operational rigor, scalability, and continuous improvement across the region. This role serves as the strategic bridge between regional operations and the global Operational Excellence (OpEx) function, ensuring alignment to enterprise standards while delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, customer experience, and operational governance & control.

Requirements

• Extensive experience in Operational Excellence, transformation, or operational strategy leadership roles.
• Proven ability to influence senior executives and lead in global, matrixed environments.
• Demonstrated success delivering large-scale transformation and measurable business outcomes.
• Deep expertise in performance management, capacity planning, and data-driven decision-making.
• Strong knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma).
• Exceptional communication skills with strong executive presence.

Nice To Haves

• Lean, Six Sigma, or Operational Excellence certifications.
• Experience in large-scale, customer-centric operations (e.g., contact centers, shared services).
• Background within centralized OpEx, transformation, or enterprise change functions.

Responsibilities

• Partner with regional and global executives to define and execute operational excellence strategy aligned to business priorities.
• Drive adoption of enterprise OpEx frameworks, including capacity planning, resource optimization, performance management, quality assurance, and governance.
• Locally lead large-scale, cross-functional transformation initiatives that improve productivity, scalability, and customer outcomes.
• Establish and track KPIs to measure operational performance, maturity, and business impact.
• Leverage data and insights to identify trends, risks, and opportunities, enabling informed executive decision-making.
• Champion continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma) to deliver sustainable efficiency gains.
• Ensure strong change governance and readiness, driving adoption of new processes, tools, and operating models.
• Build and develop regional OpEx capabilities through coaching, training, and best practice sharing.
• Foster a culture grounded in accountability, innovation, and operational excellence.

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
• Education Level: No Education Listed