Associate Product Specialist, Launch Program 2026 - United States

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

Associate Product Specialist, Launch Program 2026 - United States

Who is Mastercard?

At Mastercard, we're powering economies and empowering people, building a sustainable economy where everyone prospers. Our Product teams transform bold ideas into innovative solutions that address complex global challenges—ranging from digital currency and cybersecurity to financial inclusion. They develop strategies that not only meet business goals but also anticipate customer needs, all while driving positive social impact. Through collaboration, continuous learning, and a commitment to building a more inclusive and sustainable world, our Product professionals are redefining how people and businesses interact with payments globally.

Make an impact as an Associate Product Specialist

As an Associate Product Specialist, you will have the chance to learn how to develop business cases for new product opportunities, develop scalable customer-centric products, and see those projects through to go-to-market. When joining one of our highly collaborative product teams, you will have the opportunity to build and manage great products. We are looking for passionate and talented professionals, who share our vision for developing scalable customer-centric products with agility and excellence.

In this role, you will also participate in the Mastercard Launch program, an 18-month program aimed at entry level talent, to help you develop skills and gain cross-functional work experience. Launch participants will be assigned to a business unit where you will learn, develop new skills, and gain valuable on the job experience.

As an Associate Product Specialist, you may :

Manage and own tasks across the product life cycle

Assist in establishing and monitoring progress against key milestones in the development and implementation process

Work with various product lines and technologies

Provide competitive landscape, trends, consumer insights, research and end-to-end program analytics

Engage with the business and engineering teams to track progress and identify dependencies and risks

Contribute to inspiring product visions, derived from market and customer needs, and evolving technology trends

Identify and measure product and business metrics to increase adoption and understand customers' ongoing needs

Conduct iterative experiments to identify and prioritize key features for inclusion with product releases and product roadmap

Develop presentations to be used in sales / partnership meetings

Define product pricing strategies

Speak with customers (existing or prospective) to fully understand how Mastercard product will impact their systems and business models

Assist customers to resolve operational issues that have been escalated

Project management of strategic initiatives

Work on potential product areas such as : Analytics, APIs, Artificial Intelligence, Cryptocurrency / Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Loyalty, Marketing, Open Banking, or Payments (e-commerce, in store, etc.)

Projects other Associate Product Specialist Launchers have worked on :

Samantha developed a competitive analysis of a business intelligence product to understand market offerings and how Mastercard's product compared. Her analysis helped the team identify which features to accelerate on their roadmap.

William developed a model framework to define bundled pricing deals combining our Identity Solutions capabilities. His model was leveraged to launch a new pricing bundle with resellers and streamline the sales lifecycle for future deals.

Maria worked with stakeholders and customers to understand the analytics needed for our application, then developed the roadmap for incorporating a 3rd-party data analytics tool into the app experience.

All About You

Currently enrolled senior pursuing bachelor's / accelerated master's degree graduating in Spring 2026

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Excel, PPT)

High energy level; flexible, adaptive and strong collaborator

Well planned, organized & structured to manage time & work effectively

This role is not eligible for Mastercard's work authorization sponsorship. As such, candidates must be eligible to work in the United States, now as well as in the future, without employer sponsorship. For example, students or recent graduates in the United States on an F1 visa (including those with CPT or OPT authorization) are not eligible for this role.

Application Process

First step, submit your application

If you are eligible, you will receive an invitation for a digital interview; this includes answering pre-recorded interview questions

If you are recommended to advance, you will receive an invitation for final round interview(s); you will have the opportunity to meet with us virtually to learn more about our business and culture

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 reasonable_accommodation@mastercard.com 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.