Research Director, Advisors Research Centre

Our Purpose

We work 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. We cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation and delivers better business results.

Title and Summary

Research Director, Advisors Research Centre

All About Us

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 combine traditional management consulting with our rich data assets and in-house technology to provide our clients with powerful strategic insights and recommendations. Centered on data-driven technologies and innovation, these services include consulting, loyalty and marketing programs, test-and-learn business experimentation, and data-driven information and risk management services. While specializing in the payments industry, Mastercard Services also works closely with major retailers, airlines, and other enterprises, leveraging data and insights garnered from within and beyond its network.

Advisors Research Center is a new capability designed to respond to fast evolving customer needs for high-quality research support, with the important mission of value realization in developing insights and recommendations. This capability augment Advisors traditional areas of strength.


Advisors Research Center is a global research-oriented competency that applies proven, accredited research and domain experience to partner with any client worldwide to help them drive measurable value by:
• Delivering new research products and strategies to market smoothly and efficiently
• Successfully leveraging research assets and delivering the most challenging research output that’s impactful for clients
• Provide key insights based on secondary research and/or analyzing the data available
Our vision is to establish Advisors Research Center in multiple locations worldwide and in this context, you will provide global mentorship and thought leadership on startup, processes, good practices, content, expertise, etc.

You will lead the Advisors Research Center in the Lisbon office. As a Research Director, you will be the key research lead for multiple projects , providing efficient and effective coordination of a complex range of activities by clearly defining project team and stakeholder roles and responsibilities that are aligned with the delivery of the expected benefits. You will work closely with product managers, project managers and other clients to define the scope, objectives and deliverables for a particular research commission.

All About You
• Applying topic knowledge and industry expertise in a commercial context
• With deep understanding of a topic’s business model and Mastercard’s assets, you will deliver sophisticated individual research analysis in cross topics
• You will act as a strategic global business driver at the topic level, with ability to do more sophisticated research analysis & story lining, you can act independently in a sophisticated case research deliverable
• You will act as a bridge between the ARC team and Advisors global Subject Matter Experts Coaching and developing team members to build an efficient, high motivated, highly effective team
• You will drive effective learning and development for global ARC colleagues in topic knowledge and research effectiveness
• Acting as thought partner and strategic thinker supporting our Product and Sales teams in their go to market activities
• With the ability to think strategically on deepening content expertise and impact as well as innovating tools and streamlining processes, you will be seen as role model in expert research globally
• Develops strategic relationships for "Seat at the table" thought partnership with senior knowledge team members and topic partners


All About Your Education & Skills
• Master’s degree desirable; strong preference to research (e.g. economics, engineering, sciences)
• Many years relevant working experience in consumer research- quantitative and qualitative
• Expertise in secondary research sources e.g. Statista, Data monitor etc.
• Fluent in English required; other languages desirable
• Exposure specifically in payments and / or retail banking or merchants preferred
• Advanced Word, Excel, and PowerPoint skills required;

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.