Senior Counsel

Mastercard; Dubai; On-site; AED 800,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Mastercard is seeking an experienced Senior Counsel to provide strategic legal support for the Core Payments business across EEMEA from Dubai. You will partner with regional leadership to shape pricing models, product strategy and governance, while translating complex regulations into practical guidance.

The role requires a payments- and technology-minded lawyer with executive presence, strong drafting and negotiation skills, and a track record of handling cross-border matters with senior

Qualifications

• Extensive payments, fintech, technology and regulatory experience.
• Proven track record advising senior leaders on complex matters.
• Fluency in English; additional EEMEA language is a plus.
• Experience leading cross-border matters and strategic initiatives.
• Advanced drafting and negotiation skills on complex technology and commercial agreements.

Responsibilities

• Advise EEMEA Core Payments leadership on pricing, product strategy and governance.
• Oversee complex commercial and technology agreements and vendor arrangements.
• Coordinate with regional and global stakeholders to align risk and business goals.
• Lead or support high-profile, cross-border matters involving senior executives.
• Develop scalable legal playbooks, templates and training for consistency.

Skills

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional

Drafting contracts

Negotiation

Regulatory knowledge

Payments expertise

Education

Law degree

Job description

Job Description:

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

Senior Counsel

Our Purpose

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we are helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payment choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Overview

Mastercard is seeking an experienced senior lawyer to provide comprehensive, end-to-end strategic legal support to the Core Payments business across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EEMEA). The role will serve as a senior legal partner to regional Core Payments leadership, helping shape business strategy, product development, commercialization and region-wide pricing initiatives.

The successful candidate will be a payments- and technology-minded lawyer with strong executive presence, sound commercial judgment and extensive product and transactional experience. The role requires the ability to engage at both strategic and tactical levels, anticipate legal and regulatory issues, influence decision-making and translate complex risks into clear, practical guidance.

The Role

Act as a trusted strategic advisor to EEMEA Core Payments leadership and relevant regional and global stakeholders on business priorities, product strategy, commercialization models and material legal and reputational risks.

Provide strategic legal oversight across the lifecycle of Core Payments products and initiatives, from concept, design and regional assessment through market enablement, launch, scaling, enhancement and discontinuation.

Lead the legal review of EEMEA-wide Core Payments pricing and interchange initiatives, including the legal assessment of proposed pricing models, fee constructs, bundling, opt-in and opt-out structures, customer impact, communications and implementation considerations.

Advise on the legal and regulatory dimensions of pricing proposals and provide clear, risk-balanced recommendations to inform relevant regional and global governance and approval processes.

Shape regional legal positions and guardrails for complex or novel Core Payments initiatives, promoting consistency across EEMEA while recognizing market-specific legal and regulatory requirements.

Provide strategic challenge to business proposals, identify alternatives and controls, and help senior stakeholders make well-informed decisions in areas of legal uncertainty or heightened regulatory attention.

Lead or coordinate high-profile, cross-border and sensitive matters, including engagement with senior business leaders, specialist counsel, market legal teams and external counsel.

Key Responsibilities

Support Core Payments portfolios across EEMEA, including consumer products, core network and processing solutions, digital payments, authentication, tokenization, card products, cardholder solutions and related commercialization initiatives.

Partner closely with regional Core Payments leadership, pricing, finance, global product, sales, business development, customer delivery, technology, franchise, regulatory, compliance, privacy, intellectual property, public policy, communications and market business and legal teams.

Assess strategic pricing proposals for legal, competition, consumer protection, regulatory, contractual and reputational considerations, and coordinate market-specific analysis where required.

Guide the development of defensible rationales, customer propositions, contractual frameworks and communications for new or revised fees, product bundles and regional pricing programs.

Advise on product constructs, customer journeys, commercial models, go‑to‑market strategies, contracting structures and allocation of legal and operational responsibilities.

Oversee or handle complex commercial and technology agreements, including customer, partnership, vendor and platform arrangements, product terms, enrollment forms, addenda and statements of work.

Lead regional legal assessments, legal scans and product governance processes, and ensure timely coordination with market counsel and legal subject‑matter experts.

Build strong relationships with global product counsel and other regions, promote alignment of legal positions, and adapt global frameworks and templates for EEMEA implementation.

Develop scalable legal frameworks, playbooks, templates and training that improve consistency, transparency and speed of execution across EEMEA.

Provide senior‑level guidance, coaching and quality oversight to lawyers and legal resources supporting Core Payments matters, without implying formal people‑management responsibility.

Manage external counsel strategically and efficiently, including scoping, selection, instruction, quality oversight and budget management.

Escalate material issues appropriately and ensure compliance with Mastercard policies, governance standards and record‑keeping requirements.

All About You

Qualified senior lawyer in one or more jurisdictions, with a strong academic and professional training background.

Extensive experience in payments, financial services, fintech, technology, product and commercial legal matters, preferably gained through a combination of in‑house and leading private‑practice experience.

Demonstrated record of providing strategic legal advice to senior business leaders and influencing complex, high‑impact decisions across multiple jurisdictions.

Strong understanding of payment networks, product development, commercialization and pricing. Experience reviewing pricing, fee or interchange initiatives is highly advantageous.

Sophisticated knowledge of competition, consumer protection, financial services regulation and contractual risk as they relate to payment products and pricing structures, with the judgment to coordinate specialist advice where necessary.

Advanced drafting and negotiation skills, including experience with complex technology, customer, vendor, partnership and product agreements.

Ability to understand complex products, data flows, technologies and economic models, identify the issues that matter and develop pragmatic, risk‑balanced solutions.

Excellent executive communication and stakeholder‑management skills, with the credibility to advise, challenge and influence senior legal and business leadership.

Proven ability to lead cross‑functional and cross‑border matters in a dynamic matrix environment, manage ambiguity and deliver under competing priorities and tight deadlines.

Collaborative, curious, proactive and solutions‑oriented, with sound judgment, high integrity and strong attention to detail.

Fluency in English is required. Additional EEMEA language capability is an advantage.

Working Style and Scope

This role is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and supports stakeholders across EEMEA. The role requires collaboration across jurisdictions and time zones and may involve business travel. Mastercard roles evolve with the needs of the business, and the responsibilities above are intended as a guide rather than an exhaustive list.

Corporate Security Responsibility

• 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.

Requirements: