Associate Consultant Intern, Summer 2027

MasterCard; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentorship and coaching

Networking opportunities

Professional development experiences

Exposure to innovative technologies

Volunteer and team-building activities

Job summary

Mastercard offers an Associate Consultant Intern position for Summer 2027 in the United States. You’ll work in small teams on strategic projects, deliver deliverables, and build client-ready insights while gaining exposure to data analytics and business strategy.

As an intern, you’ll receive mentorship from experienced leaders, participate in networking events, and engage in development experiences that prepare you for a consulting career at Mastercard.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate or master's degree with expected graduation Spring 2028.
• Eligible to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.
• Experience using data analysis or querying tools (SQL, SAS, Excel or Tableau) is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate within small teams to support strategic consulting projects across industries.
• Collaborate with colleagues across different areas of the organization and gain exposure to business development, account management, and product management.
• Analyze data, identify trends, and help translate insights into recommendations.
• Create clear and compelling presentations for internal teams and clients.
• Support problem solving by structuring challenges and exploring solutions.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Undergraduate or Master's degree

Tools

SQL

Excel

Tableau

SAS

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

Associate Consultant Intern, Summer 2027

Why join Mastercard’s internship program?

Mastercard's internship program offers more than hands‑on work. It provides an opportunity to build skills, expand your network, and make a meaningful impact while working on projects that support business priorities. It provides an opportunity to build skills, expand your network, and make a meaningful impact while working on projects that support business priorities.

About the team

Mastercard’s Advisors & Consulting Services (A&CS) team helps clients drive impact through data‑driven insights, hands‑on implementation, and a collaborative, tech‑enabled culture. We invest in talent through global engagements, continuous learning, and programs like the Global Ambassadors Program, while fostering purpose through volunteerism, pro‑bono work, and innovation that benefits both clients and communities.

What you’ll do

As an Associate Consultant Intern, you will collaborate within small teams to help some of the world's biggest brands answer and implement solutions for their most challenging strategic questions. You will immediately create meaningful contributions through ownership of deliverables and building external relationships with clients. Focusing on technology and data, you will gain broad exposure to a range of industries, including financial services, retail, restaurants, hospitality, and more.

• Work in small teams to support strategic consulting projects across industries
• Collaborate with colleagues across different areas of the organization and gain exposure to business development, account management, and product management
• Analyze data, identify trends, and help translate insights into recommendations
• Create clear and compelling presentations for internal teams and clients
• Support problem solving by structuring challenges and exploring solutions
• Build an understanding of how consulting engagements are delivered end to end
• Participate in volunteer and team building experiences
• Gain exposure to our leadership team through networking sessions and speaker series
• Begin to build relationships with clients to understand their business needs, seek strategic solutions and guide impactful decisions
• Grow by receiving hands‑on mentorship from an experienced management team

Specialization Tracks

We are looking for passionate and talented professionals who share our vision for helping our customers with their most urgent business needs. We are recruiting into the following specialization tracks that make up our team. Track placement will indicate the types of projects where you will spend most of your time; however, we encourage and enable working across tracks to allow team members to acquire diverse skills and experiences.

Business Experimentation

Leverage Mastercard's industry‑leading predictive analytics platform, Test & Learn®, and SQL to run data‑backed business experiments for our clients. Consultants focus on data science‑based solutions to provide insights on various business initiatives, including product launches, marketing campaigns, customer loyalty, and pricing across various industries that touch many Fortune 500 companies. Partner directly with clients to share findings and help determine which ideas are effective, as well as where, when, and how to implement them.

• Where should a retailer open new stores to maximize profitability and minimize the cannibalization of nearby omnichannel sales?
• What bonus should be provided to someone opening a credit card account to entice them to use the card regularly?

Strategy & Transformation

Guide clients through strategic, tactical, operational, and transformational challenges to enhance performance and operations. Our engagements cover diverse areas, including product development, marketing, customer loyalty, and innovation. Working with clients from various industries, many S&T engagements directly interface with numerous Fortune 500 companies. This role aligns with the practices of traditional management consulting firms.

• How can a global financial services institution be successful at entering a hyper competitive new market?
• How can a customer improve its operating model to better achieve operational, financial, and strategic goals?

What we’re looking for

Undergraduate or master's degree with an expected graduation date of Spring 2028 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. We recruit for and value the following core competencies:

• Passion: Actively seeks responsibility and takes pride in delivering the highest quality results and recommendations to our clients. Proven record of leadership in a work setting and/or through extracurricular activities.
• Analytic Excellence: Demonstrates a strong aptitude for structured problem solving, analytical, and quantitative skills. Experience using data analysis or querying tools (e.g., SQL, SAS, Excel or Tableau) is an asset (particularly for Performance Analytics or Business Experimentation tracks).
• Business Interest: Clear interest in the world of business, and intuition for the way that companies make decisions.
• Rapid Growth: Eagerness to learn quickly, both through Mastercard's structured training curriculum and organic development opportunities.
• Teamwork: Willingness to work within small teams to produce outstanding deliverables, with a will to win attitude.
• Integrity: Outstanding record of academic achievement. Commitment to Mastercard's values of honesty and integrity with a willingness to embrace and learn from mistakes.
• Diverse Perspective: Brings a unique skillset or approach to the table in every client engagement or internal activity.
• Communication: Ability to communicate complex ideas effectively. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

As an intern, you'll benefit from

• Mentorship and coaching from experienced professionals and leaders
• Networking opportunities with fellow interns, employees, and senior leaders
• Professional development experiences focused on career growth and skill-building
• Exposure to innovative technologies and global business challenges
• Volunteer, community engagement, and team‑building activities

Salary:

Salary: $34/hour

To participate in our job simulation and experience what it’s like to work as a Consultant at Mastercard visit: https://www.theforage.com/simulations/mastercard/advisors-client-services-xvlw

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 [e-mail] 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.

Mastercard benefits for interns generally include: 56 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time; jury duty leave; and on‑site fitness facilities in some locations.

Everyone wants easier ways to pay; we invent them. Checkout lines are slow; we speed them along. Merchants want more sales; we give them data and insights. People need financial access; we connect them. Corporate purchasing is complicated; we make it simple. Commuters are busy; we speed them on their way. Governments need greater efficiencies; we help create them. Small businesses are virtual; we give them access to a world of buyers. Retailers want to fight fraud; we provide the tools.