Associate Consultant, Launch Program 2027 - Arlington, VA (Washington, DC)

MasterCard; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k with company match

Paid time off

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Mastercard’s Launch Program in Arlington, VA offers an 18‑month path for graduates entering the business and technology consulting space. You’ll work in Advisors & Consulting Services, solving real client challenges with data‑driven insights, mentorship, and structured learning.

Expect growth through hands‑on projects, teaming, and exposure to multiple industries. The program emphasizes analytical excellence, leadership, and teamwork, with formal training and opportunities to advance within

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent required; graduating Spring 2027 expected.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills with ability to structure problems and derive insights.
• Experience using data analysis or querying tools (SQL, SAS, Excel, Tableau) is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate in small teams to answer and implement solutions for strategic questions.
• Own deliverables and build client relationships with external stakeholders.
• Focus on technology and data across industries, including financial services, retail, and hospitality.

Skills

SQL

SAS

Excel

Tableau

Problem solving

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Undergraduate or accelerated master’s degree

Tools

None

Job description

Associate Consultant, Launch Program 2027 - Arlington, VA (Washington, DC)

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.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POSTING IS FOR MASTERCARD'S ARLINGTON, VA (Washington, DC) JOB LOCATION ONLY

Why join Mastercard’s Launch Program?

Over the course of this 18-month program, you'll build specialized expertise through hands- on experience, structured learning, and mentorship from industry leaders. You'll work on real business challenges, applying your skills to projects that create meaningful impact. Along the way, you'll deepen your knowledge of Mastercard's business, collaborate with teams across the organization, and develop the technical, analytical, and professional capabilities needed to accelerate your career. By the end of the program, you’ll have a strong foundation in your chosen field and the confidence to continue to grow here at Mastercard.

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

• Collaborate within small teams to help some of the world's biggest brands answer and implement solutions for their most challenging strategic questions.
• Create meaningful contributions through ownership of deliverables and building external relationships with clients.
• Focus on technology and data, gaining broad exposure to a range of industries, including financial services, retail, restaurants, hospitality, and more.

Specialization Tracks

We are looking for passionate and talented professionals who share our vision for helping our customers with their most urgent business needs. 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. We are currently hiring for the Business Experimentation Track.

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.

Sampling of questions we help our customers answer:

• 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?

Team members will typically support 2-4 clients concurrently and develop a deep understanding of client business challenges through longer term engagements (typically lasting 1-2 years).

What we’re looking for

• Undergraduate or accelerated master’s degree with an expected graduation date Spring 2027
• 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.
• 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.

Salary: $95,000/year

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.

Benefits for full time employees

• 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

Benefits for interns

• 56 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time
• jury duty leave
• 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.