Principal , Product Management-Technical

Mastercard; O’Fallon (MO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Mastercard is seeking a Principal Product Manager - Technical for the Mastercard Networks Exchange. The role focuses on owning a core product domain end to end, shaping multi‑year direction, and partnering with engineers on message specifications, data models, and network rules.

The ideal candidate has 10–15 years in technical product management or related fields, deep card processing knowledge, and a strong ability to translate customer needs into actionable product direction while mentoring

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of experience in technical product management, or engineering/solution architecture transitioning to product.
• Deep domain expertise in card transaction processing (authorization, clearing, settlement, disputes).
• Strong understanding of payment message formats and processing logic.

Responsibilities

• Own a core NEX product domain end to end, defining requirements and acceptance criteria for engineering.
• Partner with engineers on architecture, data models, and integration design to meet current and future needs.
• Define test strategies and acceptance scenarios, support QA, UAT, and production readiness for launches.
• Engage with networks, external processors, gateways, and partners to align delivery timelines and resolve integration questions.

Skills

Technical product management

Card processing domain

APIs

Data modeling

Distributed architecture

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

Principal , Product Management-Technical

Principal Product Manager - Technical, Mastercard Networks Exchange

Mastercard Networks Exchange (NEX) provides a single payment connection supporting both Mastercard and non-Mastercard branded financial transactions. It is a central point of connectivity that enables transaction originators and receivers - issuers, acquirers, merchants, and processors - to reach the networks of their choice, reducing the time, expense, and complexity of maintaining multiple direct connections.

NEX spans the full transaction lifecycle: a universal authorization interface to multiple global and US regional networks; a single-system clearing solution that lets customers manage multiple dual-message networks; consolidated funds settlement with supporting reporting and data; and a single platform for dispute management interfacing to network dispute processing platforms.

We are seeking a Principal Product Manager - Technical to own a core NEX product domain end to end. This is a senior individual-contributor product role for someone equally comfortable setting multi-year direction and going deep on message specifications, data models, settlement and reconciliation processes, dispute processing flows, and network rules. You will define what we build and partner with engineers to deliver it, while helping raise the bar for technical product quality across the team.

The Role

Product Domain Ownership

• Author high-quality product definitions: functional and non-functional requirements, acceptance criteria, and user stories precise enough for engineering to build against without ambiguity.
• Conduct in-depth assessments and present the analysis needed to inform decisions on scope, sequencing, and architecture within the domain.
• Provide pre-sales support - partnering with regional teams to define solutions for customer needs, and leading tradeoff analysis, estimation, and sizing for projects.

Technical Product Definition

• Partner with engineers and solution architects on architecture, data models, and integration design, ensuring solutions meet both current requirements and forward-looking needs.
• Manage dependency and scope risk across parallel workstreams, escalating clearly and early when delivery is at risk.
• Define test strategy and acceptance scenarios for the domain - partnering with QA and engineers on coverage for functional, regression, and network certification testing, and supporting UAT, customer validation, and production readiness through launch.

Network and Partner Engagement

• Work on NEX interfaces with global and US regional networks, including compliance with network mandates and release calendars.
• Work with external processors, gateways, and network partners to align delivery timelines and resolve integration questions.

Technical Product Leadership

• Act as a senior technical product voice across the team - reviewing specifications, coaching product managers on requirements quality, and setting standards others follow.
• Partner closely with Product Development, Product Operations, Go-To-Market and Regional product to deliver roadmap outcomes.
• Represent the domain in roadmap, prioritization, and architecture forums, and communicate status, risk, and tradeoffs clearly to senior leadership.
• Build cross-functional relationships across Product, Engineering, Operations, and customer-facing teams.

All About You

• 10-15 years of Experience in technical product management, or in engineering or solution architecture roles with a clear progression into product.
• Deep domain expertise in card transaction processing - meaningful depth in at least two of authorization, clearing, settlement, reconciliation, or disputes, and working familiarity with the rest.
• Strong technical background and hands‑on understanding of payment message formats and processing logic; able to read a specification, reason about edge cases, and identify what a requirement leaves unanswered.
• Strong ability to translate customer and business inputs into clear product direction.
• Experience partnering closely with engineers on complex systems - APIs, integrations, data models, and distributed architecture.
• Track record of delivering results, with the ability to learn quickly, pivot as priorities shift, and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Experience working with external processors or gateway partners on joint delivery.
• Experience mentoring product managers or setting requirements standards