Director - Network Management

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 Director - Network Management The Director – Network Commercialization will be responsible for driving the growth, optimization, and commercialization of the receiving network across Africa Region. The role will focus on expanding payout capabilities, strengthening relationships with Receiving Service Providers (RSPs), banks, and payment partners, and ensuring the network delivers best-in-class coverage, pricing, speed, and customer experience. The successful candidate will play a critical role in expanding cross-border remittance capabilities across account deposit, wallet payouts, and push-to-card solutions while identifying opportunities to improve network performance, increase transaction volumes, and enhance partner economics. Key Responsibilities Network Growth & Commercialization Develop and execute regional network commercialization strategies to drive growth across key remittance corridors. Identify, evaluate, negotiate, and onboard new Receiving Service Providers (RSPs), banks, fintechs, wallet providers, and payment institutions. Expand payout coverage across bank account deposit, mobile wallet, and push-to-card capabilities. Build and manage a robust pipeline of network expansion opportunities within assigned markets. Drive activation and utilization of new network capabilities to increase transaction volumes and revenue. Partner Relationship Management Own strategic relationships with existing RSPs and key network partners. Conduct regular business reviews with partners to assess performance, identify growth opportunities, and address operational challenges. Negotiate commercial agreements, pricing structures, and service-level commitments with partners. Serve as the primary escalation point for strategic partner issues and commercial discussions. Collaborate with partners to improve service quality, transaction success rates, and customer experience. Push-to-Card & Bank Enablement Work closely with banks, issuers, and payment partners to activate TC28 and other relevant capabilities supporting push-to-card services. Drive expansion of card-based payout solutions across target markets. Partner with issuing banks and payment ecosystem participants to increase acceptance and utilization of card payout programs. Support commercialization of innovative payout solutions that enhance speed, convenience, and reach. Network Optimization & Efficiency Partner with RSPs to improve operational efficiency, transaction success rates, payout speed, and service quality. Analyze network performance and identify opportunities to reduce cancellations, rejections, and customer complaints. Drive initiatives that improve partner economics while maintaining a competitive customer value proposition. Work closely with Operations, Product, Compliance, and Technology teams to enhance network capabilities and scalability. Market & Corridor Development Identify high-growth remittance corridors and develop go-to-market strategies. Monitor competitive developments, regulatory changes, and industry trends impacting cross-border payments. Develop business cases for new corridor launches and network expansion opportunities. Support regional sales and business development teams in securing strategic opportunities. Internal Collaboration Partner with Product teams to define network requirements and future capabilities. Work with Compliance and Risk teams to ensure network partners meet regulatory and risk standards. Collaborate with Finance and Treasury teams on settlement models, liquidity considerations, and partner economics. Support leadership with market insights, growth opportunities, and strategic recommendations. Qualifications & Experience Required Experience Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Banking, or a related field. 5–10 years of experience within payments, banking, fintech, remittances, card networks, or financial services. Proven experience managing commercial relationships with banks, payment institutions, money transfer operators, fintechs, or RSPs. Demonstrated success in partner acquisition, negotiations, and network expansion initiatives. Strong understanding of cross-border payment ecosystems and remittance value chains. Industry Knowledge Deep understanding of cross-border remittances and payment flows. Strong knowledge of payout methods including: Bank Account Deposit Mobile Wallet Payouts Push-to-Card Understanding of correspondent banking models and international payment rails. Familiarity with settlement, reconciliation, liquidity management, and FX considerations within cross-border payments. Knowledge of card network capabilities and card payout solutions is highly desirable. Skills & Competencies Strong commercial negotiation and relationship management skills. Excellent stakeholder management and influencing capabilities. Strong analytical and strategic thinking abilities. Ability to operate independently and manage multiple strategic initiatives. Strong presentation and communication skills with experience engaging senior executives. Experience working across multiple countries and diverse regulatory environments. Preferred Background Experience in global payment networks, remittance companies, banks, fintechs, wallet providers, or correspondent banking organizations. Existing relationships with banks, payment providers, wallet operators, and remittance players within the assigned region. Experience launching and scaling cross-border payout partnerships across multiple markets. 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.