Director, Public Policy - Middle East

Our Purpose
We work to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits
everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and
accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our
innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions,
governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency
quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of
our company. We cultivate a
culture of inclusion
for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and
experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team -
one that makes better decisions, drives innovation and delivers better
business results.
Title and Summary
Director, Public Policy - Middle East
Overview
Coverage - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain

• An experienced public policy practitioner to drive Mastercard's advocacy efforts in a cluster of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain,, with the flexibility to take different responsibilities in other clusters within MENA or the wider EEMEA region, depending on function and business needs.


• The successful candidate will bring a positive commitment to joining a dynamic and collaborative team focused on the formulation and implementation of strategic plans for government and third-party influencer engagement to positively shape the policy debate and outcome.
  The key objectives are:
  ‎1. Position Mastercard as a trusted partner and enabler of the national
  agenda, focusing on accelerating the migration to digital payments to enable
  digital economies, spur innovation and drive financial inclusion.
  ‎2. Enable business and safeguard Mastercard's interests by advocating a
  conducive policy and regulatory environment.
  ‎3. Create a positive cycle of engagement whereby Mastercard's policy advocacy
  is reinforced by demonstrating the company's local relevance and value
  proposition through strategic communications and government programs.
  Based in Riyadh, the jobholder will work closely with colleagues in the
  business, legal and regulatory functions to ensure issues that are of concern
  to Mastercard are identified and managed in a way that benefits Mastercard and
  our stakeholders.

Responsibilities:
 Develop and execute public policy strategy and implementable engagement
programs for the countries in scope. These programs will be designed to both
preemptively and reactively head-off and respond to legislative, policy and
regulatory threats to Mastercard and the electronic payments industry.
 Brief country, regional and global executive management on relevant policy
developments, recommend appropriate course of action and work closely with
internal stakeholders to move the agenda forward.
 Establish and enhance relationships with key government officials and third-
party influencers.
 Coordinate Industry cooperation efforts on non-competitive public policy
issues and represent Mastercard in Industry forums, associations and related
activities.
 Manage external agencies to represent and advocate Mastercard's interests.
Experience Required:
 The ideal candidate will have a distinguished track record as a high
achieving public policy practitioner with a demonstrated capability to develop
and successfully execute policy advocacy programs.
 University degree level, with experience in similar Public Policy or
Government Relations roles in a major multinational business, consultancy,
government, trade association or a regulatory authority.
 An intimate working knowledge of the processes and inner workings of the
legislative and political process and an ability to analyze the impact of
legislation on Mastercard and develop strategies to move the company's
interests forward.
 Strong leadership skills, sound priority-setting, strategic thinking and
communication, ability to work autonomously and to handle multiple priorities,
inscrutable integrity.
 A collaborative team player who will work well with senior management and
peers, as a high-energy, self-motivated and results-driven individual.
 Must possess strong analytical approach to problem solving, ability to
develop creative solutions to complex problems, ability to deal with short
deadlines and to work productively in high pressure situations in dynamic
commercial and policy environments.
 Excellent written and spoken Arabic and English communication and
interpersonal skills as a foundation for developing and maintaining strong
relationships at all levels, cross-functionally and across business units and
geographies within Mastercard.
 Willing to travel both within the countries of scope, and as necessary to
the regional headquarters in Dubai, global headquarters in the US or other
Mastercard locations.
 Knowledge and experience in technology, financial services and payments
sector are valued. Candidate needs not be currently working in these sectors,
but prior experience/familiarity is a clear plus.
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.