Assistant General Counsel, Legal Operations & M&A

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.

Job Title

Assistant General Counsel, Legal Operations & M&AOverview:
The Senior Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Legal Operations & M&A reports to the Executive Vice President & General Counsel responsible for Legal Operations, M&A, Strategic Initiatives, and IMC.

Key Responsibilities
1. Lead Legal Operations & Law Department Transformation
Establish and execute the strategic vision for Legal Operations, driving Law Department transformation through operational excellence, process optimization, technology enablement, data-driven decision-making, and scalable service delivery.

Process Excellence & Governance
• Maintain the Law Department operating model, governance framework, and continuous improvement programs.
• Optimize legal processes, workflows, policies, controls, and playbooks.
• Drive standardization, simplification, operational excellence, and accountability across legal functions.
• Lead process redesign initiatives to improve efficiency, scalability, quality, and client experience.
• Ensure effective risk management and quality control.

Technology, AI & Innovation
• Define and execute the Law Department's technology and innovation strategy.
• Oversee legal technology platforms, including AI, CLM, matter management, e-billing, workflow automation, and knowledge management.
• Champion responsible AI adoption and emerging technologies.
• Partner with Technology teams to improve legal service delivery and business outcomes.
• Evaluate technologies that enhance efficiency, productivity, and risk management.

Service Delivery & GBSC Strategy
• Lead legal service delivery and GBSC strategy.
• Identify and transition appropriate work to GBSC and other scalable delivery channels.
• Oversee workforce planning across internal teams, external providers, and technology-enabled resources.
• Partner with GBSC leadership to ensure service quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Execute transformation roadmaps and implementation plans.

Data, Reporting & Analytics
• Establish a data-driven operating environment.
• Develop dashboards, KPIs, scorecards, and performance frameworks.
• Provide insights on legal spend, capacity, productivity, workload, risk, and service effectiveness.
• Promote data governance and analytical decision-making.
• Support strategic resource allocation and investment planning through forecasting and analytics.

Outside Counsel & Alternative Legal Service Providers
• Develop and execute the Law Department's external provider strategy.
• Manage law firm relationships, panel governance, sourcing, performance, budgeting, forecasting, and vendor negotiations.
• Expand use of ALSPs and innovative delivery models.
• Establish metrics and governance frameworks to ensure value, quality, and accountability.

Communications, Knowledge Management & Training
• Lead communications, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Oversee knowledge repositories, precedents, and self-service resources.
• Develop training, onboarding, and capability-building programs.
• Drive AI literacy, technology adoption, and change management.
• Ensure institutional knowledge is captured and leveraged effectively.

2. Lead the M&A Legal Function
• Provide legal leadership for acquisitions, divestitures, strategic investments, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions.
• Oversee due diligence, transaction structuring, negotiations, documentation, and execution.
• Lead regulatory approval strategies, including antitrust, competition, and FDI requirements.
• Advise executives on transaction risks, opportunities, integration, governance, and strategic alternatives.
• Manage external counsel and maintain consistent transaction standards, templates, and playbooks.
• Partner with Corporate Development, Finance, HR, Technology, and business leaders to support successful transactions.

3. Lead Post-Transaction Integration
• Oversee legal integration planning and execution for acquired businesses.
• Partner with business leaders to support operational readiness and synergy realization.
• Implement integration frameworks, governance models, templates, and playbooks.
• Harmonize contracts, legal entities, governance structures, policies, processes, technology platforms, and compliance programs.
• Coordinate integration activities across legal disciplines and business functions.
• Capture lessons learned and institutionalize best practices.

Qualifications
• Juris Doctor (JD), LLM, or equivalent law degree; admitted to practice in at least one jurisdiction.
• 15+ years of legal experience, including significant M&A leadership.
• Experience with due diligence, negotiations, regulatory approvals, and post-merger integration.
• Proven leadership in legal operations, transformation, service delivery, technology, or operational excellence initiatives.
• Success leading global, cross-functional teams and managing complex stakeholders.
• Experience managing significant law firm, vendor, and professional services spend.
• Strong expertise in governance, operating models, process excellence, analytics, and service delivery.
• Strong commercial, financial, and strategic business acumen.
• Exceptional executive presence and influencing skills.

Preferred Experience
• Multinational public company experience.
• Payments, technology, financial services, or other highly regulated industries.
• Shared-services, GBSC, outsourcing, or alternative service delivery models.
• Deployment of AI, automation, analytics, and enterprise legal technology solutions.
• Global leadership and cross-border transaction experience.

Critical Leadership Capabilities
• Strategic leadership
• M&A transaction expertise
• Legal operations excellence
• Organizational transformation
• Process excellence and governance

THIS POSTING RELECTS ONE OR MORE CURRENT VACANCIES ON OUR TEAM, AND MASTERCARD INTENDS TO FILL THIS POSITION BY 01/17/2027. If the fill date has passed, Mastercard intends to fill this position as soon as possible.

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 reasonable_accommodation@mastercard.com 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.