Honestly really love working here - Director Mastercard Employee Review

5.0
Aug 17, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Culture: It varies slightly by parts of the company, but pretty much everyone is kind, helpful, and willing to share knowledge. The identification as a tech company is also very present in the casual dress code, scooters/ping pong in the office, and the frequency with which we are provided food in meetings and events. I genuinely feel like the company cares about the people who work here. - Work/Life balance: It's awesome. Our maternity/paternity leave policy is awesome, the office is mostly empty by 6pm, the company only lets you carry over 5 vacation days a year which incentivizes you to take vacation. This is part of why I have no intention of leaving this company any time soon. - Benefits - in a business role (as opposed to development or tech support, etc, which I can't speak to), the compensation, bonuses, and stock options are generous and fair to market averages. 401k matching is fabulous and vests quickly. Also why I have no intention of leaving any time soon. - We do some cool stuff - Mastercard has a really interesting business model. We do some cool stuff in the tech space, but are also a juggernaut player when it comes to enabling card payments. As a result, we have the money to spend on exploring good ideas, which makes it an interesting place to work. - Diversity - Mastercard is not kidding around with it's dedication to diversity. It's one of the reasons people come here, but also what makes me want to stay.

Cons

- It's a big company - There's bureaucracy in every Fortune 500 company. I've worked for 3 of them, and this is actually the most streamlined in terms of processes. We also have to do standardized trainings. Every job has downsides, but bureaucracy is a fair trade off for the stability of salary, benefits, and work/life balance, to me, at least. - It's not THAT big a company - Mastercard is still only around 12k employees worldwide. I actually see this as a plus in terms of how much responsibility an otherwise mid-level person can have, but it does mean there aren't always endless job options at every level in every group in every location.

Explore other reviews about Mastercard

5.0
Jun 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

People are highly intelligent and things seem to operate efficiently

Cons

Large ship so changes are hard to make

4.0
May 27, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Mastercard does a great job fostering an inclusive and supportive environment. There are genuinely good people throughout the organization, and leadership often invests in employee engagement through events, recognition, and culture-building initiatives. I enjoyed many of the relationships I built while working there, and there are teams that truly care about collaboration and supporting one another.

Cons

Compensation at the director level did not feel competitive compared to the level of responsibility expected. Career advancement can also be extremely challenging due to how top-heavy the organization is with senior leadership roles. There are a large number of Senior Vice Presidents, sometimes without clear scope or experience aligned to the title, which creates limited room for high-performing employees to grow. At times, it felt like senior leaders were being hired primarily to manage or communicate with other senior leaders, rather than drive meaningful operational impact. In product and go-to-market roles especially, priorities are often heavily driven by funding decisions. It can be frustrating when projects suddenly shift in importance or remain underfunded for long periods of time while awaiting senior leadership review. This sometimes leaves highly talented employees in limbo, unable to move initiatives forward despite strong momentum or market opportunity. The organization can also be very comfortable with the status quo, which creates a slower pace that many employees seem accustomed to. For people who are highly motivated and eager to drive change, it can feel difficult to navigate the number of roadblocks and layers of approval required to move initiatives forward.

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