Director, Senior Economist

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Johannesburg, City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, ZAF
Hybrid
Senior level
Blockchain • Fintech • Payments • Consulting • Cryptocurrency • Cybersecurity • Quantum Computing
We are a global technology company in the payments industry.
The Role
Develops macroeconomic views and research insights for Sub-Saharan Africa, especially South Africa, while supporting economic outlooks across EEMEA. The role produces research notes, leadership briefings, customer presentations, and industry-event content. It collaborates with data scientists and consulting teams on alternative datasets, forecasting, and tailored presentations, representing Mastercard as an economic thought leader.
Summary Generated by Built In
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, Senior Economist
Overview• The Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI) is an economics lab that powering scale at Mastercard by owning economic thought leadership in support of Mastercard's efforts to build a more inclusive and sustainable digital economy• The Economics Institute was launched in 2020 to analyze economic trends through the lens of the consumer to deliver tailored and actionable insights on economic issues for customers, partners and policymakers• The Institute is composed of a team of economists and data scientists that utilize & synthesize the anonymized and aggregated data from the Mastercard network together with public data to bring powerful insights to life, in the form of 1:1 presentations, global thought leadership, media participation, and commercial work through the company's product suites
About the Role
We are looking for an economist to derive economic insights for Sub-Saharan Africa with a focus on South Africa and support research across the broader EEMEA region. This individual will report to the Chief EEMEA Economist of the Mastercard Economics Institute and have the following responsibilities:• Develop and maintain macroeconomic views for Sub-Saharan Africa • Support the Chief EEMEA Economist with the broader outlook on the economy in EEMEA region• Write regular outlooks and blog-style research notes utilizing unique economic data• Support creation of briefing documents for Mastercard leadership teams and regional advisory boards• Create content and present insights as a representative of Mastercard in customer forums, industry events and consulting read-outs, positioning us as an industry leader with highly differentiated capabilities• Work with the data scientists and consulting teams to explore alternative data sets and forecasting to push the boundaries in more traditional economics• Help drive the story creation for interactive and tailored presentations
All About You• Formally trained economist with a MA+ economics degree (or related field) and 10+ years work experience• Private sector experience covering the economy in Sub-Saharan Africa and contributing to broader views in the EEMEA region• Strong collaborator across teams within the institute and broader Mastercard• Evidence of both orthodox and experimental approaches in economic thinking and application with an entrepreneurial mindset• Manage complex projects and timelines effectively• Familiarity with coding in SQL, R, Python, Tableau and other analytical tools
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.

Skills Required

  • Master's degree or higher in economics or a related field
  • 10+ years of professional experience
  • Private-sector experience covering the Sub-Saharan African economy
  • Experience contributing to broader economic views in the EEMEA region
  • Strong collaboration skills across teams
  • Evidence of orthodox and experimental approaches to economic thinking and application
  • Entrepreneurial mindset
  • Ability to manage complex projects and timelines effectively
  • Familiarity with SQL, R, Python, Tableau, and other analytical tools

What the Team is Saying

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Mastercard

Mastercard Compensation & Benefits Highlights

  • Retirement Support Retirement plans are presented as best-in-class with a high company match on 401(k) or local equivalents. Career materials and U.S. postings consistently highlight retirement matching as a standout feature.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth U.S. postings describe generous paid time off including vacation, personal days, holidays, sick/safe time, and additional bereavement leave. A hybrid policy and a limited “work from elsewhere” option further support time away.
  • Parental & Family Support Company pages state a global minimum of 16 weeks of paid new-parent leave across birth, adoption, and foster, plus family-building assistance where permitted. Mental-health resources and caregiving supports are also emphasized.

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The Company
HQ: Purchase, NY
38,800 Employees
Year Founded: 1966

What We Do

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient 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.

Why Work With Us

We live the Mastercard Way: creating value in the communities we touch, growing together through the opportunities we see, and moving fast to innovate and scale. Our collaborative culture and our passionate people are the key to what we do, driving meaningful change as one team and connecting everyone to priceless possibilities.

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