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
Principal, Client Partner, Services Business Development
Principal – Account Client Partner
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
The Principal Client Business Partner is a senior leadership role within Mastercard Services with full accountability for a single, strategically significant client relationship. The role operates at the intersection of client impact, commercial performance, and delivery excellence, owning the end-to-end Services agenda for the account.
At the Principal level, this role is expected to independently originate, shape, sell, and deliver complex advisory engagements while achieving defined sales, revenue, and delivery targets. The role serves as a trusted executive advisor to senior client leadership and plays a critical role in driving profitable growth, developing talent, and contributing to Mastercard Services’ intellectual capital and market reputation.
Role Description
Client Impact & Executive Partnership
• Acts as the senior Services relationship owner for a single strategic client, serving as a trusted advisor to executive and C-suite stakeholders.
• Independently defines and drives the Services client agenda, grounded in a deep understanding of the client’s strategy, operating environment, and performance priorities.
• Anticipates client needs and proactively brings insights, solutions, and perspectives that deliver measurable business impact.
• Recognized by the client as a strategic partner whose insights shape decision-making and long-term direction.
Commercial Leadership & Profitable Growth
• Holds full accountability for sales, revenue, and margin performance on the account, aligned to Services growth targets.
• Originates, qualifies, and converts advisory opportunities through an insight-led, consultative sales approach.
• Leads proposal development, pricing, internal approvals, and contract negotiation with minimal oversight.
• Actively manages pipeline health, re-engagements, and cross-functional contributions to ensure sustained growth.
• Consistently delivers profitable growth and demonstrates ownership mindset for Services P&L on the account.
Delivery Excellence & Quality Leadership
• Leads and oversees complex advisory engagements, ensuring high standards of problem solving, analytical rigor, and client-ready outputs.
• Sets the intellectual direction for engagements, including hypothesis-driven approaches, analytical frameworks, and recommendation development.
• Ensures disciplined project governance, financial management, and risk mitigation across all account engagements.
• Partners closely with delivery leaders to ensure seamless execution and realization of client value.
• Sets the quality bar for delivery and is accountable for both outcomes and how work is delivered.
People Leadership & Talent Development
• Provides day-to-day leadership, coaching, and development for consulting teams across engagements.
• Actively contributes to performance management, feedback, and career development of team members.
• Builds inclusive, high-performing teams aligned to Mastercard Services’ values and leadership principles.
• Recognized as a people leader who develops talent and strengthens the Advisors bench.
Thought Leadership & Knowledge Stewardship
• Contributes to the creation and evolution of Services intellectual capital, methodologies, and market-relevant thought leadership.
• Brings global perspectives and best practices to local client challenges by leveraging Mastercard’s global network.
• Actively shares knowledge and mentors others across the Services community.
• Viewed internally as a subject-matter leader and contributor to Services’ brand and market credibility.
Enterprise & Values Leadership
• Models Mastercard’s leadership principles, including client-first mindset, accountability for results, and thoughtful risk-taking.
• Operates with a strong sense of urgency while maintaining quality, integrity, and collaboration.
• Acts as a steward of Mastercard’s reputation with clients and partners.
• Demonstrates enterprise leadership beyond immediate account responsibilities.
All About You
Experience
• Typically 12+ years of professional experience, including significant time in management consulting, advisory, or strategy roles.
• Demonstrated success leading large, complex client accounts within financial services, payments, or adjacent industries.
• Proven track record of independently achieving sales, revenue, and delivery targets in a professional services environment.
Education & Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution required.
• MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification strongly preferred.
• Background in a top-tier strategy firm, Big 4 consulting firm, or in-house advisory / strategy function is highly desirable.
Capabilities & Competencies
• Deep consulting toolkit: structured problem solving, hypothesis-driven analysis, executive storytelling, and impact-oriented recommendations.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to manage pipelines, pricing, margins, and client economics.
• Exceptional executive presence with the ability to influence C-suite stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and financial modelling skills, with advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to operate independently in a matrixed, fast-paced environment while mobilizing cross-functional teams.
• High accountability mindset with a bias for action, results, and continuous improvement.
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.