Great Company To Work For With A Few Major Flaws - Project Management Senior Specialist Mastercard Employee Review

3.0
Dec 28, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

MasterCard is a very forward thinking company. I found my time there extremely enjoyable and one where business groups got along and collaborative efforts between departments were encouraged. That old cliche of employees feeling like family actually had some substance here as a good number of people whom I worked with in my department and across a variety of business groups have been with the company for many years. They do hire contractors on as perm employees. Good number of extra office activities also are a bonus. Free tickets, shows, and lunches are often comped.

Cons

The most noticeable and ever present negative to this wonderful company is that the pay rate for managers, analysts, VP's, and technical specialists tends to be somewhere around 30% below the national average for matching roles (this is applicable for the U.S. market only although I have been told this trend is a global one by more distant contacts). This nugget of knowledge is well known within and without the organization. Recruiters and Talent Sourcing Teams often have to set expectations low for new talent and raises and bonuses are not common in North America. I have seen a great number of professionals leave as a result of being way undervalued. I admit that I left for this same reason and this was my most cherished job in my career. A very painful decision for myself and those who left before and after my time. A second equally damaging negative I have seen first hand and continue to hear to this day is that the Latin America division of MasterCard has some deceptive practices when it comes to offering positions and then rescinding them at the last minute. A very close colleague of mine and another former co-worker known to me reported having been offered positions only to never receive callbacks or being placed in the position of turning down other work opportunities in light of being told they had secured a position with MasterCard only to never receive a start date or full offer letter. This is really upsetting as I love this company but I have seen this practice happen to others and have heard that within LATAM this is commonplace.

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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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