Director, Controller

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, Controller

About Mastercard

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart, and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments, and businesses realize their greatest potential.

Overview

The Director, R&I Controller provides senior level accounting leadership and governance for the Rebates and Incentives (contra-revenue) across a division in Europe.

This role is suited to a candidate with a strong technical accounting background, particularly in revenue accounting, combined with strong analytical skills, leadership skills, independent problem-solving ability and a proven track record of driving projects through to completion.

The role sits within the Europe Controller’s group in Mastercard Europe’s Finance division and is responsible for Rebates & Incentives for a division within Europe, including line management responsibility. The position reports to the Vice President, Europe Controlling and is based in London.

The role oversees the timely and accurate accounting treatment of customer business agreements, including revenue recognition and contra-revenue considerations, in partnership with the GBSC (Shared Services Centre). This includes ensuring compliance with applicable Mastercard policies, internal controls and US GAAP.

The role provides advisory support to the business and account teams on customer business agreements, with a particular focus on revenue recognition and contra-revenue accounting considerations.

The successful candidate will be a key contributor to both financial and commercial processes, working closely with stakeholders across FP&A, Business Development Finance, Legal, GBSC, Account Management and Regional Finance.


Role
• Lead the R&I Controller team for the division, ensuring adherence to accounting policies and procedures while providing oversight, technical accounting expertise and clear guidance to key stakeholders.
• Oversee the quality of the full accounting process for Rebates & Incentives, ensuring timely and accurate accounting treatment across the countries in scope. The operational accounting process is performed by the GBSC.
• Provide complex accounting advice and guidance by discussing, challenging and validating accounting treatments, and communicating conclusions clearly to support consistent understanding and application by Regional Finance teams and other stakeholders.
• Support the contract drafting process by reviewing customer business agreements to ensure contract wording enables appropriate accounting treatment in line with applicable Mastercard policies and US GAAP, and provides clear interpretation of financial clauses.
• Lead and influence commercial deal structures and contentious accounting matters
• Establish governance processes that ensure controllership involvement at the design and negotiation stage of significant customer agreements and commercial initiatives.
• Perform and review oversight controls for the R&I accounting process, including month-end activities, application of accounting treatment for signed business agreements, quarterly reporting deliverables for Corporate, and monthly rebate and incentive reconciliations. Ensure internal and external audit compliance, SOX compliance and appropriate process documentation for all key control activities.
• Lead regional projects to strengthen stakeholder support, improve operational efficiency, enhance reporting accuracy and reinforce adherence to accounting policies.
• The role is responsible for developing and leading a high-performing R&I Controller team. The candidate will build team capability, foster collaboration and accountability.
• Strategic business partnering and executive stakeholder management
• Act as the senior controllership voice for the division and presenting to senior leadership within and outside of finance.
• Maintain close alignment with Corporate Controllership team, advising on policy enhancements, implementing sustainable and compliant processes in division as well as the region.
• Ability to drive Europe Region wide process improvement, not only at a divisional level, in collaboration with the Controllership team.


About You

The Ideal Candidate Would Have

• University degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Qualified accountant, such as ACA, ACCA or CPA.
• Controllership experience, preferably in a multinational environment.
• Strong technical accounting experience, with the ability to evaluate revenue contracts from a technical accounting perspective. US GAAP experience is preferred, and IFRS knowledge is advantageous.
• Strong knowledge of Internal Controls concepts and Sarbanes Oxley regulations
• Proficiency with accounting & finance systems/software applications
• Excellent communication and organisational skills, with a strong sense of ownership, initiative and urgency.
• Ability to work through ambiguity and complex issues, bringing clarity and practical guidance to stakeholders.
• Strong ability to influence across Finance and business leadership teams.
• Drives continual process improvement agenda, demonstrated ability in challenging and improving processes
• Demonstrated business acumen with the ability to provide solutions that drive positive results

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.