Director, Global SME Specialist Sales Alternative Distribution (Europe)-R-251396

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.

Across Europe, Small, and Medium Businesses (SMEs) are essential to economic growth, contributing significantly to employment and GDP. However, small businesses often face payment inefficiencies, relying on manual, cash, and check-based transactions that limit growth and financial access. Mastercard is dedicated to enabling businesses to grow and thrive in a digital-first economy. Our rallying cry is “Empowering Every Business, Everywhere”—this segment is central to Mastercard’s growth strategy, given its importance in the payments ecosystem as both payers and acceptors of electronic transactions.

The SME team is looking for a Director, SME Sales Specialist to drive revenue growth and expand Mastercard’s presence in this segment. The primary focus of this role is on sales execution and revenue generation, supported by product management initiatives to enhance Mastercard’s SME offerings.

• Own and execute a revenue-driven sales strategy to grow Mastercard’s alternative distribution SME segment share across Europe.
• Develop and maintain a robust sales pipeline, leveraging data-driven insights to prioritize high-impact opportunities.
• Identify and engage potential customers through market research, networking, partnerships, and direct outreach.
• Work with CPG companies, distributors, and wholesalers to digitize B2B payments and enable small businesses to transition from cash-based transactions to digital-first ecosystems.
• Understand SME pain points and tailor Mastercard’s solutions to address their unique challenges, including payment acceptance, spend management, and digital transformation.
• Manage the end-to-end sales process, from qualifying leads to negotiating contracts and closing deals.
• Represent Mastercard at industry events, conferences, and networking opportunities to enhance brand visibility and establish thought leadership in the SME space.
• Track and analyze performance metrics, adjusting sales tactics and strategies as needed to exceed growth targets.

• Support go-to-market execution by collaborating with product, marketing, and partnerships teams to enhance Mastercard’s SME solutions.
• Develop business strategies to help CPG digitize payments, streamlining B2B transactions for small businesses.
• Analyze market trends, competition, and SME lifecycle journeys to inform product and sales strategies, driving differentiation and innovation.
• Identify and drive partnership opportunities to improve value propositions and expand distribution channels.
• Collaborate with fintechs and technology partners to design and implement digital payment and financing solutions tailored for SMEs.
• Identify and drive innovation in B2B and supply chain finance, integrating Mastercard’s capabilities with key industry players.
• Develop sales enablement tools and training materials to support SME-focused sales colleagues.

The ideal candidate for this position should:

• Be passionate about “Empowering Every Business, Everywhere” and the idea of democratizing access to digital payments and financial tools for MSMEs.
• Have proven experience engaging internal and external commercial and technical stakeholders to drive solution development and adoption.
• Have a strong sales background, with experience in lead generation, pipeline management, deal negotiation, and revenue growth strategies.
• Have experience in financial services and/or payments, with an understanding of competitive offerings, industry trends, and profitability drivers.
• Have Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) experience (required).
• Have experience working with fintechs and alternative payment providers to drive innovation in B2B transactions.
• Possess intermediate knowledge of analytics applications such as Excel or Power BI.
• Have strong relationship management, influencing, and communication skills.
• Be self-motivated, a quick learner, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Hold a Bachelor’s degree (required); advanced degree preferred.
• English required; additional languages are a plus.

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.