Innovation Program Associate

Our Purpose

We work 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. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. We cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation and delivers better business results.

Title and Summary

Innovation Program Associate – Lighthouse Program

All About Us

The Data & Services team is a key differentiator for Mastercard, providing the cutting‑edge services that help our customers grow. Focused on thinking big and scaling fast around the globe, this agile team is responsible for end‑to‑end solutions for a diverse global customer base. We combine traditional management consulting with our rich data assets and in‑house technology to provide our clients with powerful strategic insights and recommendations. Centred on data‑driven technologies and innovation, these services include consulting, loyalty and marketing programs, test‑and‑learn business experimentation, and data‑driven information and risk management services. While specializing in the payments industry, Mastercard Data & Services also works closely with major retailers, airlines, and other enterprises, leveraging data and insights garnered from within and beyond its network.

Lighthouse Product/Program

Lighthouse is Mastercard's investment in the fintech and Impact tech startup ecosystem currently running in the Nordics & Baltics region. By joining the program, startups will receive immediate access to Mastercard network, partners, innovation capabilities and scale‑up support. Throughout the program the startups get to meet Mastercard, the top tier Banks in the Nordics & Baltic Region, individual advisors and partner organizations to support them in scaling through partnerships. Start‑ups get the opportunity to use the full Mastercard network and gain publicity throughout the program. The goal is to grow together through partnerships.

Program Tracks

The Mastercard Lighthouse Program has two tracks:

• Lighthouse Finitiv: Stands for Fintech Initiative. The mission of the Mastercard Lighthouse FINITIV program is to strengthen the financial services ecosystem by pairing the energy and innovation of FinTech's & FinTech enablers with the stability and distribution capacity of large corporates and top tier Banks.
• Lighthouse Massiv: Stands for Make And Scale Social Impact Vision. Mastercard wants to do well by doing good. We invest in the prosperity and security of people and the planet by supporting Nordic & Baltic impact tech startups achieve their UN Sustainable Development Goals and help them scale globally through partnership.

All About the Role

We're looking for a talented, motivated, and self‑directed individual to join our team as a Lighthouse Innovation Program Associate in Stockholm. You should be passionate about working closely with startups in the fintech, financial inclusion, sustainability and impact‑tech space. We look specifically for people who are comfortable in working in a multi‑tasking environment with a can‑do attitude and loves getting hands on with operational work.

Main Tasks

• Recruit program participants
• Organize and execute program related activities such as workshops, webinars, partner dinners, community afterworks and travel arrangements
• Deliver successful events
• Responsible for successful delivery across all program workstreams – budget, marketing, execution, event management, community engagement and administrative processes.
• Responsible for working with external service providers on media production and thought leadership.
• Communicate with program participants and collect feedback
• Support with Marketing, social media and PR activities for the programs (Website articles, News, Newsletter and social media content activities).
• Project Management side‑events and participation at larger industry conferences such as Slush or Latitude59.

What we look for

• Passionate about what you do and ambition to constantly develop yourself and your work
• Ability to work collaboratively with team members in a fast‑paced and sometimes ambiguous environment
• Passion for the startup community and a willingness to develop it
• Both creative thinking and hands‑on execution mentality

Helpful Skills

• Communication. It is