Director, Specialist Sales - SME

**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, Specialist Sales - SME About Mastercard Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments, and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Through secure, simple, and smart payment solutions, Mastercard enables digital commerce and economic growth worldwide. Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are a critical engine of economic development in the UAE and globally, representing a significant share of employment and GDP. Enabling SME digitization, financial inclusion, and growth through innovative payment and distribution models remains a strategic priority for Mastercard. ________________________________________ About the Role Mastercard is seeking a commercially driven Director, SME Sales Specialist based in Dubai to drive SME growth and activation across the East Arabia region, including the UAE, GCC markets, and Pakistan. This role sits at the intersection of sales execution, ecosystem development, and commercialization, with responsibility for converting strategic partnerships into measurable business outcomes. The focus is on driving end-to-end performance across opportunity identification, pipeline development, deal closure, partner activation, and sustained revenue generation. A key priority is ensuring that signed and launched partnerships translate into active, high-performing programs by driving card issuance, usage growth, and revenue realization. You will expand Mastercard’s SME footprint across banks, Payfacs, fintechs, marketplaces, telcos, ISV providers, trade platforms, logistics networks, and other embedded finance ecosystems in the UAE. The role requires strong market engagement and representation of Mastercard across industry forums, client discussions, and ecosystem partnerships, strengthening Mastercard’s leadership in SME payments and embedded finance. Working closely with Account Management, Business Development, SME Product teams, and Customer Solutions teams, you will develop business cases, shape go-to-market strategies, and ensure seamless execution from deal stage through activation and scale. This is a high-impact role requiring strong commercial ownership, execution discipline, and the ability to operate in a fast-moving, high-growth environment. ________________________________________ Key Responsibilities • Own and execute a revenue-driven SME sales and activation strategy focused on emerging SME payment flows and partner-led distribution models. • Drive activation, card issuance, usage growth, and revenue realization across SME programs in the UAE. • Identify, prioritize, and convert high-potential opportunities across banks, fintechs, marketplaces, telcos, trade, logistics, and embedded ecosystem partners. • Expand SME distribution through strategic partnerships, channel partners, and embedded payment flows. • Build and manage a structured, data-driven activation pipeline focused on commercial impact and strategic relevance. • Translate unmet SME needs into scalable, activation-ready commercial solutions. • Collaborate with Account Management, Business Development, and Product teams to develop business cases, go-to-market strategies, and solution design. • Ensure successful execution of partnerships from deal stage through activation, onboarding, and scale. • Monitor industry trends, competitive dynamics, and regulatory developments to identify growth opportunities. • Represent Mastercard in UAE industry forums, client engagements, and ecosystem partnerships. • Partner with Customer Solutions Center and Product teams to support solution implementation and post-launch optimization. • Develop activation playbooks, sales materials, workshops, and structured narratives to support SME commercialization. • Ensure consistent SME messaging, execution discipline, and performance tracking across all programs. ________________________________________ All About You • Proven experience in sales, business development, or partnerships with strong delivery of revenue growth and pipeline management. • Strong track record of achievement in sales roles, including lead generation, deal negotiation, activation, and revenue delivery. • Experience engaging both commercial and technical stakeholders to drive solution development and adoption. • Deep understanding of payments, financial services, and digital distribution models, including industry trends and competitive dynamics. • Strong relationship management, influencing, collaboration, and communication skills across senior stakeholders. • Ability to operate independently, manage multiple priorities, and deliver in fast-paced, matrixed global environments. • Self-starter with strong execution discipline and ability to work with minimal guidance. • Strong analytical thinking with ability to structure business cases, narratives, and executive presentations. • Ability to work effectively in high-growth, complex, and evolving environments. • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required. • Experience in SME banking, SME payments, fintech, or consulting is highly desirable. **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.