Manager, Communications (East Southeast Asia)

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

Manager, Communications (East Southeast Asia)

The role will support communications across East Southeast Asia (ESEA), working across a dynamic and diverse set of markets including Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Timor Leste. The role will help translate Mastercard’s regional and global priorities into locally relevant communications strategies and campaigns, while identifying opportunities to elevate market-specific stories, leadership voices and business priorities.

This is a highly collaborative and hands-on role, working closely with Country Managers, local market teams, regional and global stakeholders, and external agencies to develop and execute integrated communications programs. The successful candidate will bring strong knowledge of social and digital communications, an understanding of local market nuances, and the ability to manage multiple priorities across markets.


Role

• Support strategic ESEA communications planning across internal and external audiences, including employees, senior customers, regulators, media, industry influencers and public stakeholders. Ensure communications are culturally nuanced, locally resonant and aligned to Mastercard’s regional and global priorities.
• Develop and execute integrated, communications programs across ESEA, combining corporate communications, storytelling, social media, digital content, executive communications and visual storytelling across earned, owned and paid channels.
• Work closely with Country Managers and local market teams to understand business priorities, identify relevant local insights and translate them into compelling communications opportunities. Bring a strong understanding of the different media, cultural and business landscapes across markets such as Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
• Drive market-level storytelling and amplification by identifying stories, proof points, customer successes, partnerships, thought leadership and local trends that can strengthen Mastercard’s presence and relevance in each market.
• Own and execute social media plans for priority markets, narratives and leaders, working with local teams, agencies and regional/global social teams to develop content calendars, create and adapt content, manage publishing and optimise performance across LinkedIn and other relevant platforms.
• Support executive visibility across ESEA, working with Country Managers and senior leaders to develop LinkedIn content, speeches, talking points, thought leadership and other leadership communications that reflect both regional priorities and local market context.
• Drive storytelling through digital, social and visual-first content, translating complex products, platforms, technologies and business propositions into clear and compelling narratives for customers, partners, governments and other stakeholders. Oversee the development of multimedia assets including videos, animations, explainers, data visualisations, presentations and other digital formats.
• Partner closely with regional, global and market stakeholders to deliver aligned, enterprise-wide communications that reinforce Mastercard’s strategy, showcase business performance and innovation, and strengthen the company’s reputation across ESEA.
• Manage agency and vendor relationships across markets, including PR, creative, social, digital, production and specialist partners. Provide clear briefs, manage timelines and budgets, challenge agencies to bring forward strong ideas, and ensure consistently high-quality execution.
• Coordinate multiple agencies and stakeholders across ESEA, ensuring local agency recommendations are informed by market insights while maintaining consistency with Mastercard’s broader narrative, brand and communications standards.
• Execute high-impact regional and market campaigns, leveraging Mastercard’s global and regional sponsorships, partnerships, experiential platforms, products and digital ecosystems to create locally relevant storytelling and engagement opportunities.
• Monitor market and social conversations to identify emerging trends, issues, opportunities and competitive activity. Use these insights to inform communications planning, content development and recommendations to Country Managers and regional leadership.
• Contribute to employee engagement and internal storytelling, using modern, digital-first approaches to help employees understand Mastercard’s strategy, priorities and business performance. Support leadership communications across internal platforms, town halls and social-style channels.
• Measure and optimise communications performance, using social, digital, media and campaign data to understand what is resonating, demonstrate impact and continuously improve market and regional programs.


All About You

• Proven experience across communications, PR, marketing, or related disciplines, with a strong track record in social and digital communications.
• Experience working across multiple markets in Southeast Asia, with an understanding of the cultural, media and business nuances of markets such as Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and/or Laos.
• Proven experience managing external agencies, including setting briefs, managing deliverables and budgets, providing strategic direction and ensuring high-quality execution.
• Strong understanding of social media strategy and execution, particularly LinkedIn, with experience developing content plans, executive social strategies, digital campaigns and amplification programs.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, with the ability to adapt tone and messaging for different audiences, markets and channels.
• A keen eye for visual storytelling and creative content, with experience briefing or overseeing the development of videos, presentations, infographics, animations, social assets and other multimedia formats.
• Strong strategic thinking combined with a hands-on approach to execution. Comfortable moving between developing a regional strategy and getting into the detail of a local market campaign or social post.
• Highly collaborative and culturally aware, with strong interpersonal skills and EQ and the ability to build trusted relationships with colleagues, agencies and stakeholders across different markets.
• Superb project and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple markets, agencies, stakeholders and deadlines simultaneously.
• Digitally savvy and curious, with the ability to learn and work across multiple content, social and collaboration platforms and tools.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and creative/content tools such as Canva, with experience using other design, video editing or digital content platforms as an advantage.
• Highly self-motivated, organised and detail-oriented, with a passion for content, storytelling and finding new ways to engage audiences.
• Creative, proactive and able to anticipate the needs of the business, identify opportunities and bring forward ideas rather than simply respond to briefs.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English. Additional Southeast Asian language capabilities would be an advantage.

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.