Associate Consultant, Launch Graduate Program 2027

About the role

Mastercard's Advisors & Consulting Services (A&CS) team in Johannesburg is recruiting two specialization tracks for its 18-month Launch Graduate Program. Participants work on real business challenges for major brands, supported by structured learning and mentorship from industry leaders. The program builds technical, analytical and professional capabilities, and by the end you will have a strong foundation in your chosen field.

Key responsibilities

• Work in small teams to help major brands answer and implement solutions to their most challenging strategic questions.
• Own deliverables and build external relationships with clients.
• Gain exposure to industries such as financial services, retail, restaurants and hospitality.
• Track 1 (Strategy & Transformation): guide clients through strategic, tactical, operational and transformational challenges, covering product development, marketing, customer loyalty and innovation, typically supporting 1-3 projects of 8-16 weeks each.
• Track 2 (Marketing): develop and lead marketing campaigns, evaluate results and use customer, behavioural and transactional data to define tangible outcomes for clients.

Required profile

• Undergraduate or master's degree with expected graduation between November 2026 and August 2027.
• Ability to communicate complex ideas clearly in English, verbally and in writing.
• Available to start in March or September 2027; applications close on 5 November.
• Core competencies valued: passion, analytic excellence, business interest, rapid growth, teamwork, integrity, diverse perspective and communication.

Required skills

• Analytical and quantitative aptitude; experience with data analysis or querying tools (SQL, SAS, Excel or Tableau) is an asset, especially for Performance Analytics or Business Experimentation tracks.