Program Associate Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois
Program associate roles in Illinois span nonprofits, foundations, and policy organizations concentrated in Chicago, with major employers including the University of Chicago, Advocate Health Care, and Northwestern University. International candidates pursuing these positions can find visa-sponsored openings across the state's dense network of research institutions, civic organizations, and healthcare systems.
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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
Associate Managing Consultant, Technical Program Management
Technical Program Management/ Business Analyst
Advisors & Consulting Services
Services within Mastercard is responsible for acquiring, engaging, and retaining customers by managing fraud and risk, enhancing cybersecurity, and improving the digital payments experience. We provide value-added services and leverage expertise, data-driven insights, and execution.
Our Advisors & Consulting Services team combines traditional management consulting with Mastercard's rich data assets, proprietary platforms, and technologies to provide clients with powerful strategic insights and recommendations. Our teams work with a diverse global customer base across industries, from banking and payments to retail and restaurants.
Roles and Responsibilities
You will lead technology programs and strategic initiatives with moderate oversight, managing project scope, requirements, technical delivery, stakeholder engagement, and implementation activities. You will collaborate across business and technology teams to ensure successful execution of client engagements while proactively managing risks, dependencies, and delivery outcomes.
Client Impact
- Lead multiple concurrent technology programs, product implementations, and digital transformation initiatives for clients across financial services, payments, fintech, and adjacent industries.
- Partner with clients to define business objectives, capture requirements, prioritize initiatives, and translate business needs into actionable delivery plans.
- Drive end-to-end program execution, including planning, resource coordination, risk management, issue resolution, change management, testing, deployment, and adoption activities.
- Support implementation of Mastercard products, APIs, platforms, data solutions, and digital capabilities.
- Analyze business processes, identify opportunities for optimization, and recommend technology-enabled solutions that drive client value.
- Develop executive-level status reporting, delivery metrics, implementation roadmaps, and program governance materials.
- Establish trusted relationships with client stakeholders including Product Managers, Technology Leaders, Business Owners, and Program Sponsors.
- Track program performance, dependencies, budget considerations, and delivery milestones while ensuring alignment to strategic priorities.
- Partner with internal finance, vendor management, and engagement teams to support project financial operations, including invoice tracking, validation, budget reconciliation, and vendor-related governance activities.
- Monitor project financial health by helping track actuals versus forecasts, supporting resource planning, and identifying potential budget variances or financial risks.
- Coordinate with third-party suppliers, contractors, and strategic partners to support successful delivery of client engagements and technology initiatives.
Team Collaboration & Leadership
- Collaborate with consulting leaders, product teams, architects, engineers, and external partners to deliver complex technology solutions.
- Facilitate workshops, requirements-gathering sessions, design reviews, sprint planning, backlog refinement, and executive governance meetings.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams and drive alignment among business, technology, operations, and client stakeholders.
- Proactively identify technical, delivery, and organizational risks and develop mitigation strategies to ensure successful outcomes.
- Contribute to the development of consulting methodologies, technical delivery frameworks, reusable assets, and best practices.
- Mentor junior consultants and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and delivery excellence.
- Serve as a brand ambassador for Mastercard and Advisors & Consulting Services while supporting business development and client growth opportunities.
- Participate in the evaluation, interviewing, and selection of third-party consultants, contractors, and technical resources to support client engagements and program delivery efforts.
- Collaborate with engagement leaders and resource managers to assess candidate qualifications, technical capabilities, domain expertise, and alignment with client requirements.
- Support onboarding and integration of external resources into delivery teams, ensuring alignment with project objectives, governance standards, and delivery methodologies.
- Work closely with internal consulting, delivery, and commercial teams to optimize resource utilization and support successful engagement staffing strategies.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
- Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
- 3-6 years of experience in Technical Program Management, Technical Project Management, Business Analysis, Product Delivery, Technology Consulting, or a related discipline.
- Experience leading cross-functional projects involving software delivery, technology implementation, systems integration, APIs, cloud solutions, or digital transformation initiatives.
- Strong business analysis skills, including requirements elicitation, process mapping, user story development, stakeholder interviews, and solution documentation.
- Experience working within Agile, Scrum, SAFe, Waterfall, or hybrid delivery environments.
- Strong understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), product development processes, and technology delivery practices.
- Experience managing risks, dependencies, milestones, status reporting, and stakeholder communications.
- Exposure to financial services, payments, banking, fintech, or technology consulting industries.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to synthesize complex information into actionable recommendations.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including executive-level presentations and client-facing interactions.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and workstreams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
- Ability to travel to client sites on a semi-regular basis.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience delivering cloud, platform modernization, API integration, digital payments, data, analytics, or customer experience transformation initiatives.
- Working knowledge of technical architecture concepts, systems integrations, data flows, application development, and enterprise technology ecosystems.
- Familiarity with Jira, Azure DevOps, Confluence, ServiceNow, Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or similar delivery management tools.
- Experience supporting product management, business architecture, process improvement, or enterprise transformation programs.
- Knowledge of payment networks, card processing, digital payments, open banking, merchant solutions, or financial technology platforms.
- Professional certifications such as PMP, PMI-ACP, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), SAFe, CBAP, AWS, Azure, or equivalent.
- Consulting experience managing client relationships and influencing senior stakeholder decisions.
- Experience working with project financials, vendor management processes, contractor onboarding, statement of work (SOW) administration, and resource planning activities.
- Experience interviewing, evaluating, and managing third-party technology resources, consultants, or delivery partners.
Mastercard is a merit-based, inclusive, equal opportunity employer that considers applicants without regard to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We hire the most qualified candidate for the role. In the US or Canada, if you require accommodations or assistance to complete the online application process or during the recruitment process, please contact reasonable_accommodation@mastercard.com and identify the type of accommodation or assistance you are requesting. Do not include any medical or health information in this email. The Reasonable Accommodations team will respond to your email promptly.
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.
In line with Mastercard’s total compensation philosophy and assuming that the job will be performed in the US, the successful candidate will be offered a competitive base salary and may be eligible for an annual bonus or commissions depending on the role. The base salary offered may vary depending on multiple factors, including but not limited to location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Mastercard benefits for full time (and certain part time) employees generally include: insurance (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, life insurance); flexible spending account and health savings account; paid leaves (including 16 weeks of new parent leave and up to 20 days of bereavement leave); 80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time, 25 days of vacation time and 5 personal days, pro-rated based on date of hire; 10 annual paid U.S. observed holidays; 401k with a best-in-class company match; deferred compensation for eligible roles; fitness reimbursement or on-site fitness facilities; eligibility for tuition reimbursement; and many more. Mastercard benefits for interns generally include: 56 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time; jury duty leave; and on-site fitness facilities in some locations.
Program Associate Job Roles in Illinois
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Search Program Associate Jobs in IllinoisProgram Associate Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for program associates in Illinois?
In Illinois, employers that have historically sponsored program associate roles include universities such as the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, large healthcare systems like Advocate Health Care and Rush University Medical Center, and major nonprofits and foundations headquartered in Chicago. Federal contractors and research-oriented organizations also sponsor regularly, given Illinois's concentration of academic medical centers and policy institutions.
Which visa types are most common for program associate roles in Illinois?
The H-1B visa is the most common visa for program associates in Illinois when the role qualifies as a specialty occupation, typically requiring at least a bachelor's degree in a relevant field like public health, social work, or policy. Some university-affiliated positions qualify for cap-exempt H-1B petitions. The O-1 visa is an option for candidates with demonstrated exceptional achievement, and J-1 visa exchange visitor status applies to certain research or fellowship program roles.
Which cities in Illinois have the most program associate sponsorship jobs?
Chicago accounts for the vast majority of program associate sponsorship opportunities in Illinois, driven by its concentration of foundations, nonprofits, hospitals, and research universities. Evanston, home to Northwestern University, and Hyde Park, centered around the University of Chicago, are secondary hubs. Springfield occasionally has openings tied to state government-adjacent organizations, though Chicago remains the dominant market by a significant margin.
How to find program associate visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international job seekers and filters program associate openings in Illinois by visa sponsorship status, so you're not sorting through listings from employers who won't sponsor. You can filter by role, state, and visa type to focus your search. Given the nonprofit and academic concentration in Chicago, targeting university system job portals alongside Migrate Mate will give you the broadest view of sponsored openings.
Are there state-specific considerations for program associates seeking sponsorship in Illinois?
Illinois's strong university and nonprofit sector means many program associate roles are tied to organizations exempt from the H-1B annual cap, which removes the lottery risk. The Chicago metro's dense network of foundations and civic institutions also creates recurring openings. Program associates in healthcare-adjacent roles should note that Illinois hospitals are active sponsors, particularly for candidates with public health or health policy backgrounds.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored program associate jobs in Illinois?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.