Data Engineer - Sr. Consultant - job 1 of 2

Visa is a world leader in payments and technology, with over 259 billion payments transactions flowing safely between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities in more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive while driven by a common purpose – to uplift everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

Make an impact with a purpose-driven industry leader. Join us today and experience Life at Visa.

Visa is building a next-generation Agentic AI and Data Platform to enable intelligent automation, adaptive workflows, and data-driven decision-making across our global post-purchase ecosystem.

As a Data Engineer, you will lead the architecture, modernization, and scaling of Visa’s enterprise data infrastructure—bridging the existing SQL Server–based data warehouse with the new Hadoop and Databricks data lake platform. You will ensure seamless data flow, optimized performance, and integration of data services that support AI, GenAI, and Agentic systems.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring deep data engineering expertise and the ability to work across both legacy modernization and new platform innovation. You will collaborate closely with the Principal Agentic Engineer, ML teams, and business stakeholders to enable AI-driven insights and intelligent data orchestration.

Essential Functions:

• Data Platform Modernization
  Lead the transition from SQL Server data warehouse to the next-generation Hadoop/Databricks platform, ensuring performance, reliability, and minimal business disruption. Architect hybrid data pipelines that bridge legacy and modern ecosystems, enabling near real-time data access for analytics and AI applications. Optimize existing SQL Server models (facts, dimensions, indexes, stored procedures) and design modern equivalents in Hadoop and Spark environments. Define long-term migration strategy, data partitioning, and retention policies aligned with Visa’s data governance standards.
• Data Architecture & Engineering
  ​​Design and implement scalable, distributed data pipelines using Spark, Kafka, Airflow, and Delta Lake. Build robust ETL/ELT frameworks to process transactional, behavioral, and unstructured data at scale. Partner with the Agentic AI team to power RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines, vector database integrations and LLM data provisioning. Lead proof-of-concept (POC) initiatives to evaluate and integrate new data engineering technologies.
• Operational Excellence
  Provide guidance to junior Engineers to maintain existing SQL Server–based data warehouses, including database performance tuning, replication, encryption, and high-availability (HA) solutions. Implement best practices in T-SQL development, schema design, and stored procedure optimization. Perform proactive performance analysis, troubleshooting, and resolution of production issues in SQL Server and Hadoop clusters. Collaborate with DBA and application teams to ensure uptime within SLAs and compliance with Visa’s data policies.
• Security, Governance & Compliance
  Define and enforce standards for data quality, lineage, and governance across both legacy and modern platforms. Ensure full compliance with Visa’s data privacy, encryption, and access control frameworks. Partner with InfoSec to embed data security principles into every phase of data lifecycle management.
• Leadership & Collaboration
  Mentor and coach data engineers, fostering an environment of technical excellence and innovation. Collaborate cross-functionally with product, ML, and platform engineering teams on architecture decisions and roadmap execution. Serve as a bridge between legacy enterprise data teams and next-gen AI platform engineers, ensuring knowledge continuity and execution speed.

This is a hybrid position. The expectation for in-office days will be confirmed by your hiring manager.

This role does not offer relocation or immigration support now or in the future.

Basic Qualifications:

• 8 or more years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 5 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 2 years of work experience with a PhD, OR 11+ years of relevant work experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 9 or more years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor Degree or 7 or more relevant years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 3 or more years of experience with a PhD
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or related field.
• Proven success supporting and modernizing SQL Server–based data warehouses in high-SLA environments.
• Production-level experience architecting Hadoop, Spark, and Databricks data pipelines.
• Expertise in ETL/ELT frameworks, data modeling, and schema design for analytical and operational use cases.
• Strong programming proficiency in Python, Java, or Scala.
• Hands-on experience with AWS or Azure (Glue, Synapse, Redshift, Delta Lake, S3).
• Familiarity with Kafka, Airflow, Kubernetes, and containerized data services.
• Understanding of RAG pipelines, vector databases, and AI data flows.
• Experience designing data pipelines and APIs compatible with Model Context Protocol (MCP)-based agent frameworks, enabling seamless integration between AI agents, data services, and enterprise APIs
• Strong SQL optimization, debugging, and production troubleshooting experience.
• Experience leading data warehouse migration or modernization from SQL Server to Hadoop/Spark ecosystems.
• Deep understanding of data lineage, metadata management, and governance frameworks (e.g., Atlas, Great Expectations).
• Familiarity with LangChain, LangGraph, and MCP for integrating AI agents with data systems.
• Strong ability to balance innovation and stability across coexisting legacy and modern data architectures.
• Proven track record mentoring engineers and collaborating across global teams.

Leadership Attributes:

• Go-Getter: Executes decisively and thrives in complex, hybrid data environments.
• Builder: Hands-on architect who delivers scalable, production-grade data systems.
• Hustler: Operates with urgency and accountability across multiple technology stacks.
• Entrepreneurial: Drives innovation in data architecture and modernization.
• True North: Leads with integrity and alignment to Visa’s mission and long-term data strategy.
• Lead by Example: Sets high standards of excellence and transparency.
• Execute with Excellence: Ensures reliability, performance, and operational maturity across all data systems.

Tech Stack Snapshot:

• Languages: Python, Java, Scala, SQL, T-SQL
• Data Systems: SQL Server, Hadoop, Spark, Databricks, Delta Lake, Snowflake
• Pipelines: Kafka, Airflow, Glue, Azure Data Factory
• AI Integration: LangChain, LangGraph
• Cloud Platforms: AWS, Azure
• Infra: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins
• Governance: Great Expectations, Atlas, Data Privacy & Encryption Frameworks

Work Hours: Varies upon the needs of the department.

Travel Requirements: This position requires travel 5-10% of the time.

Mental/Physical Requirements: This position will be performed in an office setting.  The position will require the incumbent to sit and stand at a desk, communicate in person and by telephone, frequently operate standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.

Visa is an EEO Employer.  Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.  Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.

Visa will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable local law, including the requirements of Article 49 of the San Francisco Police Code.

U.S. APPLICANTS ONLY: The estimated salary range for a new hire into this position is 152,200.00 to 220,850.00 USD per year, which may include potential sales incentive payments (if applicable). Salary may vary depending on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this position may be eligible for bonus and equity. Visa has a comprehensive benefits package for which this position may be eligible that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, 401 (k), FSA/HSA, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and Wellness Program.