Director, Data Science - job 1 of 5

Visa is a world leader in payments technology, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories, dedicated to uplifting everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

At Visa, you'll have the opportunity to create impact at scale — tackling meaningful challenges, growing your skills and seeing your contributions impact lives around the world. Join Visa and do work that matters — to you, to your community, and to the world.

Progress starts with you.

To ensure that Visa’s payment technology is truly available to everyone, everywhere requires the success of our key bank or merchant partners and internal business units. The North America Data Science group supports these partners by using our extraordinarily rich data set that spans more than 3 billion cards globally and captures more than 100 billion transactions in a single year. Our focus lies on building creative solutions that have an immediate impact on the business of our highly analytical partners. We work in complementary teams comprising members from Data Science and various groups at Visa. To support our rapidly growing group we are looking for a Director, Data Science who will support clients across banks, merchants & retailers, digital products, marketing, helping them unlock insights and drive innovation through advanced analytics and strategic data applications.

Essential Functions:

• Provide technical and strategic direction on data science initiatives, including R&D, data governance, system infrastructure, and analytics tool evaluation.
• Act as a mentor and advisor to analysts and data scientists across teams, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous learning.
• Champion best practices in data analysis, modeling, and reporting to ensure rigor, quality, and business relevance.
• Guide team in development of actionable solutions and creation of deliverables that effectively communicate the findings and recommendations
• Leverage big data and cutting-edge data mining techniques, provide thought leadership in analytic techniques and business applications to unlock the value of Visa’s unique data set
• Lead development of assets supporting scalable analytic approaches capable of being leveraged by data scientists globally.
• Make recommendations and build use cases on new sources of value by addressing the biggest gaps in our data sources in relation to revenue potential.
• Evangelize new analytic approaches for processing big data through internal training, documentation and by leading technical sharing sessions.
• Research industry metrics and business context and bring this context to bear in analyses
• Apply Python and SQL for data manipulation, analysis, and automation of workflows.
• Develop and deploy machine learning models to solve business problems and enhance predictive capabilities.
• Build and experiment with machine learning and Generative AI models by applying a variety of statistical and computational techniques.
• Apply AI-enabled tools to streamline everyday work, including data exploration and model development.
• Build and automate repeatable analyses and self-service tools to empower business users and reduce manual effort.
• Drive sales activities with key clients, collaborating closely with business development teams to identify opportunities, position Visa’s solutions, and support revenue growth.
• Maintain and strengthen relationships with key clients to support both ongoing delivery and long-term business development objectives.
• Lead advanced internal development initiatives by designing and implementing innovative analytics solutions, frameworks, and tools that push the boundaries of Visa’s data science capabilities.
• Act as a strategic partner to sales and account management teams, providing data-driven insights that influence client engagement, and solution design.
• Champion internal thought leadership by initiating and driving proof-of-concept projects that showcase the business impact of emerging technologies such as Generative AI and advanced ML techniques.

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office will be confirmed by your hiring manager.

Basic Qualifications:

• 10 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 8 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters/ MBA/JD/MD) or at least 3 years of work experience with a PhD

Preferred Qualifications:

• 12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 8-10 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 6+ years of work experience with a PhD
• Advanced knowledge of databases and engineering concepts with hands on experience with one or more data analytics/programming tools such as Hive/SQL/Spark/Python
• Expertise in the application of predictive modeling and machine learning techniques
• Track record of leading cross-functional efforts including presenting ideas and analysis to various audience levels
• Experience with managing project teams and providing direction and thought leadership
• Expertise in the application of predictive modeling and machine learning techniques
• Track record of leading cross-functional efforts including presenting ideas and analysis to various audience levels
• 7+ years of analytical experience in applying solutions to business problems in relevant fields such as analytics, business consulting, or other data-driven functions
• Knowledge of big data engineering stack including Hadoop, Spark, and other related components
• Demonstrated expertise in data science tools and techniques, including advanced proficiency in SQL for data querying and transformation, expert-level knowledge of Python for analysis, modeling, and automation, and a strong foundation in machine learning encompassing model development, evaluation, and deployment.
• Prior experience with a consulting firm delivery consulting services to financial services clients
• Demonstrated experience in planning, organizing, and managing multiple cross-functional projects with diverse cross-functional stakeholders
• Good business acumen to orient data analysis to business needs of clients
• Understanding of Cards/Payments and Banking business model would be a plus
• Experience with managing project teams and providing direction and thought leadership

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 170,000.00 to 246,500.00 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.