Head of Generative AI Research

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.

Visa Research is seeking an exceptional Head of Generative AI Research to lead our strategic research initiatives in generative artificial intelligence. This senior leadership role will drive groundbreaking research across GenAI models, agents, reality applications, and privacy-preserving technologies. You will build and lead a world-class team of researchers, establish Visa as a thought leader in GenAI for commerce and payments, and translate cutting-edge research into transformative products and services.

As Head of Generative AI Research, you will shape Visa's GenAI research agenda, collaborate with top academic institutions, publish in premier AI conferences, and work closely with product and engineering teams to deploy GenAI innovations at scale across Visa's global network.

Key Responsibilities

Research Leadership & Strategy

• Define and execute Visa's generative AI research strategy across model development, agent systems, reality applications, and privacy technologies
• Lead research initiatives in large language models (LLMs), multimodal models, diffusion models, and foundation model development
• Drive innovation in GenAI agents for autonomous decision-making, planning, and reasoning in commerce applications
• Pioneer research in GenAI reality applications including virtual shopping experiences, digital twins, and immersive commerce
• Advance privacy-preserving GenAI techniques including federated learning, differential privacy, and secure multi-party computation

Team Building & Management

• Build, mentor, and lead a world-class team of GenAI researchers and scientists
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and academic excellence
• Develop talent through mentorship, training, and career development opportunities
• Collaborate with recruiting to attract top-tier research talent from academia and industry

Research Execution & Innovation

• Conduct original research in generative AI with applications to payments, commerce, risk management, and customer experience
• Develop novel GenAI architectures, training methodologies, and evaluation frameworks
• Create innovative agent systems for intelligent automation, recommendation, and personalization
• Design privacy-preserving GenAI solutions that protect sensitive financial data while enabling powerful AI capabilities
• Explore GenAI applications in fraud detection, risk modeling, customer service, and merchant solutions

Academic & Industry Collaboration

• Establish and maintain partnerships with leading universities and research institutions
• Publish research findings in top-tier AI/ML publications
• Present at academic conferences, industry forums, and technical symposia
• Serve on program committees and editorial boards for premier AI venues
• Contribute to the broader AI research community through open-source projects and collaborations

Product & Business Impact

• Translate research breakthroughs into practical solutions for Visa's products and services
• Collaborate with product management, engineering, and business teams to identify high-impact research opportunities
• Prototype and pilot GenAI solutions for real-world deployment
• Provide technical leadership and guidance on GenAI adoption across Visa
• Measure and communicate research impact through metrics, demos, and business outcomes

Thought Leadership

• Establish Visa as a leader in responsible and innovative GenAI research
• Represent Visa Research at industry conferences, media engagements, and public forums
• Contribute to AI policy discussions, standards development, and ethical AI frameworks
• Publish technical blogs, whitepapers, and research reports
• Build Visa's reputation as a destination for world-class GenAI research talent

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in the office will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager. 

Basic Qualifications

• 12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 10 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters/MBA /JD/MD), or a minimum of 5 years of work experience with a PhD

Preferred Qualifications

• 15 or more years of experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 12 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, or MD), PhD with 9+ years of experience

• 10+ years of experience in AI/ML research, with 5+ years in a research leadership role managing researchers and research budgets/resources.

• Programming proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX), along with a strong mathematical foundation (statistics, optimization, probability).

• Experience with distributed training, GPU optimization, and large-scale ML infrastructure, including proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and MLOps practices.

• Proven track record of impactful research demonstrated by publications in top-tier venues, patents or intellectual property in AI/ML technologies, and contributions to open-source AI projects or frameworks.

• Experience in financial services, payments, or e-commerce domains, with knowledge of areas like fraud detection, risk modeling, or recommendation systems.

• Experience collaborating with academic institutions and industry research labs, active external engagement, such as speaking engagements at major AI conferences or editorial board membership/conference organizing experience.

• Experience with responsible AI, fairness, and AI ethics.

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 258,100.00 to 403,400.00 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.