Lead Software Engineer - AI

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.

Role Overview

As a GenAI & Agentic AI Expert, you will play a pivotal role in conceptualizing, building, and optimizing AI-driven systems that demonstrate autonomy, creativity, and adaptability. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to translate business opportunities into intelligent, scalable solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and deploy Generative AI and Agentic AI models and applications.

• Lead the development and integration of autonomous agent architectures using LLMs and other relevant technologies.

• Collaborate with product, engineering, and research teams to identify and implement AI-driven features and workflows.

• Stay updated on the latest advancements in GenAI (e.g., LLMs, diffusion models) and Agentic AI (e.g., multi-agent systems, tool-using agents).

• Mentor and guide junior team members in best practices for AI development.

• Ensure ethical and responsible AI development and deployment.

• Develop prototypes and proof-of-concepts to showcase AI capabilities for internal and external stakeholders.

• Contribute to the creation of technical documentation, research papers, and presentations.

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

Visa will accept applications for this role until at least September 8, 2025.

Basic Qualifications:
10+ years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 7 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 4 years of work experience with a PhD, OR 13+ years of relevant work experience.

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
Bachelor’s/master's in computer science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field.
3 years of hands-on experience in developing and deploying Generative AI models (such as GPT, Llama, Stable Diffusion, etc.).
Demonstrated experience in designing or using Agentic AI systems (e.g., autonomous agents, tool-using LLMs, multi-agent environments).
Proficiency in Python and popular AI/ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain, Hugging Face Transformers).
Strong understanding of prompt engineering, fine-tuning, RLHF, and agent orchestration frameworks.
Excellent problem-solving skills, and a passion for exploring new AI paradigms.
Nice-to-have:
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and deploying AI models at scale.
Exposure to knowledge graphs, reasoning systems, or symbolic AI.
Contributions to open-source GenAI/Agentic AI projects.
Experience in payment industry is a plus 

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 163,500 to 237,000 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.