Staff Software Engineer II (AI & Data Platform Engineer)

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’s Technology Organization is a community of problem solvers and innovators reshaping the future of commerce.   We operate the world’s most sophisticated processing networks capable of handling more than 65k secure transactions a second across 80M merchants, 15k Financial Institutions, and billions of everyday people.   While working with us you’ll get to work on complex distributed systems and solve massive scale problems centered on new payment flows, business and data solutions, cyber security, and B2C platforms.     

Visa is building a next-generation Agentic AI services that brings intelligent, autonomous agents into large-scale distributed applications across our global ecosystem.
We’re seeking a Sr. Consultant Software Engineer who will architect, design, and build scalable backend systems that integrate AI agents into Visa’s enterprise infrastructure. You will work with other Senior Engineers and technical leaders to define the architecture, scaling strategy, and engineering standards for Visa’s AI-driven products.
This is a role for a hands-on technical leader — a go-getter, builder, and problem solver with deep experience in Java microservices, GenAI integration, and distributed system design, and a true-north, entrepreneurial mindset focused on speed, quality, and innovation.

Essential Functions:

• Architecture & Design
  Architect and evolve the Agentic AI Platform to support multi-agent orchestration, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and integration with existing Visa microservices. Design scalable, secure backend systems using Java (Spring Boot) and Python (FastAPI/Flask). Develop RESTful and gRPC APIs that connect backend services, AI agents, and React front-end applications.
• AI & GenAI Integration
  Integrate Large Language Models (LLMs) such as GPT, Claude, Mistral, and Gemini into backend systems. Build and optimize RAG pipelines using vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, FAISS). Develop orchestration and agentic workflows using LangChain, LangGraph, or Autogen.
• Scalability & Reliability
  Lead the design and implementation of distributed, fault-tolerant systems that scale horizontally. Implement auto-scaling, monitoring, and observability using Kubernetes, Docker, and Prometheus/Grafana. Drive best practices for latency reduction, cost optimization, and service reliability.
• Leadership & Execution
  Partner with other senior engineers, ML engineers, and product leads to define and deliver the platform roadmap. Mentor developers, set coding standards, and lead design reviews. Deliver results with urgency — balancing innovation with enterprise rigor.
• Innovation & Strategy
  Explore new frameworks, architectures, and deployment models to push the boundaries of Agentic AI in production. Drive continuous improvement, automation, and open-source adoption across the engineering organization.

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office 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 or more 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, Engineering, or related field.
• 2 or more years of backend experience with Python (FastAPI, Flask, or similar frameworks).
• Production-level experience in building and deploying AI Agentic solutions, including orchestration of LLM-based agents, integration with enterprise microservices, and troubleshooting live production environments.
• Hands-on experience implementing LLM, GenAI, and RAG systems using frameworks such as LangChain, LangGraph, or Autogen.
• Experience building and integrating Model Context Protocol (MCP) frameworks for tool and API interoperability
• Strong understanding of AI orchestration and LLM integration patterns in distributed environments.
• Proven experience building and scaling distributed microservice architectures.
• Proficiency in REST/gRPC API design, event-driven architectures, and message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ).
• Experience with vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, FAISS) and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines.
• Hands-on expertise with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Familiarity with SQL and NoSQL databases (MySQL, DynamoDB, MongoDB).
• Experience with containerization and CI/CD pipelines (Docker, Kubernetes, ArgoCD, Jenkins, GitHub Actions).
• Excellent debugging, performance optimization, and system design skills at scale.

Leadership Attributes:

• Go-Getter: Executes decisively, drives clarity, and thrives in ambiguity.
• Builder: Hands-on technologist who delivers high-impact systems from prototype to production.
• Hustler: Operates with urgency and persistence to overcome obstacles.
• Entrepreneurial: Innovates beyond defined scope, with ownership and bias for action.
• True North: Leads with integrity, clarity, and long-term vision.
• Lead by Example: Demonstrates accountability, openness, and excellence in technical and people leadership.
• Execute with Excellence: Sets a high bar for quality, collaboration, and delivery across multi-disciplinary engineering teams.

Tech Stack Snapshot:

• Languages: Java (Spring Boot), Python (FastAPI, Flask), TypeScript
• AI Frameworks: LangChain, LangGraph, Autogen, LlamaIndex
• LLMs: GPT, Claude, Mistral, Gemini
• Data: MySQL, Hazelcast, Pinecone, FAISS
• Infra: Docker, Kubernetes, ArgoCD, AWS/GCP
• Frontend Integration: React, GraphQL, REST/gRPC APIs

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.