Common Purpose, Uncommon Opportunity. Everyone at Visa works with one goal in mind – making sure that Visa is the best way to pay and be paid, for everyone everywhere. This is our global vision and the common purpose that unites the entire Visa team. As a global payments technology company, tech is at the heart of what we do: Our VisaNet network processes over 13,000 transactions per second for people and businesses around the world, enabling them to use digital currency instead of cash and checks. We are also global advocates for financial inclusion, working with partners around the world to help those who lack access to financial services join the global economy. Visa’s sponsorships, including the Olympics and FIFA™ World Cup, celebrate teamwork, diversity, and excellence throughout the world. If you have a passion to make a difference in the lives of people around the world, Visa offers an uncommon opportunity to build a strong, thriving career. Visa is fueled by our team of talented employees who continuously raise the bar on delivering the convenience and security of digital currency to people all over the world. Join our team and find out how Visa is everywhere you want to be.

Position Summary
The VP Merchant Strategy is responsible for driving Strategy for the Global Merchant Sales and Solutions organization. Reporting to the Head of Merchant Strategy and Sales Effectiveness, this role will oversee a global team dedicated to identifying trends and defining critical initiatives for Visa’s business with merchants and acquirer partners.  The position will be based in San Francisco. 
 
Core responsibilities will include strategy development, strategic projects and planning, and merchant and acquirer focused market intelligence including for example:

• Identifying opportunities, merchant & acquirer feedback, competitive and commerce trends to anticipate needed changes for our sales models and solutions development.

• Designing strategies which change the trajectory of growth, evolve our client relationships, break through constraints and evaluate our operating and organizational frameworks to be more impactful.

• Driving new initiatives forward from concept to focused, resourced, execution plans with paths to scaled implementation.

• Delivering strategy, metrics/performance indicators, goals and insights which help drive alignment and focus to the organization broadly.

• Planning for scale and delivering tangible prioritization for limited resources.

• Providing design options, fact based insights, considerations (internal and external) for organizational design and resource planning.

• Designing client, country, vertical, partner campaign strategies, strategy narratives, and structured negotiation and deployment options.

• This is a highly visible global role that includes frequent interaction with key internal and external stakeholders. Internally this role will work directly with key leaders across Visa, including: Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Merchant Sales leaders, Analytics, and other product teams.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, continue evolving and execute the overall Merchant Sales & Solution strategy in partnership with regional Merchant Sales and Acquirer Sales leads - understand client needs and feedback from merchant and acquirer partners and develop point of view on merchant, acquirer, vertical issues and opportunities to assist in driving development and design of future merchant solutions as well as expansion of our relationships and overall acceptance base.

• Analyze the health of the Merchant and Acquirer business and work with regions to proactively identify, develop and drive longer-term strategies and initiatives that will achieve business results. Provide strategic insight - grounded in data and facts, thought leadership and structure to strategic projects. Build out unique, creative and impactful solutions by integrating insights across Visa’s many expert functional resources and leading collaborative solution development.

• Ensure strategic and financial soundness and alignment for any recommendations. Develop rigorous, fact based, quantitative analysis to support recommendations. Ensure an external perspective including competition and innovation. Build out tools and track the evolving needs of merchants and acquirers

• Develop frameworks that support the prioritization of strategic initiatives, and evaluate investment opportunities for their strategic and financial value. Identify clear and realistic long-term key success factors and strategic priorities

• Provide clear, concise, fact based and persuasive executive level communications which facilitate prioritization and high impact decision making.

• Lead the project management of strategic projects and workstreams including strategy development, growth strategies, performance monitoring for key strategic indicators, and opportunity evaluations.

• Supervise and / or develop research, lead interviews, analysis and financial modeling, framework and presentation development, and presentation of insights and recommendations to a variety of stakeholders.

• Perform and / or supervise pro forma economic/financial and business analysis to ensure a fundamental understanding of marketplace economic, competitive and industry drivers, both current and prospective.

• Perform and supervise complex data analysis and design to drive unique insights for internal and external purposes.

• This role requires effective interaction with Visa and Client senior management including communicating and generating support for recommendations, incorporating feedback and facilitating the path from recommendation to tangible results oriented impacts.

• Typically 15 years of relevant experience including 5+ years’ experience in management consulting, payments industry, retail strategy, financial services and/or previous strategy functional experience in a global organization. Bachelor’s Degree. MBA from top-tier institution or equivalent graduate degree.

• Strong customer focus and in depth understanding of global trends affecting merchants and payments.

• Leadership and management skills – sound judgement, committed to motivate and develop reporting personnel as well as extended team members contributing from various collaborative teams based projects. Exceptional project management and leadership skills and ability to lead cross-functional teams and complex multi workstream projects.

• Ability to prioritize deliverables and projects to meet timelines efficiently, to adapt to changes in priorities quickly, and to structure and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously with focus on a drive to completion and tangible impact.

• Superior analytical and problem solving skills, with demonstrated intellectual and analytical rigor; attention to detail and ability to structure and analyze sophisticated modeling and data analysis.

• Effective at building insights from research, data collection and analysis. Required knowledge and experience working with economic theories, strategic and prioritization frameworks, scenarios analysis, and competitive assessments. Knowledge of payment industry revenue drivers a plus.

• Team oriented, collaborative, diplomatic and flexible with ability to influence in a highly matrixed organization.

• Pro-active and effective communicator, with strong interpersonal and leadership skills. Experienced at presenting information to all levels, with ability to facilitate group discussions and debate and proven ability to influence and communicate effectively across geographic and functional lines and levels.

• Ability to be an effective coach and have the tough conversations when necessary. Demonstrated ability to be decisive and action-oriented regarding decisions affecting the team. Committed to developing a team and key talent for Visa broadly while also serving as a hands-on, individual contributor.

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

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.