Director, AI/ML Platform

Company Description

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 #LifeatVisa.

Job Description

The Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) Platforms team is building the next generation of scalable and responsible AI/ML infrastructure and services to power products that solve real-world consumer challenges. This role will collaborate cross-functionally with business leaders, data scientists, software engineers, AI/ML engineers, data engineers, and program managers, focusing on scaling AI/ML platforms with cloud and Generative AI capabilities and driving adoption of platforms that deliver measurable value across the payment ecosystem.

Visa’s AI/ML models and products are integral to the global economy, playing a critical role in preventing fraud within the payments landscape and delivering significant value to internal and external clients. Our platforms enable hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Visa and safeguard billions of dollars in payment transactions.

Essential Functions

As a key member of the AI/ML Platform Product leadership team, this role drives the strategy, design, development, and adoption of Visa’s AI/ML platforms, including model training and experimentation environments, real-time inference platforms, and Generative AI solutions. You will lead cross-functional initiatives to deliver scalable, secure, and high-performing platforms across cloud and on-premises environments, enabling innovation and empowering teams globally.

Platform Strategy

• Define and execute the AI/ML platform NorthStar strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with Visa’s global data, AI/ML, and business objectives.
• Partner with business and technology to develop a comprehensive plan for migrating AI/ML workloads to the cloud.
• Monitor market trends, competitive dynamics, and client needs to guide platform evolution and long-term planning.
• Advocate for exceptional customer experiences powered by advanced AI capabilities.

Leadership & Product Management

• Lead cross-functional teams of product managers, engineers, and data scientists in a matrixed organization to translate customer needs into platform capabilities.
• Directly manage a team of product managers, foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Own the product definition and delivery of Visa’s AI/ML stack across both cloud and on-premises environments.
• Drive conceptualization, prototyping, and launch of AI-powered solutions at the intersection of payments and technology.
• Build business cases for new AI/ML capabilities and continuously evolve platform features to meet practitioner needs.
• Partner with business units, product leaders, and engineering teams to ensure alignment and flawless execution.
• Represent Visa in engagements with public cloud providers (AWS SageMaker, Google Vertex AI, Microsoft Azure ML) and internal stakeholders.

Technical & Delivery Excellence

• Define detailed platform requirements, acceptance criteria, and success metrics (e.g., SLAs, operational KPIs).
• Apply hands-on expertise in designing cloud-native architectures and enterprise-scale applications on the cloud.
• Lead backlog grooming and facilitate collaboration across product, engineering, and data science teams.
• Ensure platform capabilities meet compliance, model risk management, and onboarding requirements.
• Oversee development and delivery to ensure adherence to timelines, quality standards, and strategic objectives.

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

Qualifications

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
• 5+ years of people management experience.
• 10+ years of experience in product management or platform leadership roles in data and AI transformation or cloud migration.

Product Management

• Minimum 8 years in product management with a proven track record of delivering complex products in matrixed organizations.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving consensus across complex organizations.
• Proficiency in Agile methodologies and tools (JIRA, Confluence, Tableau). Experience in highly technical, fast-paced environments.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office and familiarity with product lifecycle management for AI/ML platforms.
• Technical and AI/ML Competencies
• Deep expertise in AI/ML concepts, platforms, and tools, enabling the design and delivery of enterprise-grade solutions.
• Hands-on experience with cloud-native AI/ML stacks and large-scale systems across AWS, GCP, and Azure.
• Proficiency in data science, deep learning, GenAI, and big data technologies, driving innovation and scalability.
• Strong knowledge of MLOps frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and model governance, ensuring operational excellence and compliance.
• Understanding of responsible AI principles and ethical considerations, promoting trust and transparency in AI solutions.

Business Acumen & Industry Expertise

• Strong ability to align AI/ML capabilities with strategic outcomes in financial services and payments.
• Hands-on experience applying AI/ML to real-world challenges (fraud detection, credit risk, payment systems).
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance and data privacy in enterprise AI/ML contexts

Additional Information

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 $186,800.00 USD to $301,200.00 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.