Director, Government Affairs

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 Life at Visa.

Job Description

The Director, Government Affairs (GA) is a full-time role based in Paris; leading France, Belgium and Luxembourg (FBL cluster) for Europe Government Affairs. They will report to the Senior Director, Europe Government Affairs and have one direct report. As an important member of the broader Europe Government Affairs team, travel across the cluster will be required as needed, and some travel across the region will be required from time to time.

The Director, Government Affairs for France, Belgium, and Luxembourg (FBL) will serve as a strategic leader within Visa, responsible for shaping and executing market-based GA strategies that drive the company's objectives across the cluster. They will provide leadership to their direct report, and as appropriate, laterally across the broader Europe Government Affairs organisation. This role will join the FBL regional leadership team and will play an active part in enabling the broader FBL strategy, ensuring that GA activities are aligned with and reinforce Visa's broader commercial and reputational ambitions.

The Director will act as a key representative for Visa, cultivating high-level relationships with senior political, regulatory, and client stakeholders to advance the company's strategic goals. In this capacity, the Director will oversee the development and implementation of strategic and proactive government engagement strategies that position Visa as a trusted partner to governments and regulators, including supporting Visa executives in executing high-impact strategic engagements, identifying collaborative opportunities with public sector stakeholders, and advocating for policy frameworks that foster a fair, competitive, and sustainable operating environment for Visa's current and future business.

Headline objectives of the role:

• Develop and execute a clear & comprehensive, documented, embedded FBL GA strategy, underpinned by and complementing our wider European strategy to advocacy, engagement and thought leadership, and fully aligned with the FBL regional strategy.
• Execute localised and impactful strategic engagement, building long-term trusted relationships with governments, regulators, industry bodies, clients and other GA stakeholders in FBL, to successfully manage the increasing geopolitical risks, regulatory challenges and support future growth.
• Safeguard Visa's "right-to-play" in FBL and shape the policy environment to support business growth, ensuring Visa's ability to serve our clients in alignment with the 2030 strategy.
• Act as a strategic advisor to internal audiences, leadership and clients to articulate risks and opportunities to support strategic decision making.
• Empower and develop our people, supporting a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration and integrity that encourages talent development, upskilling and curiosity.

What we expect of you, day to day:

STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT

• Maintain and grow Visa Europe positioning and systematic engagement in the cluster, positioning cluster and regional leadership to sustain and build trusted dialogue with key GA stakeholders
• Secure & execute Visa presence at relevant and priority political, policy and industry/client events.
• Seek, create and execute thought leadership opportunities which demonstrate to strategic GA stakeholders, the value of Visa, Visa as a constructive long-term partner and Visa as an enabler of growth and innovation across the Europe region.

SUPPORT THE BUSINESS TO SERVE CLIENTS

• Sustain and grow efforts to proactively and constructively shape the external policy environment, engaging with relevant internal stakeholder teams (e.g. legal, risk, product) to understand, anticipate and manage interventions on core and growth topics for Visa.
• Add meaningful value to client relationships through systematic engagement together with client directors and country managers with clients and partners, including developing a deep understanding of client policy challenges.
• Support engagement on strategic growth priorities to support Visa's ability to serve clients, including in the non-card payments, Commercial & Money Movement Solutions (CMS) and Value-Added Services (VAS).

STRATEIC ADVISOR

• Proactively scan and monitor the changing external (geo)political and policy environment to identify, assess and effectively communicate major risks to and opportunities for Visa's 2030 business objectives, and support strategic mitigation or realisation strategies in line with business priorities.
• Deliver periodic and targeted strategic internal reporting, providing intelligence and actionable insights on policy developments, geopolitical risks, and regulatory changes enabling informed strategic decision-making and prioritisation.

Leadership Responsibilities:

• Provide clear leadership, guidance and support to your direct report, fostering collaboration and knowledge share across the FBL cluster and the broader Europe GA team.
• Execute regular performance feedback and development planning, embedding Visa leadership principles into performance reviews, with emphasis on feedback that supports accountability, ownership, decision making and communication.
• Work closely with the FBL regional leadership team to play an active part in enabling the broader FBL strategy, ensuring that GA activities are aligned with and reinforce Visa's broader commercial and reputational ambitions.
• Work constructively in different markets with other functions, across the regional and global environment, in a matrix environment.
• Share know-how and expertise with GA counterparts in other clusters and regions, and demonstrate confidence to speak up, make suggestions, ask questions.
• Drive the continuous enhancement of function, toolkit and staff. Ensure optimization of meeting targets and objectives by suggesting best practices.
• Communicate openly, timely and effectively with executives to ensure awareness of main regulatory, policy and engagement developments and strategy to protect Visa business and reputation.
• Champion a GenAI-first mindset encouraging experimentation and training across the Europe GA team.
• Promote diversity and inclusion in all engagements.

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

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

Minimum 10 – 12 years of experience in relevant corporate positions; regulatory or government agency; and/or consultancy in equivalent sector. Experience in government relations and public affairs necessary.

Established network of regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders in the FBL cluster.

Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, including C-suite level engagement.

Demonstrated strategic thinking, initiative, and proactive engagement, with a proven ability to provide strategic counsel to senior leadership.

Proven ability to operate effectively in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and adapting engagement approaches to evolving policy and business landscapes.

Leadership and people management experience.

Experience in crisis management and response.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in payments industry, including knowledge of electronic payments/banking/crypto/fintech.

Experience in complex matrix organizations.

Law, Economy or Political Science or equivalent degree.

Additional Information

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.