Director Of Acceptance For Global Client, Merchant, Tech Partner, And Acquirer

About us

Visa is a world leader in payments technology, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories, dedicated to uplifting everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

At Visa, you'll have the opportunity to create impact at scale - tackling meaningful challenges, growing your skills, and seeing your contributions impact lives around the world.

Join Visa and do work that matters - to you, to your community, and to the world. Progress starts with you.

Job description

Role summary

The Director - Acceptance is responsible for driving the growth, strategy, and execution of merchant acceptance and acquiring partnerships across the UAE market. This role leads efforts to expand payment acceptance, deepen strategic relationships with acquirers, and accelerate transaction volume and revenue growth across priority merchant segments. This role is focused on driving revenue growth and expanding Visa's business with key acquirers in the UAE, with clear ownership of commercial outcomes, portfolio performance, and P&L delivery. Operating at a senior leadership level, the individual will influence regional strategy, manage C-level relationships, and deliver measurable business impact across acceptance and acquiring ecosystems.

Key responsibilities:

Acceptance growth & market expansion

Drive the strategy and execution to expand card and digital payment acceptance across priority merchant segments. Identify and unlock new revenue streams across e-commerce, digital acceptance, and emerging payment flows (AFT/OCT, tokenization, new commerce models). Proactively identify acceptance gaps in the market and originate opportunities to expand merchant coverage. Lead initiatives to increase penetration of acceptance solutions (e.g., digital invoicing, pay-by-link, e-commerce enablement). Partner with sales and product teams to eliminate barriers to acceptance and improve merchant adoption.

Acquiring strategy & strategic partnerships

Own and grow strategic relationships with key acquirers, PSPs, PayFacs, and ecosystem enablers in the UAE. Originate and scale opportunities by expanding ecosystem integrations across acquirers and digital partners. Lead development and execution of joint growth strategies and business plans with acquiring partners. Influence acquiring ecosystem evolution, including pricing models, localization, and regulatory alignment.

Revenue growth, commercial ownership & P&L

Own and deliver full commercial performance, including revenue growth, payment volume expansion, and portfolio profitability. Maintain end-to-end P&L ownership, ensuring optimization of ROI across all initiatives. Lead pricing strategy, incentive design, and deal structuring to maximize revenue outcomes. Apply an enterprise-wide perspective to drive holistic portfolio growth across acceptance and acquiring ecosystems.

Client engagement & executive influence

Engage directly with C-level stakeholders across acquirers and key ecosystem partners. Position acceptance and acquiring solutions as strategic enablers of growth, efficiency, and digital transformation. Lead executive discussions, negotiations, and large-scale commercial partnerships. Establish strong client engagement cadence (QBRs, growth planning sessions, executive reviews).

Product, innovation & solution expansion

Collaborate with product and technology teams to develop and commercialize new acceptance and acquiring solutions and scale emerging payment capabilities (tokenization, new flows, digital commerce). Ensure localization of solutions aligned to UAE market needs. Drive end-to-end execution of growth initiatives, ensuring measurable revenue impact.

Strategic execution & delivery

Translate strategy into clear execution roadmaps with defined milestones, ownership, and KPIs. Ensure delivery of key initiatives (e.g., acceptance expansion, tokenization adoption, new use cases). Manage internal dependencies (product readiness, risk, legal, pricing approvals) to accelerate time-to-revenue. Maintain strong forecasting discipline, with clear visibility into pipeline, risks, and revenue upside.

Leadership & organizational impact

Influence cross-functional teams (sales, product, risk, marketing) to deliver integrated outcomes. Represent the function in leadership forums and strategic planning discussions.

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in the 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.

10+ years of experience in:

Payments, fintech, or digital commerce

Payment consulting

How you will make an impact

Own and deliver revenue targets across strategic accounts, including pipeline creation, conversion, and performance tracking

Lead end-to-end deal execution, from opportunity sizing to commercial structuring and contract closure

Drive pricing governance and incentive frameworks aligned with growth strategy and profitability

Track and manage account-level performance metrics (volume, revenue, share, product adoption) with clear action plans

Establish strong commercial cadence with clients, including QBRs, pipeline reviews, and growth plans

Translate strategic priorities into execution plans with measurable KPIs and timelines

Ensure delivery of key initiatives with tangible revenue impact

Drive internal alignment to remove blockers and accelerate commercialization timelines

Maintain high-quality forecasting, reporting, and pipeline transparency

Strong expertise in:

Acquiring ecosystem (FI acquirers, PSPs, PayFacs)

Merchant acceptance economics and revenue drivers

Proven track record of:

Driving revenue growth and scaling strategic accounts

Managing large, complex commercial partnerships

Experience in pricing strategy, deal structuring, and P&L ownership

What we're after

Proven track record in driving revenue growth and delivering commercial outcomes in payments or financial services

Strong commercial acumen with end-to-end P&L ownership, including pricing and complex deal structuring

Demonstrated ability to identify, originate, and scale strategic growth opportunities

Deep understanding of payment ecosystems and ability to translate market trends into revenue streams

Strategic thinker with the ability to connect market insights, client needs, and capabilities into actionable plans

Strong executive presence with ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders

Experience operating in cross-functional, matrixed environments

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with data-driven decision-making approach

MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred

Success metrics (KPIs)

Revenue growth and new sales

Expansion of acceptance footprint and merchant coverage

Growth in acquiring partner volumes and engagement

Pipeline creation and conversion rates

Adoption of new payment solutions and capabilities (e.g., tokenization, new flows)

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.