Vice President Country Manager

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

As Visa's most senior representative in Saudi Arabia—one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most strategically important markets in CEMEA—the Country Manager will lead the country's strategic agenda, deepen client and regulatory engagement, and oversee Visa's operations and performance across the Kingdom.

This hybrid role (4 days in-office, 1 day remote) requires a commercially sharp, externally credible, and deeply locally integrated leader who can accelerate growth, strengthen Visa's ecosystem impact, and represent the company with distinction across public and private sector stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

Market & strategic leadership

Define and execute a Saudi Arabia-specific strategy aligned with CEMEA region priorities

Represent Visa with regulators (SAMA), media, government bodies, and key ecosystem stakeholders

Shape the local digital payments landscape by identifying growth drivers and removing operational and regulatory barriers

Monitor evolving market dynamics, competitive activity, and regulatory changes to drive proactive strategic responses

Client & ecosystem engagement

Serve as the primary point of contact for issuers, acquirers, merchants, fintech, PSPs, and government partners

Lead complex commercial negotiations and senior-level (C-suite) engagement

Drive revenue growth across core products, value-added services, and new payment flows (e.g., B2B, remittances, government payments)

Build, strengthen, and execute strategic account plans ensuring sustainable share growth and client partnership expansion

Regulatory & government affairs

Build and maintain strong relationships with SAMA, key ministries, and national programs

Support the Kingdom's national digital transformation and financial sector development agendas under Vision 2030

Represent Visa in government-led initiatives, working groups, and industry forums

Team & site leadership

Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing, diverse, and action-oriented Saudi Arabia team

Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, leadership excellence, and customer obsession

Ensure operational rigor, compliance, and an excellent employee experience across the Riyadh site

Serve as the senior executive face of Visa in the Kingdom, managing day-to-day market leadership responsibilities

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

Qualifications

Basic qualification

15+ years in payments, financial services, fintech, consulting, or related industries

Preferred qualification

Proven track record in senior leadership roles and managing strategic external relationships

Experience operating in GCC markets (Saudi Arabia experience strongly preferred)

Demonstrated success in complex commercial environments, competitive markets, and high impact dealmaking

Skills & mindset

Strategic thinker with strong financial acumen and commercial instincts

Demonstrated ability to lead transformation, inspire teams, and navigate high growth environments

Strong public presence and exceptional stakeholder engagement skills

Fluent in English; Arabic strongly preferred

Embodies Visa's leadership principles:

Lead courageously - Drives bold, future focused moves and embraces change

Obsess about customers - Empathetic, curious, and committed to delivering value

Collaborate as one Visa - Works cross functionally and fosters team success

Execute with excellence - Results oriented with a strong bias for action

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.