Visa Direct EU - Ecosystem Director

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

This client‑facing role engages Banks, Acquirers, PSPs, Processors, and Merchants and has a significant impact on Visa Directs performance and growth across Europe. The Director will work within a collaborative, fast‑paced team and partner closely with Strategy, Product, Risk, Compliance, and Technology to help scale Visa Direct adoption. They will work with Issuers and key Clients to identify, shape, and execute real‑time payment solutions that meet evolving market, client, and consumer needs and support Visa’s growth ambitions in the region.

The role includes responsibility for driving client enablement, supporting ecosystem expansion, and improving performance outcomes for Visa Direct. The ideal candidate combines structured thinking, technical understanding, good commercial judgement, and a solid knowledge of payments and processing. Strong influencing and relationship‑building skills are essential to support Visa Directs Payouts strategy and ensure clients can adopt and grow the service effectively.

Key responsibilities:

· Strategic Ownership & Ecosystem Leadership: Define, own, and execute the Europe‑wide ecosystem enablement and acceptance strategy for Visa Direct, across domestic and cross‑border flows. Shape multi‑year growth plans and OKRs covering enablement, acceptance, performance, and revenue outcomes

· Client & Market Enablement at Scale: Lead strategic engagement with European Issuers to deliver enablement, acceptance, and corridor expansion targets. Build and standardize scalable implementation frameworks for Fast Funds, OCT/AFT optimization, and new endpoint activation. Drive cross‑border acceptance growth, strengthening Visa’s regional value proposition and partner economics

· Performance Governance & Escalation Leadership: Establish and run performance governance across Issuers, addressing market readiness and acceptance challenges through cross‑functional action plans. Resolve escalated issues from Client Services, Product, Technology, and Risk by coordinating root‑cause analysis and structural fixes

· Product Influence & Requirements Definition: Define and champion European issuer‑specific product requirements; influence global product roadmaps based on regulatory, ecosystem, and client needs. Lead structured feedback loops to improve product performance, data quality, authorization/approval rates, and compliance metrics

· Program Management & Structural Acceleration: Lead priority regional programs (e.g., ecosystem standardization, onboarding acceleration, corridor expansion), mobilizing multi‑functional teams. Drive operational excellence through BPM‑led process optimization and automation (Power Platform, reporting, dashboards)

· Executive Support & Cross‑Functional Leadership: Provide second‑line executive support for complex clients and high‑impact issues. Collaborate closely with Visa Rules, Client Services, Risk, Compliance, Legal, Finance, and Technology to ensure readiness, scalability, and operational robustness

· Thought Leadership & Communication: Deliver high‑quality executive communications, insights, and recommendations for senior leadership. Represent Visa Direct Europe in internal and external forums, articulating ecosystem strategy and progress

Qualifications

Experience in payments, processing, or related roles, ideally with exposure to issuers, acquirers, or PSPs

Strong understanding of card and/or account portfolio performance drivers, including P&Ls, risk, authorization strategies, and relevant regulation, Banking industry, Fincrime and Crypto Good working knowledge of key European payment schemes (ACH/SEPA, RTP/Instant, SWIFT, Cards)

Solid analytical and data skills, including experience with data platforms and performance reporting

Practical experience using BPM methodologies and advanced Microsoft tools (Power BI, Power Automate, Power Apps, Excel, etc.)

Experience working across multiple European markets in payments or a related sector

Ability to balance interpersonal, technical, and commercial considerations in decision‑making

Proven capability to simplify complexity and resolve client or technical barriers

Experience with BI tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI)

Strong written and verbal communication and influencing skills

Ability to prepare clear executive‑level presentations and summaries

Sound planning and project management experience; able to use data to guide issue resolution and performance improvements

Strong problem‑solving skills and an outcome‑focused mindset

Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across functions and levels