Director, VCA, Data Science Practice

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

Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA), the consulting arm of Visa, is a global team of industry experts in strategy, marketing, operations, risk and economics consulting, with decades of experience in the payments industry.

Our VCA teams offers,

• Consulting services customized to the needs of Visa client business objectives and strategy
• Business and economic insights and perspectives that impact business and investment decisions
• Self-service digital solutions Visa clients can leverage to improve performance in product, marketing and operations
• Proven data-driven marketing strategies to increase clients ROI

The Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) team under Visa Consulting & analytics – Data Science is a multidisciplinary group responsible for designing robust data infrastructures, developing innovative machine learning solutions, enforcing data governance standards, and aligning machine learning projects with business objectives to drive business value and revenue generation in Latin America and the Caribbean region.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Director to lead our Data Solutions Team of data scientists within the MLOps structure in the LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) region. The primary objective of this role is to develop or enhance state-of-the-art solutions that support our consulting business in areas such as Risk, Portfolio Management, Digital, and more. The ideal candidate will leverage their expertise in statistics and machine learning to develop models, conduct experiments, interpret findings, design dashboards and reports, and build valuable data assets for the markets.

Responsibilities:

• Utilize Visanet Data and Visa’s analytical capabilities, technology, and industry expertise to develop, standardize and scale Data Solutions.
• Stay updated on industry trends and regulatory changes related to data governance, machine learning, and model risk management that can potentially guide the development of a new solution.
• Set clear goals, provide regular feedback, and support the professional development of team members.
• Adapt solutions and projects to address nuanced data policy constraints in a timely and professional manner, identifying potential risks, proposing mitigation strategies, and recommending relevant actions to enable new use cases.
• Collaborate with the other teams under MLOps to ensure that all aspects of model development and deployment are scalable and secure, enabling models to handle increasing data volumes as use cases expand.
• Lead the implementation of strategies to enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and robustness of existing solutions and new machine learning or business intelligence projects.
• Ensure the successful delivery of multiple projects, from conceptualization to deployment, within established timelines and budgets.
• Manage multiple data science projects simultaneously, ensuring they are completed on time, within scope, and with high quality.
• Drive innovation by exploring new methodologies, tools, and technologies to improve data-driven decision-making processes.
• Communicate complex technical concepts and results to non-technical stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.
• Lead quality assurance (QA) activities from design to implementation.
• Conduct thorough testing and validation of models to ensure their accuracy, reliability, and robustness.
• Implement and enforce data governance policies to protect sensitive information and maintain data integrity.
• Implement feedback loops and continuous improvement processes to enhance the effectiveness of data-driven solutions.
• Assess the trade-offs among various analytics solutions for a given problem, considering usability, technical feasibility, timelines, and diverse stakeholder perspectives to ensure alignment on both scope and priorities.
• Advocate for the concept of solution releases to users, actively incorporating their feedback and monitoring usage to guide future development.

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

Qualifications

Minimum of 10+ years of expertise in applying Machine Learning solutions to business problems – model development and production experience required.
Post-graduate degree in a quantitative field such as Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, Operational Research, Computer Science, Informatics, Economics, or Engineering (Master or PhD preferred).
Proven track record of leading data science teams and delivering scalable data-driven solutions.
Demonstrated ability to proactively engage with business stakeholders, independently drive initiatives, and deliver measurable business impact.
Expert knowledge of data, market intelligence, business intelligence, and AI-driven tools and technologies, with demonstrated ability to incorporate new techniques to solve business problems.
Deep understanding of Payments and the Banking industry, including card verticals such as consumer credit, consumer debit, prepaid, small business, commercial and co-branded products.
Strong executive presence with exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
Fluency in English (spoken/written), Spanish is a plus.

Technical Expertise
Proven hands-on expertise in distributed computing environments / big data platforms (Hadoop, Presto, PySpark, etc.) as well as common database/data warehouse systems (SQL, Hive, etc.).
Strong programming ability in different programming languages such as Python, R, Scala, Java, and SQL.
Demonstrate proficiency in the main machine learning techniques currently in use, such as Linear and Logistic Regression, Decision Trees, Random Forests, K-Nearest Neighbors, Neural Networks, K-Means Clustering, XGBoost, LightGBM, among others.

Leadership Competencies
Excellent project management skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
Oversee the recruitment, management, and professional development of team members at various levels, including Managers and Senior Managers, while fostering a culture of high performance and continuous learning.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to negotiate with cross-functional teams and drive strategic changes.
Proven track record of successfully managing and delivering complex projects.
Ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize tasks effectively.
Experience in developing and implementing strategic initiatives.
Ability to mentor and coach team members, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Strong decision-making skills and the ability to navigate ambiguity and uncertainty.

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.