Vice President, Visa Research

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

About the Role

Visa Inc. is seeking an exceptional technical leader to serve as Vice President of Research, spearheading our forward-looking research initiatives in generative AI and quantum computing. This visionary role will manage a global team of scientists focused on developing technologies that will shape the future of digital payments and commerce 2-5 years ahead of market needs. This role operates in a unique research environment within Visa’s technology division, deliberately unconstrained from day-to-day commercial pressures. Scientists in Visa Research have the freedom to explore transformative technologies while being supported by Visa's global resources and infrastructure. Your work will directly influence how Visa and the broader payments industry evolve in the age of quantum computing and advanced AI.

Visa Research was founded in 2015 and over the last decade has filed over 440 patents and published numerous award winning papers in peer reviewed publications and conferences. Some of our papers are highly cited in key areas like post quantum digital signature schemes. The focus of this team is research with a purpose that connects the technologies of the future with Visa’s relentless focus and obsession to create value for our customers.

Key Responsibilities 

Research Leadership

• Lead Visa's global research teams working on generative AI and quantum computing applications 

• Establish a clear research vision and strategic roadmap aligned with Visa's long-term business strategy and mission
• Cultivate a culture of innovation, experimentation, and intellectual curiosity
• Define research methodologies that balance exploratory discovery with practical applications

Research Focus Areas

Generative AI Innovation:

• Agentic Commerce Systems: Explore research on AI agents that can autonomously negotiate, purchase, and manage payment processes on behalf of consumers and merchants
• Multimodal Shopping Experiences:  Explore generative AI systems that create immersive, personalized shopping environments combining visual, auditory, and conversational modalities
• Agentic Development Systems: Create AI systems that can autonomously generate, test, and deploy secure payment code and infrastructure
• Neural-Symbolic Reasoning for Financial Compliance: Combine neural network capabilities with symbolic reasoning for transparent, auditable AI decision-making in regulated environments
• Generative AI for Security Posture Management: Research AI systems that can proactively identify security vulnerabilities and generate mitigation strategies

Quantum Computing Research:

• Quantum-Enhanced Risk Modeling: Develop quantum algorithms that can process complex, multidimensional risk factors at unprecedented scales to enable more accurate, dynamic risk assessments
• Quantum Machine Learning for Fraud Detection: Research quantum approaches to anomaly detection that can identify sophisticated fraud patterns invisible to classical algorithms
• Post-Quantum Cryptography Implementation: Lead research on practical implementations/adoption of PQC for payment systems, balancing security, performance, and backwards compatibility
• Quantum-Resistant Transaction Systems: Design architectures that maintain security guarantees in a post-quantum world while preserving transaction speeds and user experience
• Quantum Optimization for Payment Networks: Explore quantum approaches to optimize global payment routing, settlement processes, and liquidity management
• Quantum Simulation for Economic Modeling: Develop quantum simulation frameworks for modeling complex economic behaviors and market dynamics

Team Building & Collaboration Initiatives

• Research Fellowship Program: Establish and oversee Visa research fellowships with leading academic institutions
• Quantum & AI Consortium Leadership: Represent Visa in international research consortia shaping the future of these technologies
• Open Research Initiatives: Define appropriate areas for open-source contributions and academic publication to advance the broader field
• Government Research Partnerships: Collaborate with national laboratories and government initiatives on fundamental quantum and AI research
• Industry-Academia Bridge Programs: Create structured programs for knowledge exchange between Visa researchers and academic partners

Technology Translation & Impact

• Research Commercialization Pipeline: Develop frameworks for identifying research breakthroughs with near-term commercial potential
• Prototype Development: Lead the creation of proof-of-concept implementations that demonstrate research principles in practical applications
• Technology Horizon Scanning: Maintain a systematic approach to identifying emerging technologies that could impact Visa's ecosystem
• Research Ethics Framework: Establish robust ethical guidelines for research initiatives, particularly around AI fairness, transparency, and user privacy

This is an on-site position. An on-site position must be consistently performed at an assigned Visa office location and require daily commute to the office location.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• 12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 10 years of experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters/ MBA/JD/MD) or at least 8 years of work experience with a PhD

Preferred Qualifications

• 15 or more years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD, PhD)

Education & Experience
• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or related field
• 15+ years of experience in research leadership roles, with demonstrated impact in quantum computing and/or AI
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performing research teams
• Strong publication history and recognized thought leadership in relevant fields

Technical Expertise
• Advanced expertise in generative AI architectures, including transformer models, diffusion models, and generative adversarial networks
• Demonstrated experience with large language model applications in enterprise environments
• Understanding of reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) and alignment techniques
• Deep technical knowledge in quantum computing, quantum algorithms, or quantum information theory
• Good understanding of quantum machine learning, variational quantum circuits, or quantum simulation techniques
• Knowledge of quantum development frameworks (Qiskit, Cirq, PennyLane, or similar preferred)
• Familiarity with payment systems, financial technology, and commerce platforms (preferred)

Leadership & Communication
• Exceptional ability to communicate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
• Strategic vision to identify research areas with highest potential business impact
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to inspire and motivate technical teams
• Experience collaborating with academic institutions and government entities
• Proven ability to translate research outcomes into executive-level insights and strategic guidance

Additional Information

Work Hours: Varies upon the needs of the department.

Travel Requirements: This position requires travel 5-10% of the time.

Mental/Physical Requirements: This position will be performed in an office setting.  The position will require the incumbent to sit and stand at a desk, communicate in person and by telephone, frequently operate standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.

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.

Visa will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable local law, including the requirements of Article 49 of the San Francisco Police Code.

U.S. APPLICANTS ONLY: The estimated salary range for a new hire into this position is 272,600.00 to 426,150.00 USD per year, which may include potential sales incentive payments (if applicable). Salary may vary depending on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this position may be eligible for bonus and equity. Visa has a comprehensive benefits package for which this position may be eligible that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, 401 (k), FSA/HSA, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and Wellness Program.