At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead data strategy and drive impactful AI initiatives to enhance business value.
- Company: Join Visa, a global leader in payments technology, making a difference worldwide.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with a focus on innovation and career advancement.
- Why this job: Shape the future of data products and strategy in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in data strategy and analytics with strong stakeholder management skills.
The predicted salary is between 81000 - 99000 £ per year.
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.
Role Summary The Senior Manager, Data Products & Strategy is responsible for defining and driving the strategic direction of reporting and data science, using AI initiatives to maximise business value across Visa Direct. This role acts as the bridge between business priorities and technical delivery, ensuring investments in data capabilities are aligned to measurable outcomes, strategic objectives, and organisational goals. The Senior Manager partners with stakeholders across Product, Operations, Commercial, Finance, Risk, Compliance and Technology to identify opportunities where data, analytics, automation and AI can accelerate growth, improve decision-making, reduce risk, and enhance operational efficiency. The role is accountable for translating business problems into prioritised data products and strategic initiatives, ensuring successful adoption and realisation of business value. The role champions a decision-led approach to data, supporting governance, and driving prioritisation, and operating model maturity. All roles require digital fluency, including the ability to work with emerging technologies such as Generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot) to support everyday work.
Key Responsibilities
- Define and own the strategic direction and prioritisation of the data, reporting, analytics, and data science portfolio, aligning investments to business objectives and measurable outcomes.
- Identify and shape opportunities where data, analytics, automation, AI, and data science can create commercial value, improve customer outcomes, or increase operational efficiency.
- Lead data product strategy and ownership, translating business needs into clear problem statements, success measures, delivery priorities, and adoption plans before work enters technical delivery teams.
- Establish and maintain value-based prioritisation frameworks to ensure resources are focused on initiatives that deliver the greatest strategic impact.
- Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to manage and enhance reporting solutions, ensuring a single source of truth for insights and facts.
- Identify automated processes for insight delivery, including self-serve functionality for leaders at corridor, market, and region levels.
- Coordinate with reporting teams to align on common reports, definitions, and data sources across markets.
- Assess, monitor, and enhance service level agreements (SLAs), ensuring compliance and continuous improvement.
- Identify opportunities for service enhancement, process optimisation, and risk mitigation, driving adoption of best practices.
- Champion data governance, metric consistency, data quality, and reporting standards to improve trust, transparency, regulatory readiness, and decision confidence.
- Measure, track, and communicate the business impact of data products and initiatives, ensuring delivered capabilities are adopted, embedded, and producing the intended outcomes.
Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
- Relevant experience in data strategy, analytics, business intelligence, data products, consulting, product management, or related disciplines, with a Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience with an advanced degree.
- Demonstrated experience translating business priorities into data, analytics, reporting, AI, or data science initiatives that deliver measurable business outcomes.
- Strong understanding of reporting, analytics, data science, AI/GenAI, data governance, and modern data platforms, with the ability to challenge and shape technical solutions without requiring hands‑on engineering expertise.
- Experience working in big data environments.
- Experience working in an Agile or fast-paced and dynamic environment.
- Experience defining business requirements, problem statements, success measures, and adoption plans for strategic data products and initiatives.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
- Ability to communicate complex technical and data concepts clearly to senior business and executive audiences.
- Experience in service level management, SLA reporting, or similar roles within technology‑driven environments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Extensive experience operating within payments, fintech, financial services, or other regulated industries.
- Experience leading or supporting data science, advanced analytics, AI, or Generative AI initiatives, including identifying opportunities, defining use cases, and measuring business outcomes.
- Strong understanding of modern analytical and reporting platforms such as Tableau, Power BI, Snowflake, or equivalent technologies.
- Experience establishing data governance frameworks, reporting standards, metric definitions, and data quality practices across complex organisations.
- Demonstrated success developing prioritisation frameworks, operating models, or portfolio management approaches for data and analytics organisations.
- Experience influencing senior executives and stakeholders through strategic recommendations, business cases, and evidence-based decision‑making.
- Experience working in a matrixed organization and adapting to a fast‑paced work environment.
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.
Sr Manager, Data Products & Strategy employer: Visa
Visa is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that fosters innovation and collaboration in the rapidly evolving payments technology sector. With a strong commitment to employee growth, Visa provides ample opportunities for professional development and mentorship, ensuring that team members are equipped to excel in their roles. The hybrid work model promotes a healthy work-life balance, while the company's dedication to diversity and inclusion creates a welcoming atmosphere for all employees.
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We think you need these skills to ace Sr Manager, Data Products & Strategy
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