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
Job overview
Visa is seeking an experienced and commercially driven Head of VGS Eastern and Southern Africa, and South Africa (SEA) to support the growth of Visa Government Solutions across the region. This strategic, client-facing role will help drive public sector business development by originating and advancing high-value opportunities, strengthening senior stakeholder engagement, and positioning Visa as a trusted partner in public sector payments and digital transformation.
The successful candidate will bring strong working experience with the public sector, consultative sales, payments, and stakeholder management, together with a solid understanding of public sector institutions, procurement, and government decision-making. They will also bring a strong network across government stakeholders, with the credibility to open doors, build senior relationships, and unlock strategic opportunities across SEA.
As part of Visa’s CEMEA Government Solutions team, this role will work with internal and external stakeholders to support regional priorities, shape market opportunities, and advance solutions that deliver both commercial value and measurable public impact.
This role will work in line with Visa’s hybrid policies and business needs, as updated from time to time.
Responsibilities:
- Support execution of Visa Government Solutions’ growth agenda across SEA, identifying priority markets, clients, and revenue opportunities, driving regional prioritization and alignment to focus effort on the highest-value opportunities across SEA.
- Coordinate strategic opportunities across SEA to: (i) Build and advance a strong public sector pipeline, including account planning, business cases, pursuit strategy, and value proposition development, (ii) Identify and accelerate opportunities in government payment flows, including digital disbursements, wallets, public finance digitization, acceptance, and related solutions, (iii) Build relationships with government stakeholders, ministries, regulators, and public institutions, using credibility and network to open doors and advance opportunities, and (iv) Engage ecosystem partners including issuers, acquirers, processors, fintechs, program managers, and technology providers to strengthen Visa’s offering.
- Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders across VGS Centre of Excellence, VGS CEMEA Commercialization and Go-to-Market, Government Affairs, Product, Solutions, Marketing, Communications, Client Services, and regional and country teams to align on outreach, opportunity development, market education, and proposition roadmaps.
- Support cross-regional strategic pursuits, including major bids, partnerships, leadership engagements, pipeline governance, and multi-market initiatives.
- Monitor the SEA market landscape, recommend commercially viable opportunities, and represent Visa with professionalism, sound judgment, and strong execution discipline.
This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office will be confirmed by your hiring manager.
Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Economics, Public Policy, Public Administration, Technology, International Relations, or a related field required; MBA/Masters’ an advantage.
10 - 15 years’ relevant experience in business development, enterprise sales, account management, government solutions, public sector engagement, or regional market development, ideally in payments, financial services, fintech, technology, or the public sector; public sector payments infrastructure experience is an advantage.
Strong experience across SEA, with a solid understanding of regional dynamics, public sector institutions, procurement, and government decision-making, plus the network and credibility to engage senior stakeholders and advance strategic opportunities.
Strong consultative sales, relationship management, business case development, and commercial acumen, with the ability to articulate Visa’s value and link payments solutions to commercial and public sector outcomes.
Experience in payments, digital finance, digital disbursements, wallets, public finance digitization, or related infrastructure, including partnership development with issuers, acquirers, processors, fintechs, GovTechs, program managers, or other ecosystem partners, strongly preferred.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a matrixed, cross-functional, regional environment, with strong execution discipline, sound judgment, and the ability to lead through influence and driving alignment without direct reporting authority.
Excellent written and spoken English required; French is an advantage.
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.