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
Team Summary
Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) is Visa's consulting division, serving Visa's clients (including card issuers, acquirers and merchants) and solving their strategic problems focused on improving performance and profitability. Drawing on our expertise in strategy consulting, payments, data analytics, portfolio optimization, operations and macroeconomics, VCA drives high impact and tangible financial results.
The Head of Data Science, Australia, New Zealand & Pacific Islands (AuNZPI) will lead and scale Visa’s data science capability across the AuNZPI cluster. This role is responsible for delivering high‑impact analytics, data science, and AI‑driven solutions that address clients’ most critical business challenges, while partnering closely with VCA Consulting, Implementation Services, Client Advisory, Account Executives, Product, and Technology teams.
The role sits at the intersection of analytics, AI, consulting, and commercial execution, translating Visa’s unique data assets into measurable client impact and sustainable revenue growth. The incumbent will lead a high‑performing team of data scientists and shape the evolution of data science capabilities in line with Visa’s AI‑first strategy.
The role reports to the Head of Data Science, Asia Pacific and the Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), AuNZPI.
What a Head of Data Science (AuNZPI) does at Visa:
Client Impact & Delivery
- Lead the delivery of high‑impact analytics, data science, and AI solutions addressing clients’ most pressing strategic and commercial challenges.
- Ensure solutions are AI‑first, scalable, and embedded into client decision‑making processes.
- Act as a senior thought partner to clients, shaping problem statements, methodologies, and ensuring delivery excellence with measurable business impact.
- Establish clear frameworks for measuring client impact, solution adoption, and commercial outcomes, using these insights to refine future offerings and investment priorities.
- Build partnerships with CDO and CIO from client organisations, for building strategic partnership
Commercial Leadership & Growth
- Partner with VCA leadership to deliver analytics‑ and AI‑led revenue outcomes across the AuNZPI cluster.
- Partner closely with country, sales, product and VCA leadership to embed data science into client strategy, go-to-market planning, and solution development across the cluster.
- Support opportunity scoping, pricing, and closing of analytics engagements, contributing to full engagement economics.
- Drive commercialization and repeatability of analytics and AI capabilities, including managed services and scalable solutions.
- Develop partnership with companies with complementary capabilities to increase value propositions offered to clients
People & Capability Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of data scientists across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
- Build a high‑performance culture focused on rigor, innovation, collaboration, and client impact.
- Develop and evolve data science capabilities, operating models, and best practices aligned to regional and global standards.
- Build and evolve the data science talent strategy across the cluster, including hiring, capability mix, career development, and succession planning.
Data Science & AI Thought Leadership
- Provide leadership in advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI techniques with a strong focus on real‑world business applications.
- Leverage Visa’s large‑scale transaction data using advanced data mining and modeling techniques.
- Promote innovation through new methodologies, non‑traditional data sources, and continuous improvement of analytical approaches.
Project Execution & Governance
- Direct execution of medium to large analytics engagements, from scoping through delivery and value realization.
- Ensure high quality, rigor, and clarity in analytical outputs, storytelling, and client deliverables.
- Oversee deployment of analytics solutions and track ongoing business value and model performance.
- Ensure data science and AI practices meet high standards of governance, responsible use, model risk management, and compliance with Visa policies and regulatory expectations.
This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office will be confirmed by your hiring manager.
Qualifications
- Strong mix of technical depth and commercial acumen, with the ability to translate analytics into business outcomes.
- Proficiency in advanced analytics and statistical techniques (e.g., regression, tree‑based models, clustering, machine learning, AI techniques).
- Hands‑on experience with data analytics and programming tools such as SQL, Python, R, Hive, or similar, and familiarity with big data ecosystems to guide teams, challenge methodologies, and ensure analytical rigor
- Deep understanding of the Australia and New Zealand payments and financial services landscape, including issuers, acquirers, and merchants.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex analytics engagements with senior client stakeholders.
- Strong stakeholder management skills in a matrixed, cross‑functional environment.
- Proven people leadership experience, including coaching, developing, and retaining high-performing data science teams across a matrixed or multi-market environment
- Excellent executive‑level communication and presentation skills
What will also help:
- 15+ years of experience applying analytics and data science to business problems, including leadership roles.
- Postgraduate degree (Master’s or PhD) in a quantitative field such as Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
- Experience in payments, banking, fintech, or consulting environments.
- Strong data storytelling skills, including executive‑ready PowerPoint and clear articulation of insights.
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.