Vice President – Visa Research

Vice President – Visa Research

Requirements

• 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
• 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
• 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)
• 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

Responsibilities

• 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
• Explore research on AI agents that can autonomously negotiate, purchase, and manage payment processes on behalf of consumers and merchants
• Explore generative AI systems that create immersive, personalized shopping environments combining visual, auditory, and conversational modalities
• Create AI systems that can autonomously generate, test, and deploy secure payment code and infrastructure
• Combine neural network capabilities with symbolic reasoning for transparent, auditable AI decision-making in regulated environments
• Research AI systems that can proactively identify security vulnerabilities and generate mitigation strategies
• Develop quantum algorithms that can process complex, multidimensional risk factors at unprecedented scales to enable more accurate, dynamic risk assessments
• Research quantum approaches to anomaly detection that can identify sophisticated fraud patterns invisible to classical algorithms
• Lead research on practical implementations/adoption of PQC for payment systems, balancing security, performance, and backwards compatibility
• Design architectures that maintain security guarantees in a post-quantum world while preserving transaction speeds and user experience
• Explore quantum approaches to optimize global payment routing, settlement processes, and liquidity management
• Develop quantum simulation frameworks for modeling complex economic behaviors and market dynamics
• Establish and oversee Visa research fellowships with leading academic institutions
• Represent Visa in international research consortia shaping the future of these technologies
• Define appropriate areas for open-source contributions and academic publication to advance the broader field
• Collaborate with national laboratories and government initiatives on fundamental quantum and AI research
• Create structured programs for knowledge exchange between Visa researchers and academic partners
• Develop frameworks for identifying research breakthroughs with near-term commercial potential
• Lead the creation of proof-of-concept implementations that demonstrate research principles in practical applications
• Maintain a systematic approach to identifying emerging technologies that could impact Visa’s ecosystem
• Establish robust ethical guidelines for research initiatives, particularly around AI fairness, transparency, and user privacy

Preferred Qualifications

• 15 or more years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD, PhD)
• Familiarity with payment systems, financial technology, and commerce platforms (preferred)