Senior Director, Global Brand Head of Design

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.

We’re looking for a Visionary Global Head of Design to join our Global Brand Creative Studio and lead us in our continued mission to build the iconic brand of VISA.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic design leader with a proven track record of leading highly successful, award winning, global design teams - either within advertising agencies or at brand-side internal creative studios. A strong portfolio of work is a must.

This person must have a passion and a background in visual design systems that can work globally across every single touchpoint no matter how big or small. Their experience needs to show that they have done the job of spearheading and leading a global visual brand refresh as well as implementing this visual system across multiple touchpoints, languages and countries.

In addition to being a systems thinker, they must have a passion and a portfolio to prove how design can be used to influence culture and be a part of cultural conversation. Fresh unique, conceptual thinking in this space is a must. They must be strategic in their thinking and have an ability to articulate and execute global design strategy. They must be ahead of all trends including AI and ensure that the brands that they have touched are current, innovative and always looking forward.

A building mentality is a must - they must have the ability to build, hire and mentor a talented team that consistently produces innovative and cohesive creative design solutions across the full spectrum of the media mix. They need to be able to thrive in a global environment, and must be comfortable guiding internal design teams, agencies and production partners, but also willing to roll up their sleeves to do the work when necessary, as a designer themselves.

This person must have the experience in motion, social, content, and art direction. They should be comfortable leading a photoshoot, as much as guiding an animated short. They should have a deep knowledge of how best to implement design in the social space, in film, and in experiential.

Effortless collaboration is a must - as this role will work closely with regions across the world to ensure best in class creative is implemented. This candidate must have a genuine appetite for building: for building and motivating people, for building a culture that fosters creativity, for building teams, and for building new capabilities.

This role will be responsible to lead a team of designers and work closely with all agency partners.

This role will report into the VP Global Brand Creative.

What you’ll do:

Build a Center of Design Excellence

• Be a part of the Creative Studio leadership team who will support in strategically shaping and building upon the vision and operating model for the Global Creative Studio.
• Be a doer by leading by example rolling up your sleeves to do the work when necessary and inspiring others with clear guidance in the craft. You need to have the skillsets in multiple programs to design, concept and implement best in class creative work that pushes us forward.
• Being a thought leader on trends, products and applications to support our team to move forward.  
• Build and maintain key relationships with senior Marketing executives by demonstrating a deep understanding of the global design needs and a commitment to driving a cohesive brand across all touchpoints.
• Ensure the Global Creative Studio is delivering best-in-class capabilities and partnership across all regions instilling a culture of collaboration
• Consistently deliver crafted creative design solutions for the VISA brand ecosystem on a global scale.
• Consistently innovating and staying ahead of design tools, trends and capabilities to ensure VISA is always a future forward brand.
• Influence and inspire teams across the globe with beautifully crafted and strategic creative design
• Guide photoshoots for the brand - being on set and art directing - guiding teams of photographers to capture the assets and ensuring a very high level of craft in everything.

Build relationships

• Help lead, inspire and manage both internal and external agency partners in creative design, execution and production
• Ensure external agencies become an extension of the team – radical collaboration is a must with a deep trust, and mutual respect between all partners to get the work done.
• Provide thought partnership to business partners both regional and global and regularly make recommendations on directions to improve area under scope

Build upon a culture that fosters remarkable creativity

• Contribute to an environment that fosters remarkable creativity by providing inspiration, thought leadership, and mentorship for the creative studio.
• Maintain a culture where people love to work (and want to come and work), feel they can flourish, and are proud of what they contribute
• Support the development of remarkable ideas - across a variety of marketing touchpoints - that resonate with our audiences, earn an outsized share of cultural conversation, and create competitive advantage.
• Influence and achieve consensus on direction, priority, and decision making of area under scope
• Ensure quality output in all creative output.

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office will be confirmed by your hiring manager.

Basic Qualifications

• 12 years of work experience with a bachelor’s degree,10 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g., Masters/MBA/JD/MD), or a minimum of 5 years of work experience with a PhD Highly skilled at using all design programs necessary eg Photoshop, Figma, In-design, After Effects, etc

Preferred Qualifications

• 15-18 years of experience with a bachelor’s degree or 12 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g., Masters, MBA, JD, MD or PhD)
• Deep agency-side or client-side experience working with or at global brands
• Thought leader of highly successful creative, brand development, and multichannel marketing campaigns Experience leading campaigns that have driven outsized business results and won recognition in the industry.
• Experience working and living in multiple countries as well as managing teams across geographies to have an informed market-first view to global marketing.
• Excellent people leader with proven ability to manage teams, the work, and influence outcomes in highly matrixed organizations with multiple stakeholders.
• Role models and influences aspirational behaviors of leading courageously, obsessing about customers, collaborating as one Visa, and executing with excellence.
• Strong executive presence with highly effective written and verbal communication skills including the ability to present with impact.
• Strong planning, organizational and problem-solving skills. Resourcefulness with strong sense of accountability and results-oriented drive.
• Ability to initiate and drive opportunities independently across multiple complex projects that have strategic implications for the brand and company, while operating in an environment that changes quickly.

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 this position is 186,800 to 299,100 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.