Senior Director - Regional Head of Social Impact and Sustainability CEMEA

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Visa seeks a seasoned Regional Head of Social Impact and Sustainability for CEMEA to lead the SIS team, drive OKRs aligned with Visa 2030, and expand entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and digital commerce, with a focus on women led SMBs. The role demands 15+ years across public, private, and civil sectors, outstanding leadership, and a proven track record building scalable public-private partnerships in emerging markets, plus experience in government affairs, communications, and economic development. Success depends on strong relationships, measurable social and business outcomes, and translating global strategy into regional action. When applying, tailor your resume with quantified impact and compelling regional wins for a hybrid Dubai role.

Company Description

Visa is a world leader in payments and technology, with over 259 billion payments transactions flowing safely between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities in more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive while driven by a common purpose – to uplift everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

Make an impact with a purpose-driven industry leader. Join us today and experience Life at Visa.

Job Description

Visa understands that operating a successful company includes driving business growth, delivering strong shareholder returns and expanding digital commerce in support of local economies.

The Social Impact & Sustainability (SIS) team executes on this belief every day, connecting our shared communities within and outside of Visa. We strive to place Visa at the forefront to power the future of commerce for everyone through inclusive financial products, innovative and impactful solutions, and responsible corporate leadership.
Our team works to leverage Visa’s assets, business model and global scale to drive business growth and economic growth, with a focus on communities where we do business. We aim to achieve this by building purpose-driven partnerships and delivering programs that have societal and business benefit, with a particular emphasis on supporting the financial success of small and micro businesses (SMBs).

What a Regional Head of Social Impact and Sustainability does at Visa:

Lead Visa’s Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) Social Impact & Sustainability team to drive Objectives and deliver Key Results (OKRs) aligned with market priorities and the Visa 2030 business strategy, including:

• Expanding entrepreneurship and empowering small businesses, especially women-led businesses, with digital tools, knowledge, access, and security

• Providing financial education as a foundation for economic inclusion and development

• Enhancing the security of digital commerce for all

• Demonstrating Visa’s long-term commitment to supporting the communities where we work and whom we serve

Partner closely with Visa Foundation, global colleagues, and CEMEA Government Affairs & Communications teams to develop and oversee implementation of:

• An overarching narrative illustrating Visa’s purpose and contributions impact initiatives in markets across the region, and the embedding of social impact and sustainability into key client relationships and government engagements to drive impact and advance commercial outcomes

• Build deep and lasting relationships with external stakeholders to drive long-term value and enhance the company’s reputation with decision makers across the region

• Coordinate Visa’s humanitarian relief and sustainability efforts in conjunction with relevant functional and business leaders

• Oversee measurement & reporting of social and business outcomes in line with OKRs

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

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications
12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 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

Preferred Qualifications
15 or more years of experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 12 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, or MD), PhD with 9+ years of experience

What you will need:

• Minimum bachelor’s degree
• Minimum 13-15 years’ experience across some combination of public, private, and civil sectors. Experience in working in the technology and/or financial services sectors preferred, as well as government, politics, communications, and/or economic development is a plus.
• Outstanding people leadership and management experience building and growing teams, recruiting, developing, and advancing talent in line with organizational evolution and changing business needs.
• Proven track record of creating, implementing, and scaling public-private partnerships in emerging markets with clear positive outcomes for the local community as well as the company’s reputation and business strategy.
• Extensive experience developing and deploying comprehensive public affairs campaigns centered around the company’s contributions to the local community and economic development.
• Demonstrated success in building long-term partnerships with leading organizations in the public and civil sectors.
• Previous experience navigating complex corporate environments and translating global strategies into regional and country approaches.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English

What will also help:

• Ability to influence both global and regional/country stakeholders to develop regional/market SIS strategies, roadmaps and initiatives that encompass all priorities (social impact and business)
• Strong understanding of financial inclusion, SMB needs, and sustainability
• Understanding of the intersection between social impact, sustainability, government/regulatory affairs and communications
• Global mindset but knowledgeable of different cultural ecosystem landscapes and ability to connect to Visa business goals
• Passion for and ability to create impact

Additional Information

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.