Director, Government Affairs

The Director, Government Affairs (GA) is a full‑time role based in Paris; leading France, Belgium and Luxembourg (FBL cluster) for Europe Government Affairs. The Director will report to the Senior Director, Europe Government Affairs and lead one direct report. The position requires travel across the cluster and occasionally across the region.

Headline Objectives of the Role

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, documented FBL GA strategy that complements the wider European strategy and aligns with the FBL regional strategy.
• Execute localized and impactful strategic engagement, building long‑term trusted relationships with governments, regulators, industry bodies, clients, and other GA stakeholders in FBL, to manage geopolitical risks and regulatory challenges.
• Safeguard Visa’s right‑to‑play in FBL and shape the policy environment to support business growth in line with the 2030 strategy.
• Act as a strategic advisor to internal audiences, leadership and clients, articulating risks and opportunities to support decision making.
• Empower and develop staff, supporting a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and integrity that encourages talent development, upskilling and curiosity.

What we expect of you, day to day

• Maintain and grow Visa Europe positioning and systematic engagement in the cluster, positioning cluster and regional leadership to sustain and build trusted dialogue with key GA stakeholders.
• Secure and execute Visa presence at relevant, priority political, policy and industry/client events.
• Seek, create and execute thought‑leadership opportunities that demonstrate Visa’s value and role as a constructive partner and enabler of growth and innovation across Europe.
• Sustain and grow efforts to proactively shape the external policy environment, engaging with internal stakeholder teams to understand and manage interventions on core and growth topics.
• Add meaningful value to client relationships through systematic engagement with client directors and country managers, developing a deep understanding of client policy challenges.
• Support engagement on strategic growth priorities to enable Visa’s ability to serve clients in non‑card payments, CMS and VAS.
• Proactively scan and monitor changing geopolitical and policy environment to identify, assess and communicate risks and opportunities for Visa’s 2030 objectives, and support mitigation or realization strategies.
• Deliver periodic and targeted strategic internal reporting, providing intelligence on policy developments, geopolitics, and regulatory changes to enable informed decision‑making.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Provide clear leadership, guidance and support to your direct report, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing across FBL cluster and broader Europe GA team.
• Execute regular performance feedback and development planning, embedding Visa leadership principles into performance reviews.
• Work closely with the FBL regional leadership team to enable the broader FBL strategy and align GA activities with commercial and reputational ambitions.
• Work constructively across markets and functions in a matrix environment.
• Share expertise with GA counterparts in other clusters and regions, speaking up and making suggestions.
• Drive continuous enhancement of the function, toolkits and staff, optimizing achievement of targets.
• Communicate openly, timely and effectively with executives about regulatory, policy and engagement developments.
• Champion a GenAI‑first mindset encouraging experimentation and training across the Europe GA team.
• Promote diversity and inclusion in all engagements.

This is a hybrid position. Days in office will be confirmed by the Hiring Manager.

Qualifications

• Relevant corporate, regulatory, government agency or consulting experience in a comparable sector.
• Experience in government relations and public affairs.
• Established network of regulators, policymakers and stakeholders in the FBL cluster.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, including C‑suite level engagement.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking, initiative and proactive engagement, with a proven ability to provide strategic counsel to senior leadership.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment and adapt engagement approaches to evolving policy and business landscapes.
• Leadership and people‑management experience.
• Experience in crisis management and response.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in payments industry, including knowledge of electronic payments, banking, crypto, fintech.
• Experience in complex matrix organizations.
• Law, economics or political science or equivalent degree.

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.