Chief Systems Architect

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.

As the Chief Systems Architect focused on the cloud, you are not just an architect.  You are a trailblazer and a cloud enthusiast who pushes boundaries and drives cloud transformation across our Risk & Identity platforms.  You will work in tandem with other innovative minds, providing technical leadership and guidance to cross-functional teams.  Your mission? To design and deliver complex, cloud-centric products that redefine the fintech space.

Your understanding of business capabilities, strategic drivers, and, specifically, the deep understanding of intrinsic cloud capabilities will be pivotal in steering the technical teams.  You will sculpt the target state solution and any interim state architectures, setting the stage for our cloud journey.

You are aware of the service inter-dependencies within the hybrid cloud environment and thrive in this complexity.  You will craft flexible and extensible architectures that drive security, scalability, reliability, and performance to new heights in the cloud.

You are not only a contributor, but a catalyst in the ongoing evolution of our enterprise architecture. You will enable agility and help us hit our revenue targets in the cloud.

Responsibilities

• Architect the Future: Design complex, large-scale hybrid cloud architectures that set new industry standards.
• Lead Innovation: Spearhead Proof of Concept (POC) solutions to validate cutting-edge cloud technologies.
• Optimize Performance: Ensure cloud applications deliver low-latency, high availability, and unmatched reliability.
• Set Standards: Establish robust principles, patterns, and technology frameworks for hybrid cloud environments, ensuring compliance with PCI-DSS and GDPR.
• Drive Alignment: Lead the architecture community to align cloud platform principles and standards with innovative solutions.
• Boost Execution: Develop best practices to enhance execution velocity, leveraging existing Visa shared assets.
• Efficient Deployment: Define cloud deployment topologies in collaboration with technology peers.
• Resource Optimization: Optimize the use of cloud resources for efficient compute and storage.
• Mentor and Guide: Inspire and guide development teams, facilitate technical decisions, and influence technology selection.
• Thought Leadership: Share your cloud expertise through impactful presentations and sessions across Risk & Identity Solutions and VAS PD.
• Lead Key Initiatives: Drive pivotal VAS PD and RaIS cloud technology projects, setting new benchmarks in the industry.

As our Chief System Architect, you will not just be part of the team, but you will be in the driver seat, steering us towards the future of cloud computing.  Are you ready to embark on this journey with us?

This is a hybrid position. Hybrid employees can alternate time between both remote and office. Employees in hybrid roles are expected to work from the office 2-3 set days a week (determined by leadership/site), with a general guidepost of being in the office 50% or more of the time based on business needs.

Basic Qualifications
• 12+ years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 9 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 6 years of work experience with a PhD, OR 15+ years of relevant work experience.

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
• Java Expertise: Strong programming skills with the Java stack.
• API and Design Mastery: Deep understanding of API design, system, and component design.
• Microservices and DevOps Proficiency: Expertise in microservices, service mesh, containers, DevOps, and CI/CD.
• Cloud Savvy: Extensive experience with cloud technologies (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), cloud migration, and management practices. Multi-cloud experience in a hybrid environment is a major advantage.
• Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal. Comfortable facilitating multi-team activities.
• Leadership Prowess: Strong leadership skills, confident in presenting complex ideas concisely to diverse groups, and adept at influencing and building relationships with key partners.
• Enterprise Delivery: Proven track record in delivering enterprise-class, mission-critical, commercial, and scalable products, with at least 5 years as an architect or lead developer.
• Security Knowledge: Proficient in web and backend security, particularly B2B security including authentication, authorization, and encryption.
• Network Architecture: Experience with enterprise network architecture and routing patterns in a hybrid cloud environment.
• Web Services Proficiency: Skilled in web services standards and related technologies (HTTP(s), REST, JSON).
• NoSQL and Middleware: Experience with NoSQL databases like Redis and Cassandra, and messaging middleware such as Kafka and ZMQ.
• Big Data Acumen: Familiarity with Big Data and related architectural patterns like Data Mesh or Data Lakehouse is a plus.

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 a new hire into this position is 184,100.00 to 267,050.00 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.