VP, People Business Partner, Business Functions & Commercial, Europe

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.

Visa is seeking a Vice President, People Business Partner, Europe Business Functions and Commercial to partner with senior leadership to develop human capital strategies and drive the talent agenda. He/she will have a commercially focused mindset and help translate those issues to People capabilities. The individual will have global partnership responsibilities accounting for an employee population of approximately 1000 employees. 

This individual will also be a key member of the People team and work closely with their internal counterparts for successful planning and delivery of People programs and services to the business. He/she will operate as a trusted advisor and business partner to functional & sales executives and to other members of the company's senior management team, functioning as the expert on people and organizational issues. The successful candidate will be comfortable navigating challenging forces in the dynamic payments space and be comfortable in a fast-paced environment with significant change, employing only the necessary People processes that enable the organization to innovate and grow.

Scope of Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic business partner to senior leadership focused on a broad-based, impactful and transformational talent agenda designed to recruit, develop and retain the very best innovative talent in the business
• Direct the People organization within client groups & markets to develop and execute best practices to promote employee engagement and to enable a high-performing workforce to contribute to the company's strategic growth 
• Provide proactive and strategic guidance and support for organizational planning and development initiatives that align the People agenda in support of key business strategies and initiatives 
• Drive an effective client-service People team that instills company-wide trust and value for the People function and must be able to deliver and execute with operational excellence
• Ensure that strategic human capital goals and initiatives in client groups align as appropriate across the broader organization and human resource costs and services are aligned with organizational goals 
• Lead clients and people teams in an evolving organisation with solid direction on change management best practices, organizational design while upholding the purpose-led Visa culture
• Lead and support the growth of Visa’s revenue-generating business units and sales organisations with clear change management expertise, strategic leadership and proactive partnership with executive leadership

Personal Characteristics

• A hands-on approach to all activities with real passion and high levels of energy.  Agile and comfortable adapting to different environments.
• Courageous innovation: creative and resourceful in overcoming barriers and unexpected roadblocks. 
• An authentic leader who intuitively engenders an inclusive environment, enabling the business to reach its ambitious goals.
• Diversity of thought and experience: continually seeks new perspectives and feedback, takes an inclusive approach
• High personal standards of ethics and integrity towards employees, stakeholders, and customers.
• High levels of learning-agility with a real interest in developing relationships with progressive businesses, combining a ‘technology / digital-first’ approach.
• Entrepreneurial and comfortable with ambiguous and change-led environments, self-confident with an authentic style that gravitates to championing change.
• Eager to seek a challenge and expand frontiers, brings a visionary approach.  Sets and meets a high bar of goals and principles.
• Servant leadership mentality: deeply committed to serving and listening to others.  Natural ability to build strong relationships and enable collaboration through empathy and authenticity.

Basic Qualifications:
• 15+ 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

Preferred Qualifications:
• 15+ years of human resources leadership with exposure to an innovative business, one that continues to reinvent their business proposition. Industry is open with a preference for the consumer, financial services or technology industry. Multi-company experience and is strongly preferred
• 10+ years of successful business partnership at a divisional/executive level, with proven success in linking HR strategies to the business
• Marked experience working with complex and evolving sales organisations
• Experience in a growing global business and positive reputation for working effectively across levels of an organization

Critical Competencies for Success
• Relationship Building/Influencing: Demonstrate effective and appropriate influencing skills with senior management/partners, combining high-level human capital knowledge with deep organizational understanding. Build strong relationships with solid trust and mutual respect as the foundation. Leverage strong judgement skills to make decisions. Instinctively know when and how to introduce change, in such a way that it is broadly accepted and institutionalized.
• Intellectual Curiosity: Ability to combine analytical reasoning, creativity and judgement. Quickly study, able to handle complex matters, with multiple initiatives going on simultaneously. Able to deal effectively with strategic issues, as well as tactical operational details.
• Values and Leadership: Demonstrates alignment to Visa's Values (Integrity, Clients, People, Collaboration, innovation and Excellence) and has the capability to lead and motivate a team. Demonstrates commitment to growing and developing internal talent.
• Result Oriented: Resourceful, with strong service orientation and positive can-do attitude. Fully committed to the job and to deliver outstanding work. Never satisfied with status-quo, continually striving for excellence. Enjoys working hands-on.
• Change Agent: Comfortable designing for the future and providing effective change management, while managing day-to-day HR matters. Able to anticipate risks and propose practical plans to mitigate them. Appreciates HR's impact and how HR is an integral part of the company's business strategy.
• Low Ego: Puts needs of the business ahead of him/herself. Operates in a transparent fashion without a personal agenda. Possesses a well-developed sense of humor and listens first
• Influencing Skills: Able to challenge the status-quo sensitively and constructively. Intellectually agile, self-confident and highly articulate at all levels in the organization.
• Execution and Operational Effectiveness: Outcome orientated and able to act decisively and deliver

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.