Job Description

The Vice President, Head of Federal Government Engagement (GE) will report to the Senior Vice President, U.S. Government Engagement (USGE) and will work closely with corporate headquarters and various global functional managers to advance Visa’s policy agenda in Washington, DC.  

This individual will be responsible overseeing legislative advocacy efforts at the federal level and collaborating with the U.S. government engagement team to raise Visa’s profile in Washington, DC. In particular, the position will have the following responsibilities:

Lead Visa’s federal GE team to elevate the company’s position as a thought leader and to shape positive policy outcomes in Washington, DC
Manage the budget for Visa’s federal government engagement activities, including reviewing and formulating financial forecasts and budgets
Manage and coordinate Visa’s trade association memberships and other stakeholder engagement
Develop and formulate strategies to build third-party allies in support of Visa’s policy agenda
Manage and direct Visa’s use of outside lobbying consultants who represent the company in Washington, DC
Partner with USGE Strategic Initiatives and Operations Team on:

Development and publication of periodic reports to management and internal stakeholders.
Implementing legislative tracking and reporting on priority issues and committee hearings.
Strategic initiative planning and delivery.

Strategic relationship development and management of key contacts on Capitol Hill and the Administration
Represent Visa at political events and external forums to advance the company’s policy agenda
Develop multi-faceted and multi-level strategies to address complex issues and ensure Visa is proactively shaping the policy environment on payments, and,
Provide leadership to the federal GE team through active coaching and mentoring that exemplifies Visa’s Leadership Principles.

This leader will manage internal and external resources to enhance Visa’s profile, to achieve favorable legislative and regulatory outcomes and to support profitable growth across the U.S. They will liaise closely with colleagues in the Washington, DC office, and around the world to refine and leverage best practices. The successful candidate will be a strong people leader and serve as a mentor to Government Engagement staff, including staff in other regions/locations.

The position will be responsible for monitoring and tracking proposed legislation to determine possible effect relative to Visa’s priorities, planning and coordinating meetings between Visa executives and elected officials to discuss legislative issues, and preparing briefing documents and collateral materials to support Visa’s public policy engagement.

In addition, the Head of Federal GE will be a member of the Visa Political Action Committee (Visa PAC) Management team and will have responsibility for areas of Visa’s political operations in the Washington, DC office including:

Manage and oversee the Visa Political Action Committee, including:

The PAC’s fundraising activities and driving growth in overall employee participation.
Serving as a liaison to the Visa PAC Board of Directors.
Developing and managing PAC candidate disbursement plans.

Partner with USGE Strategic Initiatives and Operations team on the following:

Ensuring compliance with all Federal Election and Lobby Disclosure Act (LDA) laws, filing of appropriate reports including quarterly LD-2 filings, semi-annual LD203 filings, and FEC reports.

Promote political engagement among Visa’s employee base in the U.S.
Plan and execute events within Visa including Congressional visits to hub offices, fundraisers, executive visits, and PAC-only events and briefings. 

The successful candidate will be a results-driven self-starter with entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, enthusiasm, and strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to be successful in a work environment that is team-oriented and client-focused.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• 12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree, or 10 years of experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters/ MBA/JD/MD), or 8 years of work experience with a PhD

Preferred Qualifications:

• 15+ years of substantive experience in government relations, legislative affairs and advocacy
• Graduate School/MBA preferred
• Experience in developing and coaching in a management capacity
• Substantive financial services or technology background, knowledge of electronic payments industry is strongly encouraged
• Strong integrity, personal character and commitment to ethical conduct.
• Proven experience developing and maintaining strategic relationships with legislative and executive branch officials
• Working knowledge and experience with Capitol Hill protocols and processes is essential
• Ability to collaborate seamlessly with colleagues to advance Visa’s strategic policy agenda
• Skilled at drafting briefing documents, correspondence, presentations, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports and other written communications as assigned by the Government Engagement management team
o Candidate must possess superior oral and written communication skills and in depth understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes and experience in analyzing complex legislation, regulation, and business planning documents.
o Proven record of leadership in and successful management of cross-functional teams
• Must be goal driven, and able to function independently from remote locations
• Proven experience planning, organizational and written and verbal communication skills
• Exercise good judgment in setting priorities and interacting with internal and external contacts
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and SharePoint and demonstrated strength in developing complex PowerPoint presentations

Additional Information

Visa has adopted a COVID-19 vaccination policy to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and visitors. As a condition of employment, all employees based in the U.S. are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a reasonable accommodation is approved or as otherwise required by law.

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.