Director, Machine Learning

Visa • Bellevue, WA

3h • Hybrid

About The Position

The payments industry is undergoing rapid transformation, with constant innovation and a growing demand for secure, intelligent, and scalable solutions. As a global leader, Visa is at the forefront of this evolution—aggressively investing in cutting-edge technologies to expand our capabilities and redefine what’s possible in the payments space. If you're passionate about innovation, eager to make an impact, and thrive in a fast-paced environment, the Ecosystem & Operational Risk (EOR) Technology group within Visa’s Value-Added Services (VAS) business is the place to be. Our Payment Fraud Disruption team plays a critical role in developing advanced risk detection and fraud prevention solutions that protect Visa and our clients globally. From concept to production, we build secure, scalable, and high-performance applications that safeguard billions of transactions. We are currently seeking a Director, Machine Learning to lead several strategic initiatives and shape the future of fraud prevention at Visa. This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager. Visa is not offering relocation assistance for this role.

Requirements

• 10+ years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor’s degree, OR
• 13+ years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree
• Proven leadership in delivering real-world AI/ML products at scale, especially in high-stakes or regulated environments
• Deep expertise in ML/DL model development, feature engineering, A/B testing, model deployment, and lifecycle management
• Strong foundation in algorithms, data structures, and problem-solving
• Experience building mission-critical systems that are secure, reliable, and performant
• Demonstrated success in driving Agile delivery, improving engineering metrics, and fostering collaboration across global teams
• Proven ability to hire, develop, and retain top technical talent
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills—able to influence across product, engineering, and executive leadership
• Strategic mindset with passion for innovation and staying ahead of technological trends in ML/AI

Nice To Haves

• 12+ years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree, OR
• 8–10 years with an Advanced Degree (e.g., MS, MBA), OR
• 6+ years with a PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, or a related field

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end development and deployment of machine learning and deep learning models—including data acquisition, feature engineering, experimentation, model refresh, and production monitoring.
• Drive the design and implementation of secure, reliable, and scalable ML systems for real-time fraud detection and risk mitigation.
• Partner with Product Management and Engineering teams to define AI/ML strategies, translate business problems into ML solutions, and align on priorities and roadmaps.
• Oversee model performance tracking and lead continuous improvement efforts through rigorous evaluation and iteration.
• Guide architecture and design decisions, incorporating the latest advancements and best practices in AI/ML and software engineering.
• Lead and manage cross-functional Agile teams, ensuring the delivery of impactful and high-quality features.
• Champion a culture of operational excellence by implementing tools, workflows, and best practices that drive productivity and reduce development cycle times.
• Establish and track engineering effectiveness, product quality, and delivery performance metrics—and guide the team to exceed them.
• Stay up to date with the latest developments in AI/ML and help shape the long-term technical strategy.
• Mentor and grow a geographically distributed team of machine learning engineers, data scientists, and software engineers.
• Play a key role in talent acquisition, coaching, and leadership development across the team.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees