Head of Generative AI Research

Visa•Foster City, CA

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

Visa is a world leader in payments technology, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories, dedicated to uplifting everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid. At Visa, you'll have the opportunity to create impact at scale — tackling meaningful challenges, growing your skills and seeing your contributions impact lives around the world. Join Visa and do work that matters — to you, to your community, and to the world. Progress starts with you. Job Description Visa Research is seeking an exceptional Head of Generative AI Research to lead our strategic research initiatives in generative artificial intelligence. This senior leadership role will drive groundbreaking research across GenAI models, agents, reality applications, and privacy-preserving technologies. You will build and lead a world-class team of researchers, establish Visa as a thought leader in GenAI for commerce and payments, and translate cutting-edge research into transformative products and services. As Head of Generative AI Research, you will shape Visa's GenAI research agenda, collaborate with top academic institutions, publish in premier AI conferences, and work closely with product and engineering teams to deploy GenAI innovations at scale across Visa's global network.

Requirements

12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 10 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters/MBA /JD/MD), or a minimum of 5 years of work experience with a PhD
10+ years of experience in AI/ML research, with 5+ years in a research leadership role managing researchers and research budgets/resources.
Programming proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX), along with a strong mathematical foundation (statistics, optimization, probability).
Experience with distributed training, GPU optimization, and large-scale ML infrastructure, including proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and MLOps practices.
Proven track record of impactful research demonstrated by publications in top-tier venues, patents or intellectual property in AI/ML technologies, and contributions to open-source AI projects or frameworks.

Nice To Haves

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
Experience in financial services, payments, or e-commerce domains, with knowledge of areas like fraud detection, risk modeling, or recommendation systems.
Experience collaborating with academic institutions and industry research labs, active external engagement, such as speaking engagements at major AI conferences or editorial board membership/conference organizing experience.
Experience with responsible AI, fairness, and AI ethics.

Responsibilities

Define and execute Visa's generative AI research strategy across model development, agent systems, reality applications, and privacy technologies
Lead research initiatives in large language models (LLMs), multimodal models, diffusion models, and foundation model development
Drive innovation in GenAI agents for autonomous decision-making, planning, and reasoning in commerce applications
Pioneer research in GenAI reality applications including virtual shopping experiences, digital twins, and immersive commerce
Advance privacy-preserving GenAI techniques including federated learning, differential privacy, and secure multi-party computation
Build, mentor, and lead a world-class team of GenAI researchers and scientists
Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and academic excellence
Develop talent through mentorship, training, and career development opportunities
Collaborate with recruiting to attract top-tier research talent from academia and industry
Conduct original research in generative AI with applications to payments, commerce, risk management, and customer experience
Develop novel GenAI architectures, training methodologies, and evaluation frameworks
Create innovative agent systems for intelligent automation, recommendation, and personalization
Design privacy-preserving GenAI solutions that protect sensitive financial data while enabling powerful AI capabilities
Explore GenAI applications in fraud detection, risk modeling, customer service, and merchant solutions
Establish and maintain partnerships with leading universities and research institutions
Publish research findings in top-tier AI/ML publications
Present at academic conferences, industry forums, and technical symposia
Serve on program committees and editorial boards for premier AI venues
Contribute to the broader AI research community through open-source projects and collaborations
Translate research breakthroughs into practical solutions for Visa's products and services
Collaborate with product management, engineering, and business teams to identify high-impact research opportunities
Prototype and pilot GenAI solutions for real-world deployment
Provide technical leadership and guidance on GenAI adoption across Visa
Measure and communicate research impact through metrics, demos, and business outcomes
Establish Visa as a leader in responsible and innovative GenAI research
Represent Visa Research at industry conferences, media engagements, and public forums
Contribute to AI policy discussions, standards development, and ethical AI frameworks
Publish technical blogs, whitepapers, and research reports
Build Visa's reputation as a destination for world-class GenAI research talent