Principal ML Scientist

Visa•Austin, TX

26d•$217,900 - $349,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Value-Added Services Product Development (VAS PD) team drives the diversification of our revenue with products that differentiate Visa network and deliver valuable solutions across other networks. The Visa Engage, Resolve, & Assist (VERA) team in VAS focuses on innovative, AI-driven solutions for issuers, merchants and fintechs. The Chief Software Engineer – GenAI Platform in the VERA Product Development team will be responsible for leading the technology strategy, solution, and execution of initiatives that support our GenAI platform and our overall AI posture. This role is responsible for supporting and empowering AI efforts across VERA and Visa overall, with a focus on inference systems.

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
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
15+ years in software engineering with a strong background in architecting large-scale, distributed systems.
Proficiency in languages like Java, Python, or GoLang, and frameworks such as Spring, Node.js, React.
Experience with RESTful and gRPC APIs, microservices, and event-driven systems.
Strong skills in inference systems.
Proven experience leveraging Generative AI and Agentic AI to support productivity improvements and product innovation.
Familiarity with integrating AI solutions into existing platforms.
Strong understanding of API security, data encryption, and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs).
Experience in building secure applications and implementing security-first practices.
Proficiency in SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g., MSSQL, MongoDB).
Experience with distributed caching technologies like Redis.
Hands-on experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP.
Strong understanding of DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker), and orchestration tools (Kubernetes).
Demonstrated ability to automate SSDLC phases to improve efficiency and quality.
Experience with automated testing frameworks, code quality tools, and delivery pipelines.
Deep understanding of architectural patterns and best practices.
Ability to balance short-term and long-term technological decisions aligned with business goals.
Experience in designing and maintaining highly available (99.999%), reliable, active active critical systems.
Willingness to contribute directly to codebases and develop to validate new ideas and integrate beneficial emerging technologies.
Proven ability to lead and mentor engineering teams, fostering a collaborative environment.
Excellent communication skills to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
Familiarity with compliance and regulatory requirements in the payments industry is a plus.
Passion for staying current with industry trends and emerging technologies.

Responsibilities

Define and drive the overall technical strategy and architecture, ensuring alignment with business goals while accelerating innovation and time to market.
Architect, design, and code highly scalable, reliable, and secure distributed systems and platforms.
Lead the adoption of Generative AI and Agentic AI to boost developer productivity, empower the underlying technologies to build innovative business solutions and products.
Establish and promote best practices for software development, including CI/CD automation and DevOps, to improve efficiency and quality across the SSDLC.
Actively contribute to critical projects by developing key modules, core frameworks, automation tools, and proof-of-concepts to validate emerging ideas and technologies.
Provide technology leadership, especially in GenAI, and motivate high-performing engineering teams, setting clear priorities to achieve product and technology KPIs.
Collaborate cross-functionally with security, privacy, governance, and business partners to deliver compliant, scalable, and reliable solutions that meet all non-functional requirements.
Communicate technical strategy and engineering solutions effectively to diverse stakeholders, including executives and business units.
Mentor and coach senior engineers and engineering managers, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning through brown bags, tech talks, and one-on-one sessions.
Implement rigorous application development, testing, deployment, and monitoring practices to uphold architectural excellence and reliability standards.
Adhere to Visa’s Leadership Principles by promoting collaboration, acting as owner, and executing with excellence.