Vice President, Acceptance Sales New Business

Visa•Ashburn, VA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a transformational leader to architect and execute our partner strategy for Visa’s Value-Added Services (VAS) across the North America market - a critical growth engine for the company. This is a rare opportunity to shape how Visa extends its market reach through a sophisticated ecosystem of influential partners. You'll operate at the intersection of business development, commercial strategy, and solutions innovation. Your expertise in building influence-based partnerships, navigating complex ecosystems, and motivating partners without direct transactional levers will be your currency in boardroom conversations with C-suite executives at the world's most sophisticated technology companies and consultancies. Your mandate will be to impact revenue growth across our Value-Added Services portfolios, spanning our Acceptance, Issuing, and Risk & Identity solution sets. And working with a diverse set of influential partners—including leading ISVs, Systems Integrators, consultants, and technology platforms. We’re looking for a seasoned payments expert and innovative leader who thrives on creating value in new ways. You’re a go-to authority on partnership strategy who can think creatively about commercial models, build deep executive relationships, and deliver tangible business results with vision and agility.

Requirements

12 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.

Nice To Haves

15 or more years of experience in business development, strategic alliances, or channel partnerships, with at least 8 or more years in a leadership capacity within the fintech/payments industry
Proven track record of building and executing a partner strategy from the ground up, including defining the vision, structuring programs, and measuring impact.
Deep experience and relationships within a diverse partner ecosystem, including ISVs, SIs, top-tier consulting firms, and large technology platforms.
Exceptional executive presence and communication skills, comfortable and credible in C-suite discussions.
Demonstrated ability to bring an innovative and creative commercial mindset to structuring complex, non-standard partnership agreements.
Comfortable operating in matrixed environments and skilled at building alignment across cross-functional teams
Willingness to travel up to 40%.

Responsibilities

Define and Execute the Partner Strategy
Own the overarching vision and strategy for the Partner Business Development function, establishing it as a predictable source of lead generation and growth for Value-Added Services.
Lead the Growth & Development motion: Identify, source, and structure new strategic partnerships with key players, including ISVs, SIs/Consultants, and leading technology platforms.
Bring an innovative commercial mindset to construct and negotiate complex, non-standard agreements focused on influence, business referral, and co-marketing where there is no direct buy/sell motion.
Serve as the executive face of Visa to our most strategic partners, bringing the gravitas and credibility to build deep, influential relationships at the highest levels.
Drive Partner Activation and Performance
Lead the Partner Success motion: Drive the activation, training, co-marketing, and ongoing engagement of signed partners to generate measurable lead flow and revenue.
Design and implement repeatable playbooks and processes for partner activation, ensuring we can efficiently scale our impact without scaling headcount linearly.
Establish the key performance indicators (OKRs), cadences, and accountability mechanisms to measure and manage partner performance across the ecosystem.
Explore innovative models to accelerate activation, such as offering 'sales-as-a-service' or other value exchanges.
Lead with Influence and Expertise
Build, lead and mentor a team of partner-facing professionals
Partner cross-functionally with Product, Sales, Client Services and Marketing leaders, acting as the central point of orchestration to ensure the partner strategy is aligned with Visa’s product roadmap and sales objectives.
Serve as an internal and external authority on the partner ecosystem, translating industry trends and insights into actionable strategies for Visa.