Lead Technical Program Manager

Visa is a world leader in payments and technology, with over 259 billion payments transactions flowing safely between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities in more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive while driven by a common purpose - to uplift everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

Make an impact with a purpose-driven industry leader. Join us today and experience Life at Visa.

Visa Direct is Visa's real-time payment platform that enables secure, instant, and global money movement across cards, accounts, and wallets. It supports a wide range of use cases including P2P transfers, B2C disbursements, cross-border remittances, and B2B transactions. Visa Direct is a strategic growth engine within Visa's Commercial & Money Movement Solutions (CMS) division.

As a Lead Technical Program Manager in the Visa Direct PMO, you will lead the execution of Visa Direct initiatives by managing cross-functional teams, driving complex integrations, and delivering scalable solutions that enhance speed, reliability, and user experience. You'll collaborate with product, engineering, and external partners to expand capabilities and advance Visa's mission to become the one-stop-shop for global money movement. You must possess a strong background in software development processes along with proven leadership, facilitation, and collaboration skills. This role is responsible for the end-to-end execution of assigned projects and scrum teams, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery from concept through implementation. The ideal candidate is adaptable and thrives in both Agile and traditional environments, with a growth mindset and a process-driven approach. Success in this role requires the ability to navigate ambiguity, embrace change, and continuously learn emerging technologies-including Gen AI and Agentic AI.

Essential Functions:

• Lead end-to-end execution of complex initiatives from concept through delivery, ensuring timely, high-quality outcomes.
• Develop and manage integrated plans and schedules to track progress and dependencies across internal and external teams.
• Drive program execution across geographically distributed teams using Agile, Scrum, and Lean methodologies.
• Partner with Product and Technology leads to drive Quarterly Execution Planning (QEP), leveraging Jira Align as the single source of truth.
• Facilitate prioritization of initiatives and epics aligned to organizational objectives (OKRs) and workforce capacity.
• Manage team rosters and resource data within Jira, Jira Align, and Polaris.
• Ensure effective participation across programs in QEP activities, collaborating with Operations, Cybersecurity, and other Visa Technology verticals.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks, issues, and dependencies while maintaining transparency with stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with Visa's Agile Management Methodology (AM2), Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC), and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) processes.
• Support internal and external audits to ensure continuous audit readiness and process compliance.
• Provide clear, inclusive, and timely communication across all stakeholders to support decision-making and change adoption.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by promoting modern Agile, Lean, and design-thinking practices.
• Coach and mentor other program managers, fostering a culture of learning, inclusion, and collaboration.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required.

Who You Are

• A collaborative leader who values diverse perspectives and builds trust across teams.
• A strategic thinker who can connect business goals with technical execution.
• A problem-solver who thrives in dynamic, fast-paced environments.
• A lifelong learner who embraces change and emerging technologies.

This is a hybrid position. Expectations of days in office will be confirmed by your hiring manager.

Basic Qualifications:

• 10 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor's Degree or at least 8 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters/ MBA/JD/MD) or at least 3 years of work experience with a PhD

Preferred Qualifications

• 12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor's degree, or 8-10 years of experience with an advanced degree (e.g., Master's, MBA, JD, MD), or 6+ years of work experience with a PhD.
• Proven experience leading large, complex programs with diverse cross-functional teams (25+ team members, $5M+ budgets).
• Hands-on experience in a product development environment leveraging Agile practices and tools.
• Expert knowledge of project management principles and Agile development methodologies.
• Ability to function effectively in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across departments and levels of management. Must be able to dive deep into technical details with project teams while also communicating the broader business context.
• Strong executive presence with experience advising and interfacing with business leadership on technology-related issues. Excellent executive-level verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience with project management and reporting tools such as Clarity, Rally, Tableau, Power BI, Excel, and JIRA.
• Experience with productivity and collaboration tools, including SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Wiki pages, and Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) certification - SAFe Agilist or SAFe Program Consultant preferred.
• Program Management Professional (PgMP) and/or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Experience with JIRA Align, Tableau, and Power BI.
• Payment domain or FinTech experience is a strong plus.

Work Hours: Varies upon the needs of the department.

Travel Requirements: This position requires travel5-10% 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.

U.S. APPLICANTS ONLY: The estimated salary range for a new hire into this position is 192,300.00 to 278,800.00 USD per year, which may include potential sales incentive payments (if applicable). Salary may vary depending on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this position may be eligible for bonus and equity. 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.