About Us
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
The successful candidate will serve as a senior leader and thought partner with a proven record of developing and managing global intelligence and protective intelligence programs. This role is responsible for advancing enterprise capabilities in threat identification, geopolitical analysis, investigations, and executive risk management, while leading the continued evolution of a mature and high performing intelligence function. The Director will define and drive the strategic vision for the Protective Intelligence program, including oversight of threat assessment processes, intake mechanisms, and standard operating procedures, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and risk tolerance.
This is a highly visible and high impact role requiring strong collaboration and communication with senior leadership and stakeholders across the enterprise. The Director will lead a small team responsible for identifying and assessing threats, delivering timely and actionable intelligence, and developing analytical products that support decision making. The role provides anticipatory warning and clear, risk based recommendations, and is accountable for establishing escalation thresholds and advising leadership on critical risk decisions during incidents and emerging threat situations.
The Director also will serve as Deputy Director for the Global Security Operations Center and Intelligence function, providing leadership support during major incidents, crises, and high tempo operational periods. In these situations, the role is expected to expand beyond protective intelligence scope as needed, ensuring coordinated response, prioritization of risks, and alignment of intelligence and operational efforts across the organization. The Director will also provide regular direction and guidance to the GSOC during major events, high profile executive travel, and other elevated risk situations.
This role includes direct management of a Protective Intelligence Analyst and broader responsibility for mentoring and developing analysts and operators across the intelligence and GSOC teams. The Director is expected to elevate analytic tradecraft, provide structured feedback and training, and help build a strong and sustainable pipeline of talent across the function.
The Director will lead and mature the Protective Intelligence program by enhancing capabilities related to executive threats, digital exposure and vulnerability management, global events and sponsorships, brand and reputational risk, talent acquisition related threats, and high risk travel support. The role is responsible for leading active threat monitoring across multiple sources, including internal reporting channels and external platforms, and ensuring consistent triage, assessment, and response. This includes coordinating training and awareness efforts with business partners such as recruiting, communications, and other frontline teams to strengthen early identification and escalation of potential threats.
The Director will drive strong collaboration across cross functional partners including cyber, insider threat, crisis management, recruiting, marketing, sponsorship, and executive support functions to ensure coordinated risk mitigation and effective information sharing. The role will also be responsible for developing and continuously refining the technical and analytical roadmap for the program, ensuring the effective use of tools, data, and systems to enhance both analytic output and operational efficiency.
In addition, the Director will have ownership of key program resources, including vendor strategy and management. This includes oversight of third party intelligence and monitoring providers, ensuring alignment with business needs, defining technical requirements, overseeing implementation and integration, managing associated budgets, and ensuring appropriate training and adoption across the team. The role also includes accountability for maintaining and improving core program infrastructure such as threat databases, intake and reporting tools, and executive data protection solutions.
The Director will establish and track key performance indicators to measure program effectiveness, demonstrate value to the business, and drive continuous improvement. The role requires incorporation of stakeholder feedback to expand engagement and ensure services remain aligned with evolving business needs.
The Director will build and sustain strong relationships with industry partners, government entities, and law enforcement organizations to support information sharing and benchmarking. The role includes active participation in relevant industry groups to ensure alignment with leading practices. The position also requires support of crisis response and recovery efforts, contribution to the continued formalization of operational processes, and willingness to operate in an on call capacity to support global incidents. Limited domestic and international travel is expected.
Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications:
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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:
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12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 8-10 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 6+ years of work experience with a PhD
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Candidates must have at least four years of work experience with a Bachelor’s degree or at least two years of work experience with an advanced degree. A minimum of two years of experience managing and leading teams, whether contracted or full time, is required.
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Candidates must demonstrate strong communication skills, including the ability to write and present clearly, concisely, and with impact.
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Candidates should have experience supporting or partnering with executive protection programs, including threat informed risk assessments and coordination with executive protection teams.
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Candidates should demonstrate familiarity with digital threat monitoring, including social media analysis and behavioral threat indicators, and POI investigations. A working understanding of legal and compliance considerations in threat management, including privacy, duty to warn, and escalation thresholds, is required.
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Candidates typically have between seven and ten years of work experience with a Bachelor’s degree, six years with an advanced degree, or three years with a PhD. Candidates are preferred to possess direct intelligence and threat analysis experience in a private sector environment.
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Relevant cybersecurity certifications such as Certified in Cybersecurity, Security Plus, CISSP, or CISM are preferred. Experience working in 24 hour operations or call center environments is desirable.
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A foundational understanding of data analytics, data engineering, or data science is preferred.
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Experience managing travel security cases, POI investigations, and major event security within a vendor, private sector, or government environment is highly valued.
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Candidates should have experience building and scaling protective intelligence programs, including developing and implementing threat and risk methodologies and services.
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Experience establishing program governance, defining metrics, and measuring program impact is preferred. Extensive experience briefing executives and senior leadership on threats, risk assessments, and security recommendations is expected.
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Familiarity with platforms used in global operations centers, such as Ontic, 360Privacy, Dataminr, or Crisis24, is beneficial. Formal threat assessment training through organizations such as ATAP or similar is preferred.
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Candidates should demonstrate experience with analytical tools and structured analytic processes, as well as experience in crisis management, response, or preparedness.
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Established relationships with government, law enforcement, and global intelligence, threat analysis, or protective services organizations are advantageous.
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Experience managing third party vendors and external intelligence or travel risk providers is preferred.
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Proficiency with core technical tools including Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, Visio, and SharePoint is expected.
U.S. Applicants Only
The estimated salary range for this position is $153,600.00 to $ 245,900.00 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.
Work Hours
Varies upon the needs of the department.
Travel Requirements
This position requires travel 5-10% 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 protect veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.
