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Head of Government Engagement – East Africa
Job Description
The position will be responsible for managing all of Visa’s interaction with key government officials, policy makers, public influencers and regulators in East Africa, that include these key markets Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Mauritius, Seychelles, Rwanda, Burundi and Madagascar.
- Visa is well positioned to leverage potential partnerships with national government agencies particularly in the areas of financial inclusion, economic digitization, the delivery of social services, government disbursements and collections, and other potential government programs that may benefit from the application of digital payments
- The expansion of the industry in general, and Visa in particular, is not hindered by intrusive political or regulatory intervention
- Visa’s profile and reputation are optimized through the delivery of coordinated communications and education targeted at key central bank officials, regulators, government officials, and other policy makers
- Visa’s outreach and messaging is consistent with similar efforts in other key markets around the world
Key responsibilities for the position
- Develop and implement an effective Government Engagement strategy for the area of responsibility
- Lead the development and building of stakeholder relationships with Governments, businesses and non-governmental organizations at all levels
- Ensure that Government Engagement plans are aligned with Visa’s strategic business objectives
- Establish and maintain effective long term relations with Governments and other external stakeholders at the appropriate levels
- Monitor the regulatory and policy management environment in East Africa in order to make timely interventions to protect Visa’s commercial interests
- Identify opportunities and support business development programs and initiatives
- Manage day to day Government Engagement operations and represent Visa at relevant forums in various markets
- Ensure optimization of meeting targets and Government Engagement objectives by introducing best practices
- Build and maintain internal relationships and enhance an understanding of the function within the company
Job Scope
- Reports to the Head of Government Engagement for Sub Saharan Africa in Johannesburg
- Works very closely with country, CEMEA hub level, and global colleagues including country management, Corporate Communications, Legal, Marketing, Strategy, Risk Management, Social Impact and Products departments
- Liaises closely with Government Engagement colleagues around the world to develop and refine best practices
- Works with cross divisional business teams as subject matter expert on policy and regulatory issues and government relations
- This is a hybrid position. Hybrid employees can alternate time between both remote and office. Employees in hybrid roles are expected to work from the office 2-3 set days a week (determined by leadership/site), with a general guidepost of being in the office 50% or more of the time based on business needs.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree
- Minimum 8-10 years of experience
- General understanding of the digital payments industry and its economic and social impact
- Proven track record and experience in all aspects of developing and implementing stakeholder relations strategies
- In-depth knowledge of the local business and political environments in the East African markets.
- Political and business acumen
- Ability to think creatively and innovatively
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Budgeting and financial management
- Ability to work under pressure
- A motivated, self starter who is able to work independently, within a team, and without daily supervision
- A team player, able to work across various Visa functions
- Computer literacy
Sr. Bus Development Leader – Kenya
Job Purpose:
- The Senior Business Development Leader, Kenya is responsible for managing a dynamic portfolio of assigned clients (Financial Institutions & Fintechs) with the objective of increasing Visa’s strategic value in the region, growing client and Visa revenue, and strengthening executive relationships through innovative growth opportunities. This person will set the strategic direction of business objectives while driving critical projects & implementations of new products and services across the named area of responsibility. Success will be measured against designated growth targets (e.g. revenues from core, commercial and money movement, and value added services lines of business) and development of new business opportunities. The ideal candidate will actively collaborate with myriad internal partners to monitor business results, anticipate challenges, and take proactive measures to accomplish the above stated objectives. Finally, this role reports into Visa’s East Africa General Manager, and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Principal Accountabilities:
Strategic Planning
- Monitor & analyze industry trends (e.g. market, country, regional, global, competitors) and consumer/commercial behavior across banking, financial services, and technology sectors to predict business impact to Visa and develop comprehensive plans in assigned markets.
- Develop ambitious & holistic strategic plans for assigned Clients based on market information, Client objectives & capabilities, Visa priorities, and competitor activities while simultaneously supporting Visa’s East Africa strategy.
- Oversee the development of operational plans for each assigned Client, including: objectives, corresponding tactics and actions, and desired key results.
- Drive Visa’s Innovation agenda via thought leadership on emerging capabilities including mobile, Visa Direct, and paywave to name a few.
- Meticulously lead core Profit / Loss (P/L) activities in markets of responsibility with discipline, rigor, and little supervision (e.g. marketing plans, product launches).
Business Development and Relationship Management
- Establish trust, cultivate deep relationships between Visa and assigned Clients (e.g. financial institutions, merchants, fintechs), and ensure a customer centric mentality so we may:
- Understand clients’ business priorities, processes, and strategies
- Anticipate end users’ needs as we design and build the future of payments
- Offer Visa solutions and strategies that drive impact for customers and growth for our clients
- Enthusiastically serve as a passionate consultant between Visa & assigned clients in the areas of (but not limited to): solutions, implementation, operations, marketing, finance, government engagement, compliance, and risk – ensuring responsiveness & high quality support.
- Achieve & exceed assigned revenue targets while driving acceleration and expansion of Visa’s business across client portfolios in the East Africa Region.
- Identify & lead new business development opportunities that drive mutual growth for clients and Visa.
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General
- Responsible for leading & monitoring Visa projects/operations across the assigned territories within East Africa and playing a key support role in other territories where assigned clients operate.
- Manage budgets & achieve profitability and earnings targets across assigned territories and portfolios.
- Effectively communicate across Hub (East Africa), Sub-Regional (Sub-Saharan Africa), and Regional (CEMEA) functional departments to ensure alignment of strategic objectives, business plans, escalations, and best practices.
- Have a natural bias for enabling team success, building comradery and a shared purpose of positively impacting client’s business performance.
- Actively contribute to the professional development of the larger East Africa team through mentorship & coaching.
- Lead & support ad hoc projects / strategic initiatives as directed by East Africa Cluster Lead.
Security
- As with all positions within Visa CEMEA the applicant is responsible for the security of the Visa CEMEA environment and the physical security of all Visa property, documentation and Client information.
Health and Safety
- Give full support to the Company’s health and safety policy and ensure that the policy is effectively implemented and all relevant health and safety legislation is complied with within their area of responsibility and within budgeted resources.
- This is a hybrid position. Hybrid employees can alternate time between both remote and office. Employees in hybrid roles are expected to work from the office 2-3 set days a week (determined by leadership/site), with a general guidepost of being in the office 50% or more of the time based on business needs.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
- 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
Preferred Qualifications
- 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
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification
- Extensive business experience in the payments and digital commerce industry, with an applied working understanding of how banking, payment networks, mobile networks, fintechs, and other constituents come together to deliver differentiated services to clients.
- Working knowledge of payment products, banking industry, and payments industry trends.
- Strong commercial acumen & experience managing P / L across multiple markets.
- Strong sales leadership experience in leading cross-functional teams and track record of excellence in execution and commitments with results in a fast-paced, deadline-driven, globally matrixed environment.
- Results driven individual with exceptional understanding of risk management, compliance, legal, marketing, and other core business functions that may influence Client needs & decisions.
- Fiercely collaborative and able to effectively partner with executives at Visa and from Visa’s clients to leverage the company’s products and services that in turn, enhances Visa’s client relationships.
- Superior ability to influence people and work across boundaries to execute highly complex programs with multiple interests involved (e.g. closing complex, competitive projects with clients and sales processes).
- Proficient in navigating cultural, political, governmental, and regulatory environments across multiple countries/markets.
- Exceptional ability to manage & grow varied internal, external, and cross functional relationships at all levels of Visa and Client organizations.
- Proven ability to creatively & collaboratively drive innovation and lead change in successful top tier companies.
- Entrepreneurial and comfortable with ambiguity – eager to seek a challenge and willing to chart new territories and disciplines.
- Excellent communication skill (e.g. written, verbal, presentation).
- Fluent in English and Kiswahili with the ability to thrive in varying geographical markets.
Method of Application
Use the link(s) below to apply on company website.