Director, Merchant Partnerships

About the role

Visa is seeking a Director to lead its Merchant Partnerships team in Dubai. The role focuses on deepening strategic relationships with merchants, expanding portfolios, and driving sustainable revenue growth across consumer payments, commercial money movement, and value‑added services.

Key responsibilities

• Own executive‑level relationships with assigned merchants, acting as a trusted advisor to senior client leaders.
• Develop and execute strategic account plans that accelerate growth across multiple payment and service lines.
• Lead complex commercial engagements, negotiate enterprise‑wide deals, and coordinate cross‑functional teams including Sales, Product, Risk, Finance, Marketing, Legal, and Client Services.
• Conduct financial and business analysis of strategic opportunities to increase revenue for both Visa and its partners.
• Identify emerging market, regulatory, and technology trends and translate them into actionable growth opportunities.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, economics, finance or related field and an MBA from a top business school.
• 10+ years of experience in consumer banking or credit‑card businesses, with proven success managing strategic client relationships and delivering revenue growth.
• Strong understanding of co‑brand business development, program management, and portfolio P&L analytics across multiple industries.
• Demonstrated ability to originate, structure, negotiate, and execute large‑scale strategic and commercial agreements.
• Exceptional executive presence, communication, and stakeholder‑management skills, with experience leading cross‑functional initiatives in a global matrixed organization.