Lead Systems Architect

At Visa, we are reimagining the future of global commerce.

The Payment Products Development (PPD) Architecture & Consulting team partners with Product, Engineering, and Business leaders to define technology strategy, architect next-generation payment solutions, modernize platforms, and accelerate innovation across Visa's global payment ecosystem.

As a Lead Systems Architect, you will help define the future of how the world moves money.

You will work at the intersection of business strategy, emerging technology, AI innovation, and global-scale engineering, influencing some of Visa's most important technology investments.

Your work will help shape products and platforms that process billions of transactions, enable new payment experiences, and power commerce across the globe.

In this role, you will:

• Define architecture strategies, target-state architectures, and technology roadmaps for Visa's strategic payment products and platforms.
• Lead the design of open, scalable, API-first platforms leveraging cloud-native architectures, event-driven systems, reusable services, and modern integration patterns.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Operations, and Business leaders to transform bold ideas into scalable, secure, resilient, and high-performing solutions.
• Lead architecture consulting engagements, providing strategic guidance, impact assessments, architecture reviews, and technology recommendations for critical initiatives.
• Drive modernization initiatives that evolve legacy platforms into interoperable, cloud-enabled, developer-friendly ecosystems.
• Architect and enable AI-native platforms and intelligent solutions utilizing GenAI, agentic workflows, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), orchestration frameworks, and emerging AI capabilities.
• Leverage AI and automation to improve engineering productivity, operational efficiency, architecture analysis, and customer experiences.
• Establish architecture standards, reusable patterns, governance frameworks, and engineering best practices that improve quality, consistency, and speed of delivery.
• Define and execute proof-of-concept initiatives supporting strategic business objectives, platform modernization, and digital transformation programs.
• Identify opportunities where emerging technologies can improve scalability, resiliency, security, operational efficiency, or customer experience.
• Establish success criteria, measurable outcomes, and architectural evaluation frameworks for all POCs.
• Lead end-to-end POC activities including requirements gathering, solution design, implementation, testing, and executive presentation.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, develop proofs of concept, and influence Visa's long-term technology direction.
• Mentor engineers and architects while fostering innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence.

Projects You Will Be Part Of:

• Next-generation payment products and platform modernization initiatives.
• Open systems transformation programs focused on API enablement, interoperability, ecosystem integration, and platform simplification.
• AI-native and GenAI-enabled solutions that transform how technology teams design, build, test, deploy, and operate software.
• Cloud, data, API, and platform transformation programs.
• Strategic architecture roadmaps supporting Visa's global payment ecosystem.
• Cross-functional consulting engagements driving innovation, simplification, and business agility.
• Emerging technology initiatives exploring the future of payments, digital commerce, intelligent systems, and financial services.

Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor's Degree or at least 7 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g., Master's, MBA, JD, MD) or 4 years of work experience with a PhD, OR 13+ years of relevant work experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field, OR an equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience.
• Deep experience designing and evolving large-scale distributed systems, platforms, and enterprise applications in high-availability environments.
• Strong experience architecting open, API-first, cloud-native systems using industry standards, microservices, event-driven architectures, modern integration patterns, and reusable platform services.
• Experience in payments, fintech, financial services, commerce, or other highly scaled transaction-processing environments.
• Experience driving modernization from legacy or tightly coupled systems to scalable, interoperable, and loosely coupled architectures.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, or enabling AI and GenAI-powered solutions, including intelligent workflows, agentic systems, AI-assisted engineering capabilities, RAG frameworks, or AI-native platform features.
• Ability to translate business opportunities into practical, scalable technology solutions that deliver measurable customer and business value.
• Experience defining target-state architectures, technology roadmaps, architecture principles, and engineering standards.
• Experience influencing technical decisions and collaborating across Product, Engineering, Operations, and executive stakeholders.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills.
• Passion for innovation, continuous learning, and shaping the future of technology and payments.

Information for US Applicants For roles located in the US, the estimated salary range for this position is $193,800.00 to $ 310,100.00 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.