Data Scientist - Senior Consultant level

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Business Partnership & Strategy

• Act as a trusted thought partner to senior business leaders, proactively identifying opportunities where data science can drive strategic outcomes in collaboration with teams across Product, Marketing, Operations and Finance.
• Translate complex business challenges into analytical frameworks and lead the development of data-driven solutions that influence product, marketing, operations, and finance decisions.
• Deliver compelling, actionable insights through storytelling, quantifying business impact and aligning recommendations with strategic priorities.
• Prioritize initiatives based on business value, feasibility, and stakeholder alignment, ensuring the team is focused on the highest-impact opportunities.

Hands-On Data Science & Innovation

• Lead end-to-end development of advanced analytics and machine learning solutions, from data exploration to model deployment.
• Leverage Visa’s large-scale datasets using tools such as Hive/R/SQL/Python/SAS to uncover insights and optimize business performance.
• Champion the use of AI-powered tools (e.g., coding assistants, AutoML, workflow automation) to enhance productivity and accelerate delivery.
• Develop intuitive visualizations and dashboards to communicate insights to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Implement MLOps best practices and collaborate with data engineering to ensure robust pipelines and data governance.

Team Leadership & Technical Oversight

• Mentor of junior data scientists, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Set technical direction, establish best practices, and ensure scientific rigor and scalability in all deliverables.
• Review peer work as needed, including code, models, and analytical outputs, to maintain high quality and business relevance.
• Encourage exploration of emerging techniques such as NLP, deep learning, and generative AI where applicable.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Communicate complex technical concepts in clear, actionable terms to executive and non-technical audiences.
• Drive adoption of data science solutions by demonstrating their value in solving real-world business problems.

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in the office will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager. 

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• 8 or more years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor Degree or at least 5 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 2 years of work experience with a PhD

Preferred Qualifications:

• 9 or more years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor Degree or 7 or more relevant years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 3 or more years of experience with a PhD
• Experience managing end-to-end data science projects and delivering measurable business impact.
• 9+ years of experience (or 7+ with Master’s, 3+ with PhD) in analytics or data science.
• Experience with AI/ML tools that enhance productivity (e.g., GitHub Copilot, AutoML platforms).
• Experience with cloud analytics environments and MLOps practices.
• Experience creating or deploying AI agents to support or automate data science workflows is a strong plus.
• Proven ability to connect technical solutions to business strategy and outcomes.
• Proficiency in SQL and programming languages such as Python or R.
• Experience with large datasets and big data tools (e.g., Hive, Spark).
• Strong foundation in statistical modeling and machine learning techniques.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with a proven ability to influence business decisions through data.
• Demonstrated leadership and project management experience.
• Domain knowledge in payments, banking, or financial services.

Additional Information

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 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 this position is 180,600.00 to 289,300.00 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.