Director, Specialized Sales, Issuing Solutions & Pismo at Visa

Position Summary

• We are seeking an experienced and strategic Director, Specialized Sales, Issuing Solutions & Pismo to lead the growth, commercialization, and market adoption of Visa's Issuing Solutions portfolio and Pismo platform across the Southern & Eastern Africa (SEA).
• Based in Johannesburg, this leadership role is responsible for driving regional sales strategy, pipeline development, and revenue growth by partnering with issuers, banks, digital banks, fintechs, and other financial institutions across SEA. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in issuer processing, digital banking, payments, and financial technology, combined with a proven track record of leading complex enterprise sales engagements and influencing executive stakeholders.
• As part of the broader Specialized Sales organization, the Director will work closely with market leadership, product teams, account executives, and Pismo specialists to accelerate issuer modernization, digital transformation, and long-term client value creation across the region.

Key Responsibilities:

Regional Strategy and Commercial Leadership:

• Develop and execute regional growth strategies for Visa Issuing Solutions and Pismo, aligned with business priorities and revenue objectives.
• Drive pipeline creation, bookings, and revenue growth across SEA markets and priority client segments.
• Identify emerging opportunities and market trends to accelerate adoption of issuer processing, digital banking, and modernization solutions.
• Serve as the regional subject matter expert for Issuing Solutions and Pismo, influencing strategic priorities and go-to-market approaches.
• Partner with Cluster Managing Directors, Country Managers, and Sales Leaders to develop market-specific growth plans and commercialization strategies.

Executive Client Engagement:

• Establish and maintain senior executive relationships with key decision-makers, including CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, Heads of Payments, Heads of Cards, and Digital Banking leaders.
• Lead complex, high-value sales engagements and negotiations with strategic clients.
• Position Visa and Pismo as trusted partners in clients' modernization, transformation, and growth agendas.
• Deliver compelling business cases that articulate business outcomes, operational efficiencies, technology modernization benefits, and commercial value.

Issuing Solutions & Pismo Commercialization:

• Lead commercialization efforts for Visa Issuing Solutions, issuer processing capabilities, and Pismo's cloud-native banking and processing platform.
• Drive client adoption of next-generation issuer processing, card issuing, digital banking, and core modernization capabilities.
• Partner with product and solution teams to develop tailored client value propositions and solution strategies.
• Support strategic accounts throughout the sales lifecycle, from opportunity identification through contract execution and commercialization.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of modernization opportunities across traditional banks, digital banks, fintechs, and emerging financial institutions.

Market Expertise and Thought Leadership:

• Maintain deep expertise in issuer processing, card issuing, digital banking, payment technologies, cloud-native platforms, real-time payments, open banking, fintech innovation, and regulatory developments across the SEA region.
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients and internal stakeholders on industry trends, competitive dynamics, and transformation opportunities.
• Represent Visa and Pismo in industry forums, client events, and strategic market discussions.
• Provide market intelligence and client insights to influence product strategy and investment priorities.

Cross-Functional Leadership:

• Collaborate with Sales, Product, Technology, Finance, Client Services, Marketing, Strategy, and Pismo teams to drive integrated client solutions.
• Influence product roadmaps and market strategies through client feedback and competitive intelligence.
• Support development of sales enablement materials, commercialization plans, thought leadership content, and marketing initiatives.
• Promote best practices and share expertise across the regional and global specialized sales organizations.

Sales Excellence and Governance:

• Ensure accurate forecasting, pipeline management, and opportunity reporting through Microsoft Dynamics and established sales management processes.
• Provide regular business updates, market insights, and growth recommendations to regional and global leadership.
• Drive sales discipline, operational excellence, and compliance with Visa governance standards.

Essential Functions:

• Own and deliver Issuing Solutions and Pismo revenue, bookings, and pipeline objectives across Southern & Eastern Africa.
• Lead acquisition of new clients and expansion of existing strategic relationships.
• Identify and quantify market opportunities and develop commercialization plans to capture growth.
• Translate complex client challenges into scalable Visa and Pismo solutions.
• Structure and negotiate strategic enterprise agreements with financial institutions, fintechs, processors, and ecosystem partners.
• Drive executive alignment across client and Visa stakeholders to achieve successful commercial outcomes.
• Champion Visa's value-based sales methodology and client success framework.
• Contribute to broader regional growth strategies and long-term business planning.
• 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 experience in payments, financial services, banking technology, fintech, issuer processing, or enterprise technology sales.
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven track record of achieving significant revenue growth through strategic enterprise sales and client relationship management.
• Experience engaging and influencing senior executives and C-level decision-makers.
• Experience managing complex sales opportunities across multiple markets within Africa.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Extensive experience selling payment solutions, issuer processing platforms, banking technology, core banking solutions, SaaS platforms, or digital transformation services.
• Strong knowledge of issuer processing, card issuing, digital banking, cloud-native technology, and financial services infrastructure.
• Deep understanding of the Southern & Eastern Africa payments and banking ecosystem.
• Demonstrated success leading large, complex, multi-stakeholder sales engagements and commercial negotiations.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to build and articulate executive-level business cases.
• Excellent leadership, communication, presentation, and relationship management skills.
• Ability to influence across highly matrixed organizations and drive alignment among diverse stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Experience managing regional portfolios and contributing to market growth strategies.
• Ability to travel across the SEA region and engage effectively with diverse client and stakeholder groups.

Preferred Expertise:

• Issuer Processing
• Pismo Platform Solutions
• Core Banking Modernization
• Card Issuing
• Digital Banking
• Payments Technology
• Fintech Partnerships
• Banking SaaS Platforms
• Real-Time Payments
• Open Banking
• Specialized Sales
• Value-Added Services Commercialization