Finance Director - Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Visa

Description

Company Description

Visa is a world leader in payments technology, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories, dedicated to uplifting everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

At Visa, you'll have the opportunity to create impact at scale — tackling meaningful challenges, growing your skills and seeing your contributions impact lives around the world. Join Visa and do work that matters — to you, to your community, and to the world.

Progress starts with you.

Job Description

The scope of the Finance Director covers Issuing Solutions BU and Regional Product & Solutions Function, leading end‑to‑end financial planning & analysis (reporting, forecasting, budgeting) and serves as a strategic finance business partner to its stakeholders.

Working in a matrixed organization, reporting directly to VP, Finance Value Added Services, you'll have the opportunity to work and partner with various functions across CEMEA and Global and work closely with both Value Added Services (VAS) and Regional Products & Solutions (RPS) leadership.

The role necessitates a highly analytical mind and a strong technical background of using business and finance tools as well as the ability to provide finance strategic guidance and leadership. It is expected to create and maintain a high standard of financial discipline, business decision support, and accountability within the region. 

The role will also design new processes and procedures and constantly enhance existing ones through innovation, simplification and adoption of AI tools.

Keys area of responsibility:

Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A):

• Lead annual budgeting, quarterly forecasts, long‑range/multi‑year plans, and monthly close performance reporting for Issuing Solutions and RPS (revenues, OPEX, FTE, KPIs).
• Own driver‑based forecasting and continuously improve forecast accuracy by embedding learnings, leveraging AANR/SNL data, and enhancing variance narratives.
• Produce executive‑ready insights and materials (MBR, QBR, etc) with clear risk/opportunity call‑outs, mitigation options, and decision recommendations.
• Manage the Opex Budget and Headcount of the function

Business Partnering:

• Act as trusted finance partner to Product & Solutions leadership—understanding strategies, priorities, and pain points; translating business dynamics into P&L impacts and ROI.
• Drive strategic initiatives (CVP optimization, etc), collaborating on pricing, unit‑economics, client profitability, and portfolio performance.
• Simplify complex issues and structure analysis to answer business questions and proactively communicate business implications from financial analysis at all levels.

Strategic Initiatives, Business Cases & Opportunity Assessment:

• Lead investment business cases, market entry/expansion evaluations, and opportunity assessments—defining assumptions, sensitivities, and measurable outcomes.
• Establish and maintain financials for strategic initiatives, KPI set, and financial tracking models; partner with product owners to align targets and commercialization plans.
• Coordinate with regional and global teams to ensure market‑specific nuances are accurately reflected.

Process Excellence & Governance:

• Challenge planning assumptions, streamline processes, and introduce automation/standardization to improve timeliness, accuracy, and productivity.
• Ensure adherence to finance policies/processes and alignment to corporate strategic priorities.
• Ensure data integrity and consistency of information as well as organized documentation of results and data sources used

Leadership Skills:

• Provide guidance to all business partners on matters of AOP, Budgets, tracking, reporting and analytics.
• Proactively engage team members in Finance to develop analytics and deliver information in a format that adds value to the business.
• Be a trusted and strategic advisor to Functional Heads and establishes and maintains relationships with a broad base of key stakeholders, and serves as a key point of contact for her/his areas of responsibility.
• Acquires and maintains an understanding of the strategies, priorities and issues of the teams supported.
• Proactively communicates business implications observed from analysis and contributes ideas and solutions to business challenges / problems.
• Proactively identifies and leads opportunities for process improvements and simplification.
• Leads ad-hoc analysis and contributes to functional projects as needed to support business needs.

Decision Making:

• Reviews business planning assumptions and challenges internal teams on their submitted numbers, to continuously improve forecast accuracy.
• Prioritizes tasks between Finance and Function with focus on business execution, while balancing the need to meet tight deadlines.
• Identifies and suggests process changes to improve forecasting techniques, own productivity, or quality of work output, and eliminate recurring issues.
• Exercises good judgment to escalate issues to CEMEA Sr. Director and Finance Leadership members, along with recommended solution to resolve.
• Liaises and responds to queries from key stakeholders, whether functional leads, finance, or other teams, and offers recommendations.
• Works independently, yet knows when to seek guidance/alignment on new or complex situations.

Reporting Relationships and Interactions:

• Role is based in the CEMEA Hub, Dubai office, reporting to Vice President Finance, VAS & RPS, based in the same office.
• Main stakeholders are Regional Product & Solutions team, VAS Issuing Solutions team, and Global and Regional FP&A teams.
• This individual is expected to interact effectively with various levels of Visa management and their regional staff.
• Strong interpersonal skills will be required to address on-going needs of a complex, matrix reporting structure.
• Multicultural sensitivity and interpersonal relationship management skills are essential, including ability to work effectively in a cross-functional team.

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office will be confirmed by your hiring manager.

Qualifications

Required Experience:

• Mastery in Finance, financial reporting & analysis, revenue, forecasting, financial modelling
• Electronic Payments industry experience: knowledge of Visa business and revenue streams is preferred
• At least 12 years of work experience
• Previous consultancy experience is highly appreciated
• Project Management skills
• Ability to influence peers and other teams to drive outcome
• Postgraduate degree from a top-tier school, preferably Finance and Accounting, MBA preferred
• User knowledge of TM1 and Hyperion desired
• Practical knowledge of US GAAP and IFRS
• Outstanding analytical and quantitative skills; can-do attitude to resolve tough business problems with well-structured analyses
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to clearly communicate results with senior level executives and able to influence decision making
• Able to work cross functionally, geographically and with virtual teams while promoting a culture of openness, trust and flexibility
• Must be proactive, high-energy, motivated team player capable of delivering on multiple initiatives on tight timelines
• Proactive and enjoy a fast-paced and dynamic environment
• Solve unique and complex business issues by always being on top and understanding the impact of changes in the political, macro economical, regulatory and competitive landscape.
• Ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity and ability to operate with limited guidance and work independently.
• Curious and can-do attitude.
• Ability to manage and prioritize workload.
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written.

Additional Information

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.