Vice President, Head of Sales Operations, North America Greater San Francisco, CA Area

About Us

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

Visa is seeking a strategic, commercially minded, and transformational leader to serve as Vice President, Head of Sales Operations, North America.

This role sits at the intersection of commercial strategy, operational excellence, sales transformation, data, technology, and AI. As the senior leader responsible for Sales Operations across North America (NA), the successful candidate will strengthen the operating capabilities that enable growth, improve seller productivity, accelerate market penetration, and enhance commercial execution.

The Vice President will serve as a key member of the regional leadership team and a trusted advisor to the NA President, Sales Leaders, Business Unit Leaders, and Global Sales Operations leadership.

The role is accountable for shaping and executing the commercial operations that support growth, productivity, and commercial excellence across Visa’s largest region. The successful candidate will develop scalable operating models, performance management frameworks, sales planning processes, technology strategies, analytics capabilities, and AI-enabled solutions that improve decision-making, simplify the seller experience, enhance client engagement, and maximize revenue opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Strategy, Sales Planning & Organizational Effectiveness

Lead the development and execution of NA’s sales operating model, ensuring alignment with Visa’s growth strategy and long-term business objectives.

Responsibilities

Partner with the NA President and NA Leadership Team to shape sales strategy and translate priorities into execution plans.

Design and evolve customer segmentation, account coverage, sales structure, and client prioritization frameworks.

Develop account planning methodologies that strengthen client engagement and pipeline development.

Lead annual and multi-year sales planning, including resource allocation, investment prioritization, and capacity planning.

Promote consistency and scalability across commercial operating models.

Commercial Performance Management

Drive a culture of accountability, performance excellence, and disciplined execution across the sales organization.

Responsibilities

Lead goal setting, target allocation, and sales performance management.

Partner with Global Sales Operations, Finance, and Human Resources on incentive compensation and performance frameworks.

Develop KPIs, scorecards, productivity metrics, and executive dashboards.

Provide insights that improve revenue growth, seller productivity, client expansion, and pipeline conversion.

Lead monthly, quarterly, and annual business reviews with senior executives.

Deliver forecasting insights and performance analyses to support decision-making.

Identify performance risks, resource gaps, and growth opportunities.

Strengthen operating rigor and governance across the sales organization.

Sales Process & Commercial Transformation

Own the design, governance, and optimization of sales processes that improve efficiency, scalability, and growth.

Responsibilities

Serve as executive sponsor and business owner for end-to-end sales processes, including lead generation, opportunity management, pipeline governance, sales forecasting, deal management, contractual fund drawdown, and contracting workflows.

Establish sales standards, methodologies, and governance frameworks.

Lead transformation initiatives that improve seller experience, customer experience, revenue conversion, and commercial effectiveness.

Simplify and automate workflows to increase selling capacity and reduce administrative burden.

Improve sales forecasting accuracy and pipeline discipline across the region.

Partner with Product, Finance, Legal, Technology, and Client Services to optimize lead-to-revenue processes.

Ensure successful implementation and adoption of new operating models, tools, and commercial processes.

Sales Enablement, Capability Building & Productivity

Build a world-class commercial organization equipped to deliver sustainable growth.

Responsibilities

Partner with Global Sales Enablement and the NA Leadership Team to develop NA-specific capability-building strategies.

Lead onboarding, training, and role-based development programs for sales professionals and leaders.

Drive adoption of sales methodologies, playbooks, and best practices.

Establish knowledge management frameworks and content governance standards.

Support go-to-market initiatives and regional sales plays.

Develop programs that improve commercial acumen, leadership capability, and sales effectiveness.

Sales Technology, Data, Analytics & Artificial Intelligence

Lead the modernization of the commercial technology ecosystem to support future-ready growth.

Responsibilities

Own the sales analytics and business intelligence agenda.

Deliver executive insights and reporting to support growth, productivity, and investment decisions.

Standardize metrics, reporting frameworks, and data governance processes.

Champion CRM optimization and adoption across the region.

Partner with global teams to define and execute the regional Sales Technology roadmap.

Lead implementation and adoption of commercial productivity tools.

Develop and execute a multi-year AI strategy that enhances decision-making, forecasting, pipeline management, and seller effectiveness.

Ensure data quality, governance, and foundational data readiness across the sales ecosystem.

Foster AI fluency and digital innovation across the organization.

Executive Leadership & Stakeholder Management

Serve as a strategic business leader and trusted advisor to senior executives across the region and globally.

Responsibilities

Advise the NA President and Leadership Team on growth strategy, commercial performance, resource allocation, and transformation priorities.

Represent NA in Global Sales Operations leadership forums.

Influence and align senior stakeholders within a matrixed global organization.

Translate global priorities into regional execution plans.

Shape investment decisions through data-driven recommendations.

Serve as the voice of commercial operations across the region.

Build, lead, and develop a high-performing, diverse Sales Operations organization.

Leadership Expectations

The successful candidate will:

Lead with a growth mindset and focus on business impact and revenue acceleration.

Act as a strategic partner to executive leadership on commercial and operational decisions.

Demonstrate strong executive presence and stakeholder management.

Drive innovation and simplification across people, processes, technology, and data.

Balance global consistency with regional market needs.

Foster accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

Champion digital transformation, AI adoption, and future-ready commercial capabilities.

Inspire, coach, and develop a high-performing team.

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

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

12 or more years of work experience with a bachelor’s Degree or at least 10 years of experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters/ MBA/JD/MD) or at least 8 years of work experience with a PhD.

Preferred Qualifications

15 or more years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD, PhD).

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, Data Analytics, or a related field.

15+ years of experience in Sales Operations, Revenue Operations, Commercial Operations, Strategy, Management Consulting, Financial Services, Payments, Technology, or related disciplines.

Demonstrated success leading regional or global sales operations organizations in complex, matrixed environments.

Deep expertise in sales planning, territory design, account coverage, quota management, performance management, pipeline governance, forecasting, and commercial transformation.

Proven track record driving large-scale operational improvement and business transformation.

Strong understanding of CRM platforms, sales technology ecosystems, analytics, automation, and AI applications.

Experience influencing senior executives and leading cross-functional change.

Strong strategic, analytical, communication, and leadership capabilities.

Experience leading diverse, geographically distributed teams.

Demonstrated success implementing AI-enabled business solutions and commercial transformation initiatives.

Experience in payments, fintech, financial services, technology, or related industries.

Global or multi-regional leadership experience.

Information for US Applicants

For roles located in the US, the estimated salary range for this position is $261,800.00 to $ 458,100.00 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.

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 protect veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the EEOC guidelines and applicable local law, including the requirements of Article 49 of the San Francisco Police Code.