Principal ML Scientist

About the role

Visa’s Value-Added Services Product Development (VAS PD) team drives revenue diversification with products that differentiate the Visa network and deliver valuable solutions across other networks. The Visa Engage, Resolve, & Assist (VERA) team within VAS focuses on innovative, AI-driven solutions for issuers, merchants, and fintechs. The Chief Software Engineer – GenAI Platform in the VERA Product Development team will lead the technology strategy, solution, and execution of initiatives that support Visa’s GenAI platform and overall AI posture. This role supports and empowers AI efforts across VERA and Visa, with a focus on inference systems.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the overall technical strategy and architecture, ensuring alignment with business goals while accelerating innovation and time to market.
• Architect, design, and code highly scalable, reliable, and secure distributed systems and platforms.
• Lead the adoption of Generative AI and Agentic AI to boost developer productivity and empower underlying technologies to build innovative business solutions and products.
• Establish and promote best practices for software development, including CI/CD automation and DevOps, to improve efficiency and quality across the SSDLC.
• Actively contribute to critical projects by developing key modules, core frameworks, automation tools, and proof-of-concepts to validate emerging ideas and technologies.
• Provide technology leadership, especially in GenAI, and motivate high-performing engineering teams, setting clear priorities to achieve product and technology KPIs.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with security, privacy, governance, and business partners to deliver compliant, scalable, and reliable solutions that meet all non-functional requirements.
• Communicate technical strategy and engineering solutions effectively to diverse stakeholders, including executives and business units.
• Mentor and coach senior engineers and engineering managers, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning through brown bags, tech talks, and one-on-one sessions.
• Implement rigorous application development, testing, deployment, and monitoring practices to uphold architectural excellence and reliability standards.
• Adhere to Visa’s Leadership Principles by promoting collaboration, acting as owner, and executing with excellence.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• 12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 10 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g., Masters/MBA/JD/MD), or a minimum of 5 years of work experience with a PhD.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 15 or more years of experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 12 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g., Masters, MBA, JD, or MD), PhD with 9+ years of experience.
• Technical Expertise: 15+ years in software engineering with a strong background in architecting large-scale, distributed systems. Proficiency in languages like Java, Python, or GoLang, and frameworks such as Spring, Node.js, React. Experience with RESTful and gRPC APIs, microservices, and event-driven systems. Strong skills in inference systems.
• Generative AI & Agentic AI: Proven experience leveraging Generative AI and Agentic AI to support productivity improvements and product innovation. Familiarity with integrating AI solutions into existing platforms.
• Security Expertise: Strong understanding of API security, data encryption, and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs). Experience in building secure applications and implementing security-first practices.
• Database Skills: Proficiency in SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g., MSSQL, MongoDB). Experience with distributed caching technologies like Redis.
• Cloud & DevOps: Hands-on experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP. Strong understanding of DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker), and orchestration tools (Kubernetes).
• SSDLC Automation: Demonstrated ability to automate SSDLC phases to improve efficiency and quality. Experience with automated testing frameworks, code quality tools, and delivery pipelines.
• Architectural Leadership: Deep understanding of architectural patterns and best practices. Ability to balance short-term and long-term technological decisions aligned with business goals. Experience in designing and maintaining highly available (99.999%), reliable, active-active critical systems.
• Hands-On Attitude: Willingness to contribute directly to codebases and develop to validate new ideas and integrate beneficial emerging technologies.
• Leadership & Communication: Proven ability to lead and mentor engineering teams, fostering a collaborative environment. Excellent communication skills to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.

Additional Qualifications:

• Familiarity with compliance and regulatory requirements in the payments industry is a plus.
• Passion for staying current with industry trends and emerging technologies.

U.S. Applicants Only

Pay

The estimated salary range for this position is $217,900.00 to $349,000.00 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.

Benefits

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
• Wellness Program

Schedule

• This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office will be confirmed by your hiring manager.
• Work hours vary upon the needs of the department.
• Travel requirements: 5-10% of the time.