Executive Talent Acquisition Lead - Europe (Director)

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.

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Visa’s Global Executive Talent Acquisition team is seeking a Director, Executive Talent Acquisition – Europe to lead senior executive hiring (VP, SVP and equivalent leadership levels) across the Europe region. As a member of the Global Executive Talent Acquisition leadership team, this position holds end-to-end responsibility for the Executive TA function in Europe, partnering closely with business leaders, People Team leaders and Global TA stakeholders to attract and hire transformative executive talent. The Director will also lead and develop a high-performing regional executive TA team ensuring delivery of a best-in-class executive hiring experience aligned with Visa’s global standards and regional market dynamics. This role plays a critical part in shaping Visa’s leadership pipeline and supporting long-term growth across Europe’s diverse markets.

Essential Functions

Executive Talent Acquisition Leadership (Europe)

• Owns and leads Executive Talent Acquisition strategy and delivery for Europe, ensuring alignment with Visa’s global Executive TA framework while adapting approaches to local and regional market needs.
• Acts as a trusted strategic adviser to senior executives in Europe, providing market intelligence, talent insights and guidance on executive hiring decisions.
• Builds strong partnerships with People Team partners and leadership teams to anticipate future leadership capability needs.
• Partners with Global TA Leadership to evaluate and adopt emerging AI capabilities that improve executive hiring efficiency, decision making and candidate experience across the region.

Global Executive TA Partnership

• Contributes to the Global Executive Talent Acquisition strategy, collaborating with Executive TA leaders across Research, Coordination, AP, CEMEA, LAC and North America to drive consistency, innovation and best-practice sharing.
• Partners with Global Exec TA laders to design and execute global TA initiatives and operational enhancements that improve scalability, governance and executive hiring outcomes across regions.
• Ensures regional compliance with global processes and executive hiring standards.

Team Leadership & Development

• Leads, mentors and develops a team of executive recruiters, researchers and coordinators, fostering a high-performance, inclusive and collaborative culture.
• Sets clear performance expectations, coaches on executive search excellence, drives accountability and supports career development across the team.
• Oversees workload prioritisation and resource planning to ensure seamless execution of multiple, high-impact executive searches.
• Coaches and upskills the Executive TA team on the effective and responsible use of AI and automation, embedding data-driven decision making into executive search delivery.

Executive Search Delivery & Stakeholder Management

• Manages a complex portfolio of senior-level executive searches across Europe, balancing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Develops and deploys client-specific executive recruiting strategies, including proactive market mapping and talent pipelining.
• Partners with internal teams including Workforce Planning, ETA Research, Coordination, Preboarding, Total Rewards and Talent Management to deliver a seamless end-to-end hiring experience.

Insights, Analytics & Market Intelligence

• Leverages advanced data analytics and reporting (ATS, Excel, Talent Insights tools) to assess performance, identify trends and inform decision-making.
• Provides regular insights to Global TA Leadership and business leaders on talent availability, competitor activity and hiring risks.
• Stays current on EU labour markets, regulatory considerations, industry news and executive compensation trends.

Employer Brand & Candidate Experience

• Champions Visa’s employer brand in the European executive talent market, ensuring an exceptional, high-touch candidate experience.
• Represents Visa with professionalism, discretion and credibility when engaging senior external talent.
• Supports branding, process improvement and candidate engagement initiatives as part of broader TA projects.

Basic Qualifications
• Strong people leadership experience, including managing senior recruiters and search professionals in a hybrid work environment.
• Experience with an Applicant Tracking System (SmartRecruiters/Workday) is a plus.
• Highly advanced reporting and data analytics experience to identify hiring challenges and gaps.
• Ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels, influencing senior stakeholders while driving execution excellence.
• Results-oriented, self-motivated, organised and resourceful.
• Detail-oriented with a proven track record of juggling multiple tasks and meeting various deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Highly proficient computer skills in Microsoft Windows, Outlook, PowerPoint and SharePoint.

Preferred Qualifications
• Extensive experience leading Executive Talent Acquisition or executive search in complex, multinational environments.
• Proven track record delivering senior executive hires across Europe, ideally within financial services, payments, technology or global matrixed organisations.
• Deep understanding of European talent markets, cultural nuances and cross-border hiring considerations.
• Passion for inclusive hiring, data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.

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.