Controllership, Geo Lead – South and Southern Africa

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

Purpose:

The Senior Analyst / Manager, Controllership Operations supports the Head of Controllership for SEA and WCA and plays a pivotal role in driving operational governance, financial integrity, and process excellence across the region.

This senior role requires a strategic, innovative thinker who is energetic, driven, and highly analytical, with a strong ability to:

• Modernize processes
• Leverage ai and automation
• Redesign systems and workflows
• Enhance operational efficiency
• Strengthen governance and compliance

The role acts as a trusted business partner, supporting client and cardholder projects, coordinating financial and operational activities, and ensuring all processes comply with Visa policies and procedures. This position also engages directly with country teams and leadership across South and Southern Africa to support strategic initiatives and operational execution.

Principal Responsibilities / Key Result Areas:

Governance, Controls & Compliance:

• Serve as a subject‑matter expert on policies, controls, and governance requirements.
• Oversee monitoring and governance routines such as Control Committee Meetings and pre‑closure review processes.
• Conduct in‑depth reviews of high‑risk and high‑value projects to identify gaps and prevent recurring issues.
• Support remediation of control deficiencies, audit findings, and compliance issues.
• Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Controllership, and Sourcing on internal control adherence and deviation management.

Operational Leadership & Business Partnership:

• Act as a strategic partner to country teams, providing insights, guidance, and solutions to support business execution.
• Manage and enhance the operations pipeline tracker, workload distribution, and performance monitoring.
• Support cross‑functional initiatives including marketing campaigns, client projects, procurement workflows, and VIK processes.
• Provide operational and project support for corporate events, campaigns, and business initiatives.
• Deliver expert advice and training to business teams on policies, tools, templates, and compliance requirements.

Innovation, Systems, AI & Process Reengineering:

• Lead or support process re‑engineering initiatives aimed at simplification, standardization, and improved control.
• Identify and design automation opportunities and AI‑enabled solutions to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.
• Participate in and influence system enhancements, ensuring strong business input and effective change management.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and digital transformation across South and Southern Africa controllership operations.

People Development & Team Support:

• Support the onboarding of new team members and provide mentorship and guidance to junior colleagues.
• Ensure training materials and SOPs remain relevant, updated, and aligned to regional needs.
• Share best practices and operational insights with the broader South and Southern Africa and Hub teams.

Strategic Nature, Management Accountability & Scope:

• Contribute directly to the execution of annual controllership and operational strategy for SSA.
• Provide senior‑level support to the Senior Director of Operations Support, including leadership of key initiatives.
• Support strategic decision‑making through analysis, risk identification, and business insights.
• Influence operational improvements across multiple markets with varying regulatory and business environments.

Decision Making & Complexity:

• Operate with a high level of autonomy and judgement in addressing issues and recommending solutions.
• Manage complex interactions with Sales, Marketing, Products, Acceptance, Sourcing, Legal, Compliance, and Controllers.
• Prioritize and balance multiple high‑impact tasks in a fast‑paced environment.
• Assess risks and propose improvements that enhance control, efficiency, and business outcomes.

Reporting Relationships & Interactions:

• Reports to: SSA Senior Director, Operations Support
• Interacts with: Country Managers, Finance Leaders, Controllership, Compliance, Legal, Sourcing, and regional/global support teams
• Required to engage confidently across all levels, including senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher (preferably in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field).
• Greater than 10 years’ experience in accounting, compliance, internal controls, audit, or operations (multinational experience preferred).
• Experience supporting senior leadership in high volume, fast paced environments.
• Demonstrated experience in governance, operational risk, or financial controls.

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.