Head of Government Affairs, Philippines

Company Description

Visa is a world leader in payments and technology, with over 259 billion payments transactions flowing safely between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities in more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive while driven by a common purpose – to uplift everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

Make an impact with a purpose-driven industry leader. Join us today and experience Life at Visa.

Job Description

Critical work streams will include:

• Prominently positioning the value of Visa with political, regulatory and policy decision-makers in Philippines
• Leading development and execution of engagement strategies related to key Corporate Affairs initiatives in Philippines, including coordinating closely with Head of Communications to provide advice on communications strategies and plans
• Leading strategic engagement with key enabling partners in market, e.g. Credit Card Association of the Philippines (CCAP), BancNet and others
• Proactively shaping the near-term regulatory landscape. Constructive input and engagement with government stakeholders on existing and new public and regulatory policies, with a view to ensure positive impact on Visa’s business, and the expansion of the electronic payments industry in general
• Proactively identifying partnership opportunities with the government and key stakeholders and ensuring Visa is well positioned to take advantage of these opportunities with national and regional government agencies in the delivery of Government payments, expansion of transit and tourism, furtherance of financial inclusion, adoption of e-commerce, small-medium enterprise digitalization, fintech enablement and other potential government programs that may benefit from the application of electronic payments
• Providing strategic inputs on Philippines’s Country strategy with the goal of ensuring Visa’s relevance in market.

In this role, you are expected to:

• Support development and implementation of a robust government affairs strategy for Philippines in close coordination with the Head of Government Affairs IPVMC and Country Manager for Philippines and other Visa business leaders to achieve agreed objectives.
• Monitor the regulatory and political landscape in Philippines, assess for threats and opportunities to Visa’s business, communicate this intelligence to relevant local, regional or global Visa colleagues and strategize advocacy and engagement approach. Be acutely aware of potential global implications of local issues and coordinate their management with global colleagues. 
• Manage Visa’s relationships with government officials, regulators, and policy makers across key government agencies in Philippines relevant to Visa’s business.
• Proactively manage relationship with the payments regulator for policy guidance and advocacy, notifications and approvals for Visa solutions and regulatory reporting.
• Regularly communicate directly with lawmakers, government officials, regulators, and policy makers that may impact Visa’s business to build awareness about the value of Visa, enhance Visa’s reputation and competitive position in Philippines.  
• Develop and deliver informative and engaging local communications about the value of Visa and the payments industry in general that is aligned with business priorities and global branding. 
• Coordinate and ensure local, regional and global business subject matter experts conduct regular face-to-face technical issue briefings with relevant regulators and government officials. 
• Proactively identify opportunities for constructive engagements with senior government officials for regional executive leadership, Group Country Manager, Country Manager, and senior colleagues with focus on supporting business priorities.
• Recommend, engage, and manage Visa’s relationships with necessary third-party intermediaries including government affairs advisors, industry associations, broad-based and business trade associations, diplomatic missions, and civil society organizations. 
• Establish and maintain appropriate contact with counterparts at other industry participants including clients and partners.
• Contribute to the development of Visa’s Social Impact corporate charitable activities in Philippines ensuring reputable positioning of Visa. 

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

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• 10 years of relevant work experience in a corporate position, regulatory or government agency, and/or consultancy serving government stakeholders in Philippines
• Active network of wide government contacts in Philippines
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong business relationships with internal and external stakeholders at senior and executive management levels
• Strong financial services and/or technology pedigree, including working knowledge of the digital payments industry
• Political acumen
• Strategic thinking, advocacy and communications planning skills
• Superior interpersonal and presentational skills
• Confident and authoritative manner in all communication channels, with executive presence
• Influencing and negotiation skills
• Detail oriented with strong analytical capabilities
• Execution focused
• The highest standards for ethical conduct, confidentiality and integrity, with a strong professional reputation in the industry
• Outstanding written communication abilities and fluency in English and Philippines
• Some travel within and between Philippines and to regional meetings (primarily Singapore) are also features of the position

What will also help:

• Crisis management and response skills
• Ability to operate effectively in a challenging, fast-paced environment with limited supervision
• Strong ability to work collaboratively with others across geographic boundaries

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.