Visa
Senior Director - Regional Head of Social Impact and Sustainability CEMEA
- Permanent
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Experience 10 - 15 yrs
Job overview
Date posted
14/10/2025
Location
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Salary
AED 60,000 - 100,000 per month
Compensation
Job description
The Senior Director - Regional Head of Social Impact and Sustainability (CEMEA) leads Visa’s Social Impact & Sustainability (SIS) agenda across Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, driving Objectives and delivering Key Results (OKRs) aligned with market priorities and the Visa 2030 business strategy. The mandate leverages Visa’s assets, business model, and global scale to power inclusive digital commerce, focusing on expanding entrepreneurship and empowering small and micro businesses (SMBs)—especially women-led businesses—through digital tools, knowledge, access, and security; delivering financial education to underpin economic inclusion; enhancing the security of digital commerce for all; and demonstrating long-term commitment to communities where Visa operates. The role partners closely with Visa Foundation, global colleagues, and CEMEA Government Affairs & Communications to create and execute an overarching narrative embedding social impact and sustainability into client relationships and government engagements to advance impact and commercial outcomes. It builds and sustains deep external stakeholder relationships across the region, coordinates humanitarian relief and sustainability efforts with functional and business leaders, and oversees measurement and reporting of social and business outcomes in line with OKRs. The position requires proven capability to create, implement, and scale public-private partnerships in emerging markets, deploy comprehensive public affairs campaigns centered on company contributions to local community and economic development, translate global strategies into regional and country approaches, and steward SIS roadmaps that integrate social impact, sustainability, government/regulatory affairs, and communications. This is a hybrid role based in Dubai within the CEMEA region.
Required skills
Key responsibilities
- Lead the CEMEA Social Impact & Sustainability team to set and deliver OKRs aligned to Visa 2030 and market priorities.
- Expand entrepreneurship and empower SMBs—especially women-led businesses—by deploying digital tools, knowledge, access, and security initiatives.
- Provide and scale financial education programs as a foundation for economic inclusion and development across CEMEA.
- Enhance the security of digital commerce through SIS programs that advance safe, inclusive usage for consumers and businesses.
- Develop and implement an overarching regional narrative that embeds social impact and sustainability into key client relationships and government engagements to drive impact and commercial outcomes.
- Partner with Visa Foundation, global SIS colleagues, and CEMEA Government Affairs & Communications to design and oversee program implementation across markets.
- Build deep, long-term relationships with external stakeholders to create regional value and enhance the company’s reputation with decision makers.
- Coordinate humanitarian relief and sustainability efforts with relevant functional and business leaders to ensure timely, effective responses.
- Oversee measurement and reporting of social and business outcomes in line with OKRs, ensuring clear linkage to market and regional goals.
- Translate global SIS strategies into regional and country approaches and roadmaps that reflect local priorities and cultural contexts.
- Integrate social impact and sustainability into client engagements to support purpose-driven partnerships and commercial growth.
- Collaborate with internal cross-functional teams to align SIS initiatives with Visa’s business strategy and market plans.
Experience & skills
- Hold a minimum bachelor’s degree; advanced degree (e.g., Masters/MBA/JD/MD/PhD) preferred.
- Bring a minimum of 13–15 years’ experience across some combination of public, private, and civil sectors; experience in technology and/or financial services preferred, with exposure to government, politics, communications, and/or economic development considered a plus.
- Demonstrate outstanding people leadership and management experience in building, growing, and advancing teams in line with evolving organizational needs.
- Show a proven track record in creating, implementing, and scaling public-private partnerships in emerging markets with positive community outcomes and aligned business impact.
- Possess extensive experience developing and deploying comprehensive public affairs campaigns centered on company contributions to local community and economic development.
- Evidence long-term partnership building with leading organizations in public and civil sectors across multiple countries in the region.
- Demonstrate prior success navigating complex corporate environments and translating global strategies into regional and country-level approaches.
- Exhibit outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Ability to influence global and regional/country stakeholders to develop SIS strategies, roadmaps, and initiatives that balance social impact and business priorities.
- Show strong understanding of financial inclusion, SMB needs, and sustainability, and the intersection with government/regulatory affairs and communications, with a global mindset and regional cultural fluency.
