Director, Marketing Services, KSA

About Us

Team Summary

About the role:

Essential Functions:

• Leading the Marketing Services relationship for assigned key accounts in Saudi Arabia, building trusted relationships with client stakeholders and maintaining a clear understanding of their business objectives, marketing priorities and success measures.
• Partnering with Account Executives to identify, qualify, scope and progress Marketing Services opportunities, contributing to account plans, proposals, statements of work and pipeline governance.
• Managing multiple client projects simultaneously from initiation through delivery and closure, with clear workplans, milestones, responsibilities, budgets, dependencies and decision points.
• Applying effective project management disciplines, including risk and issue management, change control, status reporting, quality assurance, governance forums and timely escalation.
• Coordinating subject-matter experts and delivery partners across Visa Consulting & Analytics, Products, Marketing, Sales, Finance and other supporting functions to provide a consistent 'One Visa' client experience.
• Ensuring each engagement follows Visa requirements for Compliance, Legal, Sourcing, procurement, information security, privacy, financial controls and third-party governance, with complete and timely documentation.
• Managing agencies, vendors and other external partners where required, including briefing, scope control, sourcing processes, delivery oversight, performance management and budget reconciliation.
• Monitoring project economics, revenue recognition inputs, costs and margin; maintaining accurate forecasts; and providing concise updates on delivery progress, risks, client feedback and required decisions.

Visa requires at least 4 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.

Qualifications

What you will need:

• Minimum 12 years of work experience with a bachelor's degree or at least 10 years of experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters/MBA/JD/MD)
• Substantial experience in client marketing, consulting, marketing services, account management or another client-facing discipline, preferably in Saudi Arabia or the wider GCC
• Exceptional client stakeholder management skills, with a record of building trusted relationships, managing expectations and navigating complex client organizations
• Strong project management capability and experience leading multiple concurrent projects with different stakeholders, timelines, budgets and delivery models
• Demonstrated ability to establish governance, identify and mitigate risks, resolve issues, control scope and maintain delivery quality
• Experience working with Compliance, Legal, Sourcing, procurement, Finance, Controllership, privacy, information security and third-party governance processes
• Strong consultative and commercial skills, including opportunity qualification, solution design, proposal development, scoping, contracting support and financial management
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Account Executives, product teams, consultants, marketers, agencies and delivery partners in a matrixed environment
• Ability to understand client and market strategies and translate data, insights and business needs into practical marketing programmes
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills, with an outcomes-driven approach to measurement and reporting
• Excellent presentation, facilitation, speaking and writing skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with client and internal stakeholders
• Understanding of payments, issuer marketing and cardholder lifecycle marketing, including digital acquisition, engagement and retention
• Experience with digital and omnichannel campaign planning, execution and measurement, including marketing technology platforms
• High level of personal accountability, attention to detail and sound judgment, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Fluent spoken and written English and Arabic
• Experience managing agencies, vendors, budgets and delivery partners across complex client engagements
• Strong financial acumen and the ability to maintain accurate forecasts, project economics and delivery documentation

Visa is an EEO Employer