Director, Marketing Services Delivery, Agency Strategy

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

The Director, Marketing Services Delivery (Agency Strategy) will play a critical role in shaping how we engage, scope, and manage agency partners, serving as the key bridge between internal business objectives and external marketing partners. This individual will to lead the evaluation, scoping, and negotiation of all agency engagements, and will focus on building strong, accountable agency relationships while maximizing return on investment, ensuring operational rigor, and streamlining campaign execution across channels.

The role operates in close partnership with Delivery segment leads and the Director of Business Planning for Marketing Services, North America, ensuring agency strategies, investments, and execution are tightly aligned to segment priorities, business plans, and performance goals.

The ideal candidate is highly collaborative, detail-oriented, and experienced in managing agency relationships, contract negotiations, and cost structures within a fast-paced, matrixed organization. This role reports to the Senior Director, Marketing Services Delivery.

Essential Functions:

• Vendor & Agency Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for external marketing agencies. Lead regular status and performance reviews, assess agency effectiveness and partner with Strategic Sourcing to determine when to scale, evolve, or exit partnerships. Lead end-to-end negotiations with agencies across pricing, resourcing, and deliverables to achieve competitive, scalable, and financially optimized outcomes. Challenge agency proposals appropriately to ensure transparency, efficiency, and value without compromising quality. Establish consistent ways of working with agencies, including expectations around pricing models, deliverables, and performance. Identify opportunities to optimize agency utilization, reduce costs, and improve speed to market.
• Performance/Agency Portfolio Optimization: Continuously assess and optimize Marketing Services' agencies as an integrated portfolio of service providers to unlock efficiencies and maximize ROI for Visa and its clients.
• KPI & SLA Governance: Define, enforce, and monitor Service Level Agreements (SLAs) related to event and campaign delivery. Ensure high standards for reporting and accountability are met consistently.
• Budget & Financial Consultation: Inform forecasting and oversee management of budgets on a per agency and project basis. Ensure spend remains within scope while continuously improving efficiency and value delivered per dollar spent.

Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.
Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• 12+ years of relevant work experience with a bachelor's degree, or 8-10 years of work experience with an advanced degree (e.g. MBA)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Extensive experience working with marketing, event or creative agencies, with a strong understanding of agency pricing models, cost structures, and resourcing approaches
• Demonstrated experience developing, reviewing, and negotiating Statements of Work (SOWs)
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to evaluate cost structures, challenge assumptions, and drive cost-efficient outcomes while maintaining quality
• Proven track record of successfully negotiating with agency partners, balancing relationship management with achieving business objectives
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, highly matrixed organization, working across Business Development, Delivery, Finance, Procurement, and agency partners
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align cross-functional teams and senior leaders
• Highly detail-oriented with strong analytical skills and the ability to assess complex proposals and identify risks or optimization opportunities
• Experience building and scaling processes or frameworks for vendor/agency management, including standardizing ways of working and improving operational efficiency
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate scope, risks, trade-offs, and recommendations

U.S. Applicants Only
The estimated salary range for this position is $178,300.00 to $ 285,600.00 USD per year, which may include potential sales incentive payments (if applicable). Salary may vary depending on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this position may be eligible for bonus and equity.Visa has a comprehensive benefits package for which this position may be eligible that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), FSA/HSA, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and Wellness Program.

Work Hours

Varies upon the needs of the department.

Travel Requirements

This position requires travel 5-10% of the time.

Mental/Physical Requirements

This position will be performed in an office setting. The position will require the incumbent to sit and stand at a desk, communicate in person and by telephone, frequently operate standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.

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 protect veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the EEOC guidelines and applicable local law, including the requirements of Article 49 of the San Francisco Police Code.