Senior Director, Head of Program Management, VCA-X (Program/Portfolio Management and Consulting)

Overview

Senior Director, Head of Program Management for VCA-X, Visa Consulting and Analytics' global delivery capability. The role builds and leads the integrated delivery engine that lets VCA-X scale, reporting directly to the Head of VCA-X and sitting on the VCA-X Leadership Team.

What you'll do

• Establish and continuously improve the delivery lifecycle, governance mechanisms, decision rights, and operating disciplines required to support VCA-X at scale.
• Translate the VCA-X operating model into practical ways of working across Regions, Practice Areas, and delivery teams.
• Drive continuous improvement through operational learning, performance data, and delivery insights.
• Maintain an integrated view of opportunities, commitments, resource requirements, and capacity constraints.
• Support prioritization and investment decisions by providing visibility into delivery feasibility, trade-offs, and resource implications.
• Translate approved work into executable portfolio, mobilization, and delivery plans.
• Orchestrate integrated capacity planning and staffing coordination across Specialist, Consulting, Analytics, and Engineering teams.
• Monitor portfolio and engagement health, identifying risks, constraints, and delivery challenges early.
• Coordinate resolution of issues requiring alignment across teams, functions, or geographies.
• Establish performance measures and management routines that improve predictability, throughput, and scalability.
• Drive improvements that reduce delivery friction and improve operational efficiency.
• Build strong partnerships with Regional VCA leadership, Practice Areas, AI Build Team (PQL) and other stakeholders.
• Provide leadership with clear visibility into commitments, constraints, decisions, and required interventions.
• Establish and manage a portfolio of external delivery and specialist partners that augment VCA-X capacity, accelerate capability development, and support efficient scaling across Regions and use cases.
• Foster alignment across a highly matrixed global organization.
• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing Program Management organization.
• Establish career paths, capabilities, and leadership expectations for program management professionals.
• Contribute to the overall strategy, culture, and success of the VCA-X leadership team.

What you'll need

• 18 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor's Degree, or at least 15 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters/MBA).
• 18+ years of experience in program management, consulting operations, professional-services delivery, transformation, or related fields.
• Master's degree or equivalent advanced qualification in a quantitative, technical, or business discipline.
• Demonstrated success building and operating delivery organizations in complex, matrixed, global environments.
• Experience managing large portfolios involving multiple stakeholders, disciplines, geographies, and competing priorities.
• Strong understanding of portfolio management, delivery governance, resource planning, and operational performance management.
• Proven ability to translate strategic priorities into executable operating plans.
• Strong commercial, financial, and analytical skills.
• Executive presence and the ability to influence senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Track record of developing leaders and building high-performing teams through periods of growth and change.

Nice to have

• Experience building new delivery organizations, shared services, or centers of excellence.
• Experience operating in consulting, managed services, or global delivery environments.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled delivery models, digital transformation, or large-scale operational change initiatives.
• Knowledge of payments, financial services, or adjacent industries.
• Experience building new capabilities, operating models, or delivery organizations from the ground up.
• Ability to operate effectively across cultures, organizational boundaries, and time zones.

Details

• Location: Bengaluru, India.
• Visa requires at least 3 days in office; expectations will be confirmed by the Hiring Manager.
• Ability to work in different time zones.