Director – Central Asia Marketing Lead

The Director will lead marketing strategy, planning and implementation for the CAA Markets, working closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that marketing priorities support and align to business goals.

The role will report into the Head of Marketing for CISSEE. He/she will have responsibility for overseeing local Visa marketing teams and agency partnership order to maximize Visa’s performance in the key areas of revenue generation, transactions, payment volume and market share growth, PCE penetration and merchant acceptance - across both the physical and card-not-present (digital) environments.

Lead the development of key marketing initiatives including those that drive Visa payment Volumes in CAA, support product platforms, cross-border transactions/payment volumes, promotional/sponsorship initiatives, with special focus on supporting key strategic platforms (Premium, Cross-border), Direct and manage country level marketing investments, ensuring full assessment and prioritization of country marketing strategies and plans against business and marketing objectives, and most directly help drive profit and revenue. Lead and drive the value that the Visa Marketing team delivers for its clients (both issuers and merchants) to drive value for both Visa and our partners, with a key focus on delivering Value Added Services through Value-in Kind marketing.

Maximize marketing output by delivering excellent creative content and cost synergies that address market opportunities and needs, and ensuring business case assessments and measurement of results against established KPIs, including MROI.

Establish and develop strong, collaborative working relationships across the spectrum of stakeholders, including Clients, Visa Sub-Region and Country Level Management, Sales, Product, Acceptance, and Hub and Global Marketing teams.

Specific Responsibilities

• To lead cluster and country level marketing initiatives and investments, ensuring full assessment and prioritization of country marketing strategies, plans and implementations against business and marketing objectives
• Lead development and implementation of strategic marketing and communication plans designed to meet business and marketing requirements
• Ensure analysis of all marketing initiatives from marketing and business effectiveness prospective.
• Ensure only effective marketing campaigns/initiatives are continued
• Drive market research activity within the region, and suggest new market research projects to provide information for the development and enhancement of marketing programs
• Ensure the identification and analysis of card payment trends, market opportunities, cardholder behavior, and evaluate their value and viability within the marketing plan in order to make strategic recommendations on future business direction
• Monitor existing and potential competitor marketing activities to identify new opportunities or highlight potential causes for business concern
• Manage the allocated budgets for the region and ensure all marketing activities are performed within budgets and in full compliance with existing rules and policies
• Assess all local marketing activities against key marketing KPI’s including MROI measures
• Act as the Visa brand guardian and ensure all communications comply with regional and global brand strategies and guidelines
• Negotiate and secure contracts with all external partners

Manage Marketing Agency Relationships

• Manage relationships with the agencies and manage their activities effectively ensuring efficient delivery of agreed plans
• Lead briefing process for creative and media agencies on all campaigns, and safeguard the Visa brand and its values
• Review and evaluate all agency work product
• Ensure the agencies deliver on their contractual obligations

Provision of Marketing Support with, to and for Client Banks

• Provide professional marketing advice and consultancy to clients to support clients in delivering on their business objectives
• Lead development and implementation of client co-op marketing strategies and plans
• Provide clients with new effective approaches to achieving business and marketing goals with the use of marketing value added services and execution of marketing activities
• Gain the support and commitment of clients to participate in Visa marketing activities
• Activation of Visa’s Sponsorship Properties
• Lead development and implementation of local sponsorship strategies and plans
• Deliver greater value to Visa through the Marketing Incentive dollars with clients by delivering marketing-in-kind solutions through Value Added Services for our clients

General

• Actively contribute to the development of the CAA marketing team through coaching, support and the development of formal training plans
• Establish, maintain and develop strong working relationships with senior management at global, regional hub and country level
• Manage budget allocation and budget reporting according to Visa Inc. procedures

This is a hybrid position. Hybrid employees can alternate time between both remote and office. Employees in hybrid roles are expected to work from the office 2-3 set days a week (determined by leadership/site), with a general guidepost of being in the office 50% or more of the time based on business needs.

Required Experience

• 15+ years senior marketing (and preferably) general management experience in fast moving consumer goods, banking /financial services, or high tech industries
• Global and/or regional senior marketing responsibility across range of channels and businesses
• Strong track record in the management of external agencies and the development of effective, through the line campaign materials

Competencies

•  Strong business acumen and P&L management experience
• Exceptional leadership skills, with ability to inspire and motivate team
• Disciplined strategic thinker with superb analytical skills and ability to understand and use quantitative models
• Demonstrated depth of experience across all marketing channels, including social/digital
• Good creative instincts, and proven ability to translate insights into ideas
• Ability to manage well by influence across matrixed organization to build strong relationships and drive to timely solutions
• Exceptional verbal and written communications skills, adept at executive management briefings and large scale presentations
• Multi-culturally sensitive and comfortable working across different cultures
• Negotiation skills
• Great skills and sensitivity in relationship management to get the best out of partnership activities
• Agility and flexibility to work in a fast-changing environment

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.