Lead Data Architect

110 Visa U.S.A. Inc.; United States; Hybrid; USD 173,000 - 277,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401(k)

Wellness program

Paid time off

Job summary

Visa seeks an experienced Data Architect/Sr Data Engineer to design real-time and event-driven data architectures using Kafka and Azure streaming services. You will define end-to-end patterns and collaborate with Data Engineering, Platform, and Enterprise Architecture teams to deliver scalable, secure solutions.

This hybrid role requires strong communication, 3 days in the office in the US, and 5–10% travel. 8–12+ years in data architecture and Azure expertise are preferred.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience designing real-time and batch data architectures.
• Strong knowledge of Azure data services and Kafka ecosystems.
• Ability to define reference architectures and governance standards.

Responsibilities

• Design and govern real-time and event-driven data architectures.
• Define end-to-end data architecture patterns across processing paradigms.
• Develop reference architectures, data flow diagrams, and standards.
• Collaborate with Data Engineering, Platform and EA teams to deliver scalable, secure solutions.
• Lead PoCs and technology evaluations with clear trade-off analyses.

Skills

Streaming architectures

Azure data services

Kafka / Azure Event Hubs

Data governance

Enterprise collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2

Azure Blob Storage

Azure Data Factory

Azure Synapse Analytics

Azure Functions

AKS / Container Apps

Databricks (Nice to Have)

Airflow (Nice to Have)

Job description

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

Company Description

Founded by experienced entrepreneurs and engineers in 2016, Pismo is a technology company that provides a comprehensive processing platform for banking, card issuing and financial market infrastructure and helps customers innovate and build the next generation of banking and payment solutions. Pismo joined Visa in 2024.

Leveraging Visa’s solutions, our core platform, and an expanding suite of capabilities, Pismo addresses the technological challenges that large banks, marketplaces, and fintech companies face in migrating from legacy systems to more advanced technology in the market. Pismo’s cloud-based platform empowers firms to build and launch financial products rapidly, scaling as they grow to have a broader audience while keeping high security and availability standards.

Pismo’s 500+ employees are located in more than 10 countries around the world.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Design and govern real-time and event‑driven data architectures leveraging Apache Kafka and Azure streaming services (e.g., Azure Event Hubs with Kafka compatibility, Azure Stream Analytics).
• Define and maintain end‑to‑end data architecture patterns across real‑time, near‑real‑time, and batch processing paradigms.
• Develop and maintain reference architectures, data flow diagrams, and technical standards to guide platform and delivery teams.
• Partner closely with Data Engineering, Platform, and Enterprise Architecture teams to deliver solutions that are scalable, secure, well‑governed, and compliant.
• Lead proofs of concept (PoCs) and technology evaluations, providing clear architectural recommendations and trade‑off analyses.

This is a Hybrid Position.

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

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 7 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 4 years of work experience with a PhD, OR 13+ years of relevant work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• 12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 8-10 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 6+ years of work experience with a PhD
• 8+ years’ experience as a Data Architect or Senior Data Engineer, operating in complex enterprise environments.
• Deep expertise in Streaming architectures, including managed or commercial distributions (e.g., Kafka‑compatible Azure Event Hubs or Confluent on Azure).
• Strong hands‑on experience with Azure data and analytics platforms, such as:
• Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 / Azure Blob Storage
• Azure Event Hubs
• Azure Data Factory
• Azure Synapse Analytics
• Azure Functions
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) or Azure Container Apps
• Proven experience designing and delivering both streaming and batch data solutions at enterprise scale.
• Excellent documentation, communication, and stakeholder‑management skills, with the ability to influence across technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Nice to Have
• Experience with Databricks, AWS and Apache Airflow (or equivalent orchestration and transformation tools).
• Prior experience in Banking or financial services, particularly in architecture roles within regulated environments.

Information for US Applicants

For roles located in the US, the estimated salary range for this position is $173,100.00 to $ 276,800.00 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.