Senior Corporate Communications Manager

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

This is a key role within the Corporate Relations organization, advancing Visa’s business interests in 5 countries of ECCA region (South-Easter Europe, including Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania) via the deployment of effective external communications. This role will help develop a successful external communications plan to increase awareness and support business objectives, while protecting and strengthening Visa’s reputation.

The Communications Manager will report into Head of Corporate Communications in ECCA and liaise with the local team to create and execute a communications strategy designed to help amplify Visa’s strategic goals.

The ideal candidate will have prior experience implementing external communications strategy, be skilled in written and verbal communications, and have experience in media relations, communications to support executives, event planning, digital communications, etc.

Principle Responsibilities / Key Results Area

• Strategy: develops, executes and measures annual External Communications plan for SEE markets as part of the overall communications plan that strengthen Visa’s reputation and supports business objectives in this region. Owns development and execution of the strategy for sharing thought leadership with SEE clients and stakeholders to bring the future of commerce and money movement to life.
• Storytelling: directs and manages PR agencies to ensure that corporate messages and news stories are managed and distributed in a way that enhances external perceptions of Visa and meets business objectives – providing briefings, toolkits and advice. Works with Subject Matter Experts, business units to agree the messaging that supports business objectives and overall corporate narrative and ensures adoption across local markets' communications activities.

• Advisory: serves as an advisor to the SEE and CISSEE leadership teams in helping build powerful stories to external and internal audiences – strengthening corporate culture, articulating regional and company-wide strategy, building confidence and trust in leadership, as well as relevant external thought leadership and storytelling.
• Leadership: champions Visa Leadership Principles: accountability, empathy, credibility to support leaders in driving the company’s culture and flexibility; has influencing skills.
• Partnership and Relationship Management: performs executive management & counseling, manages key stakeholders and clients’ engagement; successfully manages cross-functional programs.
• Media relations and community engagement: develops and keeps relationships with associations, regional media, KOLs and influencers, local teams, and key stakeholders as well as knowledge of media and event landscape to support the communications strategy. Fosters relationships with key media representatives, pitching stories in an appropriate and effective way with a particular focus on Tier 1 outlets in SEE. Plans speaking opportunities and events, social media and owned channel activities.
• Communications Planning & Program Management: multi-channel communications planning; project management audience mapping and prioritization; digital mindset; measurement.

• Agencies network management: identifies strengths and gaps in skills and capabilities across the agencies and develops and implements plan to ensure continuous improvement.
• Managing and coordinating crisis response: works with the Country Manager and Head of CISSEE Corporate Communications including writing and distributing news releases and statements, coordinating earned and social media strategy and responding to requests for information from the media and other sources.
• Measurement and reporting: works with a local agency to manage media monitoring and progress, provides reporting on communications activities to internal stakeholders as needed.
• Finance: manages budgets for Corporate Relations in SEE, PR agencies and campaigns assigned.
• Compliance: ensures appropriate PR process are aligned with global and regional requirements, documented, in place and followed, including approvals.
• Other projects and responsibilities as assigned.

Reporting Relationships & Interactions

• Head of Corporate Communications and Events for Visa ECCA.

Qualifications

The right candidate will have 10+ years of experience in communications, preferably both in-house and within agency.
Fluent Serbian / English speaker.
Experience of developing and implementing corporate, B2B, technology and consumer PR.
Experience competently managing complex business issues and developing communications responses.
Proven record of generating stories that drive business outcomes.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; as well as interpersonal skills and the ability to liaise with senior stakeholders both internally and externally.
Experience project managing projects, budget.
Proven competency in managing agencies and working with teams remotely.
Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment under short timelines.

Experience with channel and content strategies, including amplifying across social channels.
SharePoint, PowerPoint, and other communication technologies.
Self-starter with a growth mindset, curious, critical thinker and problem-solver
Understanding of the political and business issues facing Visa

Business Acumen: understanding business and ecosystem; strategic imperatives and priorities; data privacy, innovation, products payments and fintech; digital currency/crypto; budget development and planning; Visa’s policies, standards, guidelines, and processes.

Communications acumen: strategic thinker; strong judgment; research/data driven; understanding of audiences, tools, technologies and best practices; able to represent Visa publicly.

Writing excellence: clarity & conciseness; corporate narrative and storytelling; insights-driven content development; language proficiency; content organization and adaptation; information that resonates with audiences.

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 protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.