Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, UAE

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

Overview:

We are seeking a highly strategic and results-driven Corporate Communications Senior Manager to lead communications in the United Arab Emirates and contribute to broader GCC priorities. This role is responsible for shaping and executing Visa’s external communications strategy to advance business objectives, strengthen corporate reputation, and deliver high-impact campaigns.

The role combines hands-on leadership in media relations and campaigns with strategic counsel to senior stakeholders. The candidate will also contribute to internal communications and cross-market initiatives as part of the wider GCC communications team, ensuring alignment with regional priorities and consistency of narrative across markets.

This position is based in Dubai, UAE, and reports to the Senior Director, Corporate Communications - GCC.

Candidate Profile:

The ideal candidate is a well-rounded communications professional who combines strategic thinking with strong execution capabilities and is confident operating as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders while remaining actively engaged in media relations, campaigns, and content delivery. They bring a strong storytelling mindset, sound business judgment, and a modern, data-informed approach to communications-leveraging digital platforms and scalable content strategies to drive impact and ensure consistency across markets.

They demonstrate the ability to translate complex business priorities into clear, compelling narratives, linking communications activity to measurable business outcomes and moving beyond output-based metrics toward real impact. The candidate is highly collaborative and effective in influencing without authority, building trusted relationships across media, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams, and driving alignment in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

They operate with clarity, sound judgment, and integrity, and are comfortable navigating complexity, including reputational risk and high-stakes communications, while maintaining a strong understanding of the regional media landscape and evolving communications environment.

Principle Responsibilities / Key Results Area:

UAE Communications Strategy & Execution:

• Proactively execute efficient and timely communications strategies against defined goals and metrics that align with and support regional business priorities
• Raise awareness of the company and strengthen its corporate reputation among critical audiences, as measured by media coverage, message pull-through, and, where possible, perception audits
• Partner with business units to develop and manage project-based campaigns and communications plans, ensuring effective implementation and delivery against targets

Content Development & Storytelling:

• Create and manage a high-impact, multi-channel content pipeline-including key messages, speeches, presentations, articles, video, and social content-aligned to business priorities and an integrated communications calendar
• Develop compelling narratives and scalable messaging frameworks that enable consistent storytelling across campaigns, markets, and executive platforms
• Drive executive content and thought leadership, ensuring strong alignment with corporate narrative and strategic priorities
• Leverage data, insights, and digital capabilities to scale content production, enhance quality and consistency, and continuously improve message effectiveness

Media Relations & External Positioning:

• Foster and maintain relationships with key media representatives, with a strong focus on Tier 1 outlets in markets of responsibility
• Manage corporate profiling for key spokespeople and develop and execute proactive reputation-building and maintenance plans
• Lead proactive and reactive media engagement, including support for crisis and issues management as needed
• Internal Communications - UAE, Qatar, Kuwait
• Support the development and execution of internal communications strategies aligned to business priorities
• Deliver leadership messaging, employee engagement initiatives, and key internal programs (including townhalls and organizational communications)
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure alignment between internal and external messaging

Agency & Budget Management:

• Direct and manage communications agencies to deliver against business objectives and enhance external perceptions of Visa
• Provide clear briefs, oversee execution, and manage performance against defined goals
• Manage budgets for markets, agencies, and campaigns in scope

Media Monitoring, Reporting & Measurement:

• Ensure media monitoring is aligned with market context, business priorities, and on-the-ground insights
• Track and evaluate communications performance against defined KPIs, ensuring strong linkage between media outcomes and business objectives
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of measurement frameworks and reporting standards across the respective markets

Centers of Excellence (Campaigns & Narrative):

• Contribute to the development of campaign messaging frameworks and communications approaches adopted across GCC markets
• Support consistency and quality of narrative across markets, ensuring alignment with regional and global positioning
• Collaborate on cross-market reporting and insights to continuously improve communications effectiveness.

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

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in communications, corporate communications, PR, or media communications
• Fluent in English and Arabic (spoken and written)
• Exceptional storytelling, writing, editing, proofreading, and content development skills
• Strong understanding of media and digital landscape and operating environment in core markets
• High proficiency in PowerPoint, Word, and Excel, with demonstrated ability to leverage digital and AI tools to enhance communications effectiveness
• Ability to create visual/graphic content, simplify data into insights, and scale content production across channels
• Highly collaborative with strong project management skills
• Strong business acumen and ability to guide and influence senior stakeholders
• Solid understanding of the business, payments ecosystem, technology, innovation, and fintech space, or experience within a global organization

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.