Senior Policy Advisor - Payments

Visa Europe has an opportunity for a Senior Legal Advisor in their Legal Division. This role is based in Belgium and is reporting into the VP EU Relations/Regulatory Affairs.

Key Responsibilities:

•  Identify and monitor EU-related plans and activities likely to affect Visa’s activities and liaise with business owners when relevant to ensure that Visa Europe is involved as early as possible in relation to relevant initiatives in order to maximise influence
•  Develop and enhance relations with Commission and ECB officials, European banking associations and other card schemes to improve co-operation and to ensure a better understanding of the Visa organisation
•  Develop and enhance Visa’s presence and influence in e.g. the European Parliament while establishing relationships with relevant MEPs to ensure Visa Europe is understood as European Payment system
•  Advise other Visa Europe staff and Members on the potential implications of relevant EU legislative initiatives for their area of responsibility to ensure the company’s products and services operates within appropriate legal and regulatory framework
•  Review products, services and externally published materials to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and legislation to ensure the company’s products and services operates within appropriate legal and regulatory framework
•  Dealing with queries from regulators including the EU Commission, OFT, ECB and other European Central Banks to protect the interests and profitability of Visa Europe and its members
•  Formulate Visa’s policy and response to EU-related issues affecting Visa and/or its Members in cooperation with relevant staff internally and under guidance from head of function. Formulate position papers, and conduct research in relevant areas in view of establishing pro-actively company positions on selected topics

Essential Criteria:

•  The candidate will ideally be educated to Masters degree level (or equivalent) in Law or Economics
•  Languages – French Essential and ideally fluency in other European languages
•  A self-starter, self-sufficient as well as true team player and have a high degree of integrity and empathy
•  Ability to represent Visa externally with regulators/lawmakers and Members
•  Requires a developing understanding of Visa Europe’s business and strategy
•  Ideally the candidate will possess a minimum of 2 years in-depth experience in dealing with EU institutions and other European regulatory bodies and formulating and initiating policy
•  Ideally the candidate will possess a minimum of 1 years experience in dealing with the full spectrum of business, technical and regulatory aspects of the Visa Europe business in order to be able identify issues, asses impacts, react and interact with relevant regulators and lawmakers
•  In-depth understanding of how Brussels works, knowledge of the European Institutions and the EU decision making process):

o Spot looming issues and problems
o Analyse and suggest policy proposals

•  Detailed understanding of the internal processes of Brussels Institutions (who, what, where, when, how) – within and between Commission, Council, Parliament, Member States (in detail)

o Establish personal and institutional relationships at various levels
o Anticipate upcoming initiatives – identify opportunities for Visa to participate

Visa Europe is a payments technology business owned and operated by member banks and other payment service providers from 36 countries across Europe.

Visa Europe works at the forefront of technology to create the services and infrastructure which enable millions of European consumers, businesses and governments to make electronic payments. Its members are responsible for issuing cards, signing up retailers and deciding cardholder and retailer fees.

Since 2004, Visa Europe has been independent of Visa Inc. and incorporated in the UK, with an exclusive, irrevocable and perpetual licence in Europe. Both companies work in partnership to enable global Visa payments. As a dedicated European payment system Visa Europe is able to respond quickly to the specific market needs of European banks and their customers - cardholders and retailers - and to meet the European Commission’s objective to create a true internal market for payments.

For more information, please visit www.visaeurope.com
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