Partnerships Lead

We are looking for a seasoned Head of Partnerships Cross Border Payments to build, scale, and optimize our global payments ecosystem. This role sits at the intersection of banking alliances, fintech partnerships, regulatory navigation, and global expansion strategy.

You will be responsible for identifying, onboarding, and managing strategic partners across geographiesbanks, payment processors, FX providers, local payment methods, and compliance networksto strengthen our cross-border capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

1. Partnership Strategy & Ecosystem Building

• Define and execute the global partnerships strategy for cross-border payments
• Identify and onboard banking partners, local payment rails, FX providers, and aggregators across key markets (US, EU, APAC, MEA)
• Build strong alliances with regulatory bodies, compliance partners, and financial institutions

2. Market Expansion & GTM Enablement

• Enable faster market entry through partnerships (local acquiring, payouts, collections)
• Collaborate with product and business teams to launch country-specific payment solutions
• Drive partnerships that improve success rates, cost optimization, and coverage

3. Commercial Negotiation & Deal Structuring

• Lead commercial negotiations, pricing constructs, and contract finalization
• Design win-win partnership models ensuring scalability and long-term value
• Own P&L impact through partnership-led efficiencies

4. Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with Product, Compliance, Legal, and Sales teams
• Act as the bridge between internal teams and external partners
• Influence senior stakeholders across geographies

5. Performance & Governance

• Define KPIs for partnerships: transaction success rate, cost per transaction, uptime, coverage
• Monitor partner performance and drive continuous improvement
• Ensure compliance with cross-border regulations, AML, and KYC norms

6. Team Leadership (if applicable)

• Build and mentor a high-performing partnerships team
• Create playbooks for partner onboarding, evaluation, and lifecycle management

Ideal Candidate Profile

Experience

• 815+ years in fintech, payments, banking, or cross-border financial services
• Strong exposure to global payment networks, FX, remittances, or international acquiring
• Proven experience in partnerships, alliances, or business development roles

Skills & Competencies

• Deep understanding of cross-border payments ecosystem
• Strong negotiation and deal-making capability
• High business acumen with ability to connect partnerships revenue impact
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills
• Ability to operate in ambiguity and scale from 0 to 1

Good to Have

• Existing network across banks, payment processors, and global fintech players

Experience working in high-growth startup environments