About the Role
********* is seeking a Senior Financial Partnerships Specialist to join its team in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This role is crucial for supporting the company's growth and expansion within the Kingdom. The specialist will be a key member of the regional team, focusing on managing and developing strategic partnerships with Acquiring Banks, Alternative Payment Methods (APMs), and major card networks such as Visa, Mastercard, and MADA. This position offers an opportunity to contribute to the development and execution of the partnership strategy, build payment infrastructure, and engage in work within the fintech sector.
Reporting to the Head of Financial Partnerships - MENA, the ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the payments landscape, the ability to manage multiple projects and partnerships autonomously, and a hands-on approach suitable for a fast-growing organization. The role involves enabling businesses to deliver digital experiences at scale, contributing to the significant volume of transactions processed by **********
Key Responsibilities
- Manage and nurture commercial relationships with Acquiring Banks and APMs, and grow strategic partnerships with Card Networks, including MADA, to develop and deliver market-leading payment solutions for merchants.
- Drive expansion projects across various geographies and payment methods in collaboration with a cross-functional team.
- Negotiate operational and commercial outcomes for *********, balancing the interests of internal and external stakeholders.
- Ensure adherence to existing partnership processes and timely fulfillment of deliverables, while also designing and developing new processes to scale partnerships for growth, efficiency, and performance.
- Collaborate effectively with various functions within partner organizations, including relationship management, business development, risk, compliance, product, and operations teams.
- Develop and execute a partnership management model, serving as the primary point of contact internally and externally for assigned partnerships.
- Leverage payments industry knowledge to develop and implement strategies that support growth through new products, services, and market segments via strategic partnerships.
- Craft and implement mutually beneficial commercial agreements and go-to-market strategies with payment partners.
- Act as a subject matter expert for internal teams by utilizing comprehensive knowledge of the payments industry and partners' capabilities.
Qualifications and Requirements
- A minimum of 3 years of experience in the payments industry.
- Direct experience in payment processing, acquiring, or managing payment partnerships.
- Proficiency in payments knowledge, with the ability to identify and resolve issues within payment flows and communicate these challenges to relevant teams.
- Experience working with card networks or Payment Service Providers (PSPs) for acquiring payment transactions is considered a strong advantage.
- A combined skill set encompassing operations, project management, and relationship management.
- A strong sense of ownership and commitment to delivering business results, with a focus on managing partner relationships effectively.
- Fluency in Arabic is mandatory for this role due to the nature of relationships with local partners.
- Exceptional collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders across internal and external organizations.
- A data-driven, analytical, and strategic approach to problem-solving and identifying opportunities for growth and efficiency.
- Comfort and adaptability in working across different time zones and cultures within a globally distributed team.
Required Skills
- Payments
- Payment Processing
- Acquiring
- Managing Payment Partnerships
- Card Networks
- PSPs
- Operations
- Project Management
- Relationship Management
- Ownership
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Influence
- Data-driven
- Analytical
- Strategic Problem Solving
Work Environment and Location
This is a full-time position based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ********* operates with a hybrid working model, requiring three days per week in the office to foster collaboration and connection. The company fosters an environment where high performers can thrive through ownership, reduced blockers, and impactful work. Opportunities for growth and recognition are provided, with a focus on operating as one team.
