Strategic Partnerships Lead

Act as a Business Execution advisor to leadership to drive direct and indirect channel performance and initiatives, and develop and implement executive-ready updates to key stakeholders and senior management. Lead strategy and resolution of highly complex business execution challenges that require solid analytical skills and extensive knowledge of indirect channels, to deliver long term and large-scale solutions. Provide vision, direction, and expertise to senior leadership on scaling indirect channel growth within Merchant Services, delivering large-scale solutions across matrixed organization. Lead team meetings governance forums, and steering committee to facilitate decision making, remove blockers and support implementation of recommendations and plans. Strategically engage with all levels of professionals and managers across multiple lines of businesses and serve as an experienced advisor to the leadership. Provide direction to cross-functional teams to progress partner initiatives from intake through certification/enablement, aligning to Merchant Services operating requirements. Drive business development execution for the indirect sales channel by assessing current partner usage, identifying growth opportunities, and prioritizing partners aligned to Merchant Services strategy. Evaluate and recommend opportunities for certification to existing Merchant Services platforms, defining selection criteria, business case rationale, and expected sales impact. Requirements 7+ years of Business Execution, Implementation, or Strategic Planning experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education Experience with Independent Software Vendor (ISV), referral, reseller, technology partner, or third-party partnership models, preferably in merchant services, payments, fintech, or financial services. Knowledge of the payments ecosystem, including merchant acquiring, gateways, integrated payments, underwriting, onboarding, risk, compliance, settlement, and servicing. Ability to recruit/build relationships and negotiate with 3rd parties while aligning internal partners across product, technology, risk, legal, compliance, operations, and sales. Experience supporting partner onboarding, certification, implementation readiness, or integration governance. Understanding of partner operating models, including revenue sharing, referral arrangements, governance, support, reporting, and issue escalation. Ability to translate business, technical, risk, and compliance requirements into clear partner-facing materials and executive-ready updates. Familiarity with APIs, payment gateways, developer documentation, integration testing, or technical certification processes. Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a matrixed environment with track record of working effectively in a team environment, across all organizational levels. Strong communication and presentation skills, including experience preparing materials for senior leaders and external partners. Experience using partner performance, readiness, operational metrics, or feedback to improve partner experience. Experience in developing 3rd party sales and referral channels, preferably in the merchant services space. Demonstrated ability for self-management, problem-solving, and critical decision making in an efficient manner using strong analytical thinking. Core Competencies Demonstrates extensive experience in Business Execution and Strategic Planning, with a strong focus on driving indirect channel performance and developing executive-ready updates. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and engage with stakeholders at all levels to implement large-scale solutions in the Merchant Services and payments ecosystem. Highest-signal resume keywords Business Execution Strategic Planning Payments Ecosystem Knowledge Partner Onboarding and Certification Cross-Functional Leadership ATS Optimization Keywords Hard Skills Analytical Skills Partner Performance Metrics Revenue Sharing Models Risk and Compliance Management Integration Testing Technical Certification Processes Negotiation Skills Problem-Solving Decision Making Relationship Building Soft Skills Strong Communication Skills Presentation Skills Team Collaboration Self-Management Industry Keywords Merchant Services Fintech Financial Services Third-Party Partnership Models Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Tools & Technologies APIs Payment Gateways Developer Documentation #J-18808-Ljbffr Jobtailor