Manager, Business Development, Financial Services Marketplace

Kikoff: The Fintech Powering Financial Security at Scale
Kikoff is a profitable, pre-IPO fintech company on a mission to empower everyone to achieve financial security. With record revenue growth in 2025 and a unicorn valuation, we've built a suite of products that help millions of people build credit, access liquidity, and save money.
We're scaling fast. Join us if you want to build something meaningful and help millions of people move forward financially.

Why Kikoff:

This is a consumer fintech startup, and you will be working with serial entrepreneurs who have built strong consumer brands and innovative products. We value extreme ownership, clear communication, a strong sense of craftsmanship, and the desire to create lasting work and work relationships. Yes, you can build an exciting business AND have real-life real-customer impact.

Overview

We are looking for a Business Development Manager to support the growth and expansion of our financial services marketplace across key verticals including credit cards, personal loans, insurance, banking, and other consumer financial products. This role will help drive the sourcing, execution, and management of strategic partnerships that contribute to marketplace revenue growth, customer engagement, and long-term ecosystem expansion.

This role is ideal for a highly motivated operator who combines strong relationship management skills with analytical rigor and a passion for partnerships. You will be responsible for identifying new partnership opportunities, supporting commercial negotiations, managing day-to-day partner relationships, and helping optimize marketplace monetization performance across a portfolio of financial services partners.

You will work cross-functionally with Product, Design, Marketing, Data, Finance, Legal, and Engineering teams to help execute marketplace initiatives and support the continued scaling of the business development organization.

The ideal candidate has experience in consumer fintech, affiliate marketplaces, lead generation ecosystems, performance marketing, or financial services platforms similar to companies like Credit Karma and NerdWallet.
Responsibilities
Partnership Growth & Business Development

• Identify, source, and evaluate new partnership opportunities across credit cards, lending, insurance, banking, and adjacent fintech categories
• Support outreach, qualification, negotiation, and onboarding of new marketplace partners
• Assist in structuring partnership agreements including CPA, CPL, rev-share, and hybrid monetization models
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with affiliate partners, financial institutions, fintech platforms, and distribution channels
• Support expansion opportunities within existing accounts through upsell, cross-sell, and new product launches
• Help execute outbound partnership sourcing strategies to support marketplace growth goals

Partnership Management & Optimization

• Serve as a day-to-day point of contact for assigned partners, ensuring smooth communication and operational execution
• Monitor partner performance and identify opportunities to improve conversion rates, monetization, engagement, and user acquisition efficiency
• Coordinate onboarding, launch readiness, tracking implementation, and ongoing operational support for new partners
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to troubleshoot issues and ensure partner satisfaction
• Support testing and experimentation across placements, offers, funnel optimization, and pricing strategies
• Help ensure partner compliance, quality standards, and operational SLAs are maintained

Analytics & Performance Reporting

• Track and analyze marketplace KPIs including revenue, conversion rates, EPCs, CAC efficiency, approval rates, and partner performance
• Prepare regular reporting and performance updates for internal stakeholders and leadership
• Identify trends, optimization opportunities, and operational risks using data-driven analysis
• Support forecasting, pipeline tracking, and business case development for new partnership opportunities
• Use marketplace insights and partner feedback to inform growth recommendations

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Product, Design, Marketing, Data, Finance, Legal, and Engineering teams to support marketplace initiatives
• Communicate partner needs, feedback, and market insights internally to improve marketplace performance and user experience
• Coordinate cross-functional execution of partnership launches, campaigns, and growth initiatives
• Collaborate with Legal and Compliance teams to support contract execution and ensure adherence to financial services regulations and advertising standards
• Contribute to roadmap discussions and operational planning that support marketplace scalability

Requirements

• 4-7 years of experience in business development, partnerships, account management, affiliate marketing, marketplace operations, or related commercial functions
• Experience within consumer fintech, financial services marketplaces, affiliate ecosystems, lead generation, or digital acquisition channels preferred
• Strong understanding of financial products including credit cards, personal loans, insurance, banking products, and/or adjacent fintech categories
• Experience managing partner relationships and supporting commercial negotiations
• Strong analytical and operational skillset with experience tracking KPIs, performance metrics, and monetization outcomes
• Ability to manage multiple partnerships and projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• Strong communication, relationship management, and organizational skills
• Experience working cross-functionally with Product, Marketing, Engineering, Legal, and Analytics teams
• Self-starter mentality with strong attention to detail and execution
• Bachelor's degree required

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at a fintech marketplace, affiliate network, comparison platform, or performance marketing company
• Familiarity with CPA/CPL/rev-share monetization models and affiliate tracking platforms
• Experience working with banks, lenders, insurance carriers, or major financial institutions
• Understanding of consumer acquisition funnels, lifecycle marketing, and marketplace economics
• Experience supporting partnership launches and operational scaling initiatives in high-growth environments

Base Range

$133,000-$172,000 USD

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Kikoff Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.

Please reference the following for more information.