Senior Manager, Partnerships Strategy

About Airwallex Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale. Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,000 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe. Valued at US$8 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us. Attributes We Value We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor. You’re humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end‑to‑end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next. About the team The Financial & Strategic Partnerships team at Airwallex is a global group of strategists, dealmakers and relationship builders who forge the alliances that power our growth. We work with leading banks, card schemes, local payment methods (LPMs), fintechs and platforms to unlock new markets, launch new products and improve economics for Airwallex and our customers. We sit at the intersection of strategy, product and commercial, partnering closely with regional GMs, Product, Finance and Risk to ensure our most important partners become durable, mutually valuable growth engines. On the Financial Partnerships side, that includes global and regional banks, card schemes, and local payment method providers; on the Strategic Partnerships side, it includes e‑commerce and vertical SaaS platforms, marketplaces, and large technology platforms (e.g., commerce, travel and ERP/financial software partners). What you’ll do As Senior Manager, Partnerships Strategy, you will be the strategy lead for the Partnerships organization. You’ll own how we decide where to partner, what to build vs. buy vs. partner, and how to structure our largest deals so that Partnerships directly amplifies Airwallex’s global strategy. This role is global in remit, reports to the VP of Financial & Strategic Partnerships, and is based in San Francisco or New York. Responsibilities: Global Strategy & Market Entry: Define and refine the "where, why, and how" of our partnership roadmap. You’ll lead the "build vs. buy vs. partner" analysis to support new market expansion and product growth. Strategic Deal Architecture: Drive the strategy for our most complex negotiations (schemes, global banks, aggregators). You’ll lead economic scenario modeling and pressure-test deal structures to maximize long‑term value. Operating Rhythm & Value Tracking: Design and run the team’s "business engine"—including QBRs, performance scorecards, and pipeline reviews—ensuring leadership has clear visibility into the value Partnerships creates. Executive Support & Board Readiness: Act as a primary thought partner to the VP of Partnerships. You will draft the decision memos, strategy docs, and Board materials that enable fast, high-quality executive decisions. M&A & Ecosystem Intelligence: Serve as the subject‑matter expert on the global financial ecosystem. You’ll lead due diligence for major partnerships and identify potential M&A targets that align with our strategic goals. Cross‑Functional Orchestration: Lead high‑priority "special projects" (e.g., partner stack redesigns, portfolio optimization) by aligning stakeholders across Product, Finance, Legal, and Risk from ideation through execution. Who you are We’re looking for someone who is equally comfortable building the slide, the model and the relationship—and who can move seamlessly between strategy, analytics and execution. Minimum qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, finance, engineering or a related field. 8+ years of experience across some combination of strategy / corporate development / revenue strategy / top‑tier consulting / strategic partnerships / business development. Demonstrated ability to shape and drive cross‑functional strategic initiatives end‑to‑end in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment. Strong analytical and quantitative skills: can size markets, model deal and partner economics, and measure partnership ROI and performance. Executive‑ready communication skills – able to distill complexity into simple narratives and influence senior stakeholders (internal and external). Proven track record of operating with ambiguity, structuring open‑ended problems and turning them into clear workplans and decisions. Experience working across time zones and cultures, with the ability to earn trust and drive alignment among diverse teams. Preferred qualifications: Experience in fintech / payments / banking / card schemes / LPMs or adjacent financial infrastructure. Direct exposure to partnerships with banks, schemes, PSPs, LPMs, or large platforms (e.g., leading strategy, evaluation, or deal support). Prior experience as a chief of staff, strategy lead, or engagement manager working closely with VP+ or C‑level leaders. A strong interest in the global financial ecosystem and embedded finance, and how modern platforms are reshaping cross‑border commerce. Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third-Party Recruiters To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page. Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary. Equal opportunity Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. 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