Head of Partnerships

Location Hybrid (Berkeley, California) - Candidates must be located in the San Francisco Bay Area and able to commute to our Berkeley office on a regular basis. We are a remote-first company with a globally distributed team. So you can find your productive zone and work from there. About the Role This is a rare seat. You'll be Sardine's dedicated Head of Partnerships, owning the strategy, leading the team, and personally closing the relationships that matter most. Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll partner with the executive team to architect an ecosystem spanning banks, data providers, AI platforms, and global channel networks. You will own the full partnership lifecycle - sourcing, negotiating, launching, and maintaining the relationships that power Sardine's growth. You'll serve as the primary representative of Sardine's interests externally while championing partners' needs internally, working closely with product, engineering, marketing, sales, and legal to ensure the right alliances are in place to make payments safer and faster. What You'll Do Own the partnership strategy end-to-end. Define the taxonomy (banking, data, AI, channel), set the roadmap, and align it to revenue and product goals alongside the CEO. Lead deals personally. This is a player-coach role, so you'll carry your own book of strategic relationships and close complex, multi-stakeholder agreements. Build and scale the partnerships team. Lead a small high-performance team as we grow; set the operating model, playbooks, and metrics. Drive banking ecosystem relationships. Cultivate deep ties with Tier 1, regional, and correspondent banks as distribution, data, and co-sell partners. Develop data partnerships. Structure commercial relationships with credit bureaus, alternative data providers, and consortium networks that extend Sardine's signal coverage. Build the AI & technology partner layer. Engage cloud providers, LLM platforms, and core banking vendors to embed Sardine in the AI-native financial services stack. Expand globally. Identify, prioritize, and activate regional partners across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM to support international go-to-market and compliance requirements. Collaborate cross-functionally. Work with Product, Engineering, Legal, and Sales to structure integrations, co-sell motions, and joint GTM plans that create durable commercial value. What You Bring 10+ years in partnerships, BD, or alliance leadership at a fintech, RegTech, fraud/risk platform, or financial infrastructure company with at least 2 of those years in a senior leadership role owning a partner portfolio with measurable revenue attribution. Deep financial services and payments experience. You understand how fintechs and banks buy and partner, who the real decision-makers are, and you've sat across the table from Chief Risk Officers, CTOs, and Heads of Compliance. Data partnership credibility. You've negotiated and managed relationships with credit bureaus, identity data providers, or financial data networks. AI & technology ecosystem fluency. You understand how AI platforms, cloud hyperscalers, and core banking vendors fit into a modern financial services stack, and how to position within them. You can speak credibly with both technical and product partners about what this means for your joint go-to-market. Start-Up experience with a Builder's DNA. You've worked at growing organizations and thrived in that environment. You know how to operate without infrastructure, build from scratch, and move fast without perfect information. You're energized by ambiguity and first-principles thinking. Player–coach approach with an execution mindset. You lead by example, roll up your sleeves, and understand that at this stage, your personal execution matters as much as your strategic judgment. Regulatory fluency. You understand how evolving frameworks affect how partners buy, integrate, and co-sell. Commercial instinct. You can structure complex partnership economics, evaluate strategic vs. revenue-driving relationships, and build business cases that hold up to board scrutiny. Global experience. Strong preference that you've built or scaled partner programs outside the US. Bonus for active relationships in Canada, EMEA, APAC, or LATAM. Benefits we offer Generous compensation in cash and equity Early exercise for all options, including pre-vested Work from anywhere: Remote-first Culture Flexible paid time off and Year-end break Health insurance, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents - US and Canada specific 4% matching in 401k / RRSP - US and Canada specific MacBook Pro delivered to your door One-time stipend to set up a home office — desk, chair, screen, etc. Monthly meal stipend Monthly social meet-up stipend Annual health and wellness stipend Annual Learning stipend #J-18808-Ljbffr