Director, Co-Brand Strategic Partnerships

• Lead strategic partnerships and initiatives across the U.S. co-brand ecosystem, working closely with Business Development, Account Management, Product, Marketing, Creative, Legal, and Finance teams
• Identify, structure, and execute ecosystem co-brand partnerships with fintechs, merchants, issuers, consultants, technology providers, and other infrastructure providers that align with Visa's long-term co-brand strategy
• Identify, prioritize, and pursue new co-brand "attack" partnership opportunities; own the strategic direction, development, and execution of complex RFP responses, ensuring alignment with commercial objectives, partnership strategy, and client priorities
• Drive competitive win strategies through issuer influence by leading pursuit teams, shaping value propositions, and overseeing the delivery of high-impact RFP responses for strategic co-brand "attack" partnership opportunities.
• Develop innovative co-brand partnership structures that create differentiated value.
• Serve as the senior relationship owner for priority co-brand issuing partners.
• Build trusted advisor relationships with C-suite and executive stakeholders.
• Influence issuing partner strategy and align joint objectives across organizations.
• Lead executive business reviews and strategic planning sessions.
• Drive cross-functional execution of priority co-brand initiatives, ensuring alignment from concept through launch and scale
• Develop partnership frameworks and operating models that can be reused across clients and segments
• Provide market insights and strategic recommendations to senior leadership to inform product roadmap, go-to-market strategy, and investment priorities

Requirements

• 10 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor's Degree or at least 8 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters/ MBA/JD/MD) or at least 3 years of work experience with a PhD
• Track record of planning, managing, and closing complex, competitive sales efforts, including negotiation, closure, and delivery management.
• Demonstrated experience managing and cultivating C-level relationships and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
• Collaboration and Relationship Building – Demonstrated experience building and leveraging strong relationships within Visa and client organizations at multiple levels.
• Excellent Communicator – Superb ability to influence and collaborate across all levels; ability to articulate strategic concepts through exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong "managing up" abilities, including developing executive-level communications and delivering impactful presentations.
• Executive presence, with superior written and oral communication skills and presentation capabilities.
• Proactive/Self Starter – Willing and able to take on new challenges and able to work through ambiguity.
• Dynamic and flexible – Able to juggle numerous responsibilities simultaneously with swift turnaround times; able to work across multiple time zones when required.
• Expertise in gathering and synthesizing co-brand market intelligence to create actionable go-to-market plans.
• Exceptional cross-functional leadership skills; able to influence without authority and motivate diverse teams.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a strong focus on delivering client value.
• Payments industry experience with a strong partnership focus.
• Co-brand issuer and/or merchant experience.
• Knowledgeable in co-brand, loyalty, and/or program management best practices along with implications for issuers, networks and merchants.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in leading strategic partnerships and initiatives within the co-brand ecosystem, with a strong focus on relationship building, negotiation, and execution of complex commercial agreements. Proven ability to influence C-suite stakeholders and drive cross-functional collaboration to achieve strategic objectives.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Strategic Partnership Development
• C-Level Relationship Management
• Complex Sales NegotiationCross-Functional Leadership
• Payments Industry Experience

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Co-Brand Partnership Structuring
• RFP Response Management
• Market Intelligence Synthesis
• Go-To-Market Strategy Development
• Commercial Agreement Negotiation

Soft Skills

• Excellent Communication
• Collaboration and Relationship Building
• Problem-Solving
• Proactive/Self Starter
• Dynamic and Flexible

Industry Keywords

• Payments Industry
• Co-Brand Issuer Experience
• Merchant Experience
• Loyalty Program Management
• Executive Business Reviews