Business Development Manager

About Us: Network International is the largest Financial Technology company in the Middle East and Africa, with a presence in over 50 countries including the UAE, Jordan, South Africa, and Egypt. While payments remain our core business, we also provide services in Data & Insights, Lending, Insurance, Risk Solutions, and more. Our clients range from businesses of all sizes and segments, and we have been expanding into the direct-to-consumer card segment as well.

Our EVP: At Network International, we always stay ahead. In the fast-paced world of financial services, we thrive on innovation, agility, and purposeful collaboration. We invest first in our people,

empowering you to make bold decisions, learn fast, and grow your expertise alongside industry

leaders. Here, solving complex problems means more than using cutting-edge technology; it’s

about creating meaningful value for our customers, together. We foster a culture where trust, accountability, and achievement go hand in hand - because success isn’t just a goal; it’s how we

work, every day, as one team.

Role Purpose

Own and grow a portfolio of merchant relationships while winning new merchants. The role drives revenue through active management of the existing book, cross-selling and upselling of additional products and services, and onboarding new merchants.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and grow an assigned portfolio of merchants, acting as their main point of contact and trusted advisor.
• Increase portfolio revenue through transaction growth, retention, and pricing and product optimization.
• Identify and sell additional products and services to existing merchants (e.g. e-commerce and payment gateway, value-added services, new acceptance channels and terminals).
• Source, pitch, negotiate and close new merchants, and work with Onboarding, Risk, Legal and Operations to complete onboarding smoothly and within agreed timelines.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of prospects and opportunities and keep CRM records accurate and up to date.
• Conduct regular portfolio reviews and business reviews with merchants to understand needs, performance and risks.
• Monitor merchant performance, volumes and attrition signals, and act early to retain at-risk merchants.
• Coordinate with internal teams (Product, Customer Service, Operations, Risk and Finance) to resolve merchant issues quickly.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and KYC and risk standards in all merchant dealings.
• Prepare regular reports and forecasts on portfolio performance.

KPI’s

• Portfolio revenue growth: revenue growth and retention of the managed merchant book against target.
• Cross-sell / upsell revenue and number of additional services sold to existing merchants.
• New merchant acquisition: number of new merchants onboarded, and revenue generated from them against target.
• Merchant retention: attrition and churn within the portfolio.
• Onboarding efficiency: time from signed deal to go-live.
• Pipeline and activity: pipeline value and conversion rate, plus merchant review coverage.
• Merchant satisfaction and compliance: satisfaction scores and adherence to policy and KYC standards.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Marketing or a related field.
• 4 to 7 years of experience in relationship management or B2B sales, preferably in payments, banking, fintech or merchant acquiring.
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding revenue and new business targets.
• Experience managing a client portfolio and cross-selling products.
• Knowledge of the UAE merchant and payments market is preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong consultative selling, negotiation and closing skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English & Arabic.
• Commercial and analytical mindset, with the ability to read portfolio data and act on it.
• Strong ownership, customer focus and ability to work with multiple internal teams.
• Self-driven, organized and able to manage multiple priorities.
• Proficiency in CRM tools and MS Office.

• Maintain and deepen relationships with existing merchant clients in the UAE SME segment.
• Identify and execute cross-selling and upselling opportunities for payment solutions and value-added services.
• Prospect and acquire new merchant accounts to achieve quarterly sales targets.
• Develop and present tailored acquisition proposals and pricing models.
• Collaborate with product, risk, and operations teams to ensure seamless onboarding and service delivery.
• Monitor merchant performance and provide strategic recommendations to improve transaction volume and profitability.
• Prepare regular sales forecasts, pipeline reports, and performance dashboards for senior management.
• Negotiate contract terms and service level agreements with merchants.
• Stay informed on market trends, competitor activities, and regulatory changes affecting merchant acquiring.
• Represent Network International at industry events, seminars, and networking functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Marketing or a related field; MBA preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in merchant acquiring, payment solutions, or business development within the UAE SME market.
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets through relationship management and upselling.
• Strong understanding of payment processing, POS systems, and digital payment ecosystems.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills in English; Arabic is a plus.
• Ability to analyze merchant data and translate insights into actionable growth strategies.
• Self-motivated, results-driven with a high degree of professionalism and integrity.
• Proficiency with CRM tools and Microsoft Office Suite; experience with Salesforce is advantageous.
• Willingness to travel locally within the UAE to meet clients and attend events.
• Knowledge of local regulatory requirements related to payment services and merchant onboarding.