Partnership Manager

We are seeking a collaborative, commercially minded, and results-driven Partnerships Manager to identify, develop, negotiate, and manage strategic partnerships that support SeamlessHR's Embedded Finance business. The successful candidate will build relationships with financial institutions, technology providers, distribution partners, payment providers, and other ecosystem partners to expand our product offering and accelerate business growth.

This role requires strong business development, stakeholder management, commercial negotiation, and project coordination capabilities. The successful candidate will work closely with Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, Sales, Operations, and external partners to gather business requirements, coordinate integrations, resolve implementation challenges, and ensure successful go-live of strategic partnerships.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate, and onboard strategic partners that support Embedded Finance products and services.
• Build and manage relationships with banks, fintechs, technology vendors, payment providers, and other ecosystem partners.
• Lead commercial discussions, partnership negotiations, and contract execution with prospective partners.
• Gather, document, and validate business and technical requirements for new partnership integrations.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams including Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, Operations, Sales, and Marketing throughout the partnership lifecycle.
• Develop implementation plans and manage partnership projects from discovery through go-live.
• Track partnership deliverables, timelines, risks, dependencies, and issue resolution to ensure successful execution.
• Work with Product and Engineering teams to prioritize integration requirements and partner requests.
• Monitor partnership performance, commercial outcomes, and operational effectiveness, recommending improvements where required.
• Prepare business cases, partnership proposals, presentations, and executive updates for internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain an active pipeline of prospective partners and drive opportunities from initial engagement through execution.
• Represent SeamlessHR at industry events, partner meetings, and ecosystem engagements to identify new business opportunities.

Partnership Categories

The Partnerships Manager will be responsible for sourcing and managing partnerships across areas including:

• Lending, BNPL and financing partners
• Insurance providers
• Investment and wealth management partners
• Payment and collections providers
• Identity verification and KYC providers
• Credit bureaus and data providers
• HR and payroll technology integrations
• API and infrastructure partners
• Distribution and channel partners
• Strategic ecosystem partnerships

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strategic Partnerships and Business Development
• Commercial Negotiation and Contract Management
• Relationship and Stakeholder Management
• Project and Program Management
• Product Requirements Gathering and Documentation
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Financial Services or Fintech Industry Knowledge
• Vendor and Third-Party Management
• Business Analysis and Solution Design
• Strong Communication and Presentation Skills
• Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Agile Project Delivery and Coordination

This role is ideal for a commercially driven professional who enjoys building strategic relationships, leading complex partnership initiatives, coordinating cross-functional teams, and delivering successful business outcomes through collaboration and execution.

Requirements

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Computer Science, Engineering, Marketing, or a related field.
• Minimum of 6-8 years of relevant experience in Partnerships, Business Development, Strategic Alliances, Product, Project Management, or Ecosystem Management, preferably within the fintech, financial services, SaaS, or technology industry.
• Proven experience sourcing, negotiating, and managing strategic partnerships from inception through execution.
• Demonstrated experience working with financial institutions, fintechs, payment providers, technology vendors, or digital ecosystem partners.
• Experience managing cross-functional projects involving Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, Operations, Sales, and Marketing teams.
• Strong understanding of APIs, digital integrations, embedded finance, payments, lending, or financial technology solutions is highly desirable.
• Experience preparing business cases, commercial proposals, partnership agreements, and executive presentations.
• Excellent negotiation, stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, project management, and organizational skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Professional certifications in Project Management (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile), Business Analysis (CBAP), or Partnership Management are an added advantage.

What Will Make You Stand Out

• Experience in Embedded Finance, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS), Payments, Digital Lending
• Existing network within the fintech, banking, payments, insurance, or financial services ecosystem.
• Experience leading commercial negotiations and managing strategic partnerships across multiple markets.
• Ability to manage multiple partnership initiatives simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.