Director, Channel Partnerships

Airwallex • San Francisco, CA

11d

About The Position

Airwallex is seeking a highly strategic and results-oriented Director, Channel Partnerships to lead and scale our channel growth efforts in the US. This is a pivotal leadership role where you will be instrumental in defining, launching, and accelerating our partnership strategy, with an immediate focus on significantly growing our partnerships across verticals. Your primary objective will be to establish Airwallex as the preferred partner for global expansion for US SME and mid-market companies. You will leverage your deep understanding of various market ecosystems and strong network to identify and establish high-impact partnerships, developing and executing comprehensive partner programs. A key priority will be to open up new partnership pillars, including those with ERPs, Private Equity and Venture Capital companies, technology integrators, and accounting/bookkeeping firms. In the long term, you will be responsible for re-evaluating and continually evolving our overall channel strategy. This role requires a proven leader who can not only drive direct results but also build, mentor, and grow a team of high-performing Channel Partnership Managers underneath them to support these ambitious goals, while also identifying white space opportunities within the partnership landscape. This role is based in San Francisco OR New York City.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive experience in channel partnerships, business development, or strategic sales, with at least 3 years in a leadership or senior role managing complex partnerships and/or teams
• Demonstrated success in building, launching, and scaling channel partnership programs that have directly contributed to substantial revenue growth across various industries, with a strong understanding of how to adapt strategies for different verticals
• Deep and verifiable knowledge of multiple business ecosystems (e.g., VC/start-up, SaaS, travel), including established players, emerging trends, and key strategic levers
• Existing strong network within the startup, venture capital, or private equity communities, with the ability to leverage and expand this network to new areas
• Proven ability to hire, lead, mentor, and develop high-performing teams, fostering a culture of strategic thinking and execution
• Exceptional negotiation, deal structuring, and strategic relationship management skills at an executive level
• Highly analytical, with a track record of using data to inform strategic decisions and drive operational efficiency
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, comfortable presenting to and influencing diverse audiences, including C-suite executives

Nice To Haves

• Experience in the fintech or payments industry
• Prior experience in a fast-growing startup environment

Responsibilities

• Define and drive channel strategy: Develop and implement comprehensive channel strategies to drive customer acquisition and revenue growth across various verticals and products, including our FX, card issuing, payments acquiring, and spend management suite
• Cultivate high-impact partnerships: Identify, qualify, negotiate, and close strategic partnerships with key players across a diverse range of ecosystems, with a priority on ERPs, PE/VC firms, and accounting/bookkeeping firms
• Drive immediate revenue impact by building and scaling a high-velocity partner referral engine that delivers a consistent pipeline of qualified customer leads, and collaborating closely with the AE team to ensure their successful conversion
• Design & scale innovative partner programs: Create, launch, and optimize innovative partner programs, including referral models, affiliate structures, co-marketing initiatives (webinars, events, content syndication), and technology integrations, tailored to different partner types and objectives
• Lead strategic channel evolution: Take the lead in strategically assessing and evolving Airwallex's overall channel approach, continuously identifying new verticals, partnership models, and product integration opportunities for long-term growth and competitive advantage
• Build and lead a high-performing team: Recruit, mentor, and empower a team of Channel Partnership Managers with specialized expertise in our priority verticals
• Drive cross-functional alignment: Collaborate extensively with internal teams including Sales, Marketing, Product, Operations, and Legal to ensure seamless partner experiences, optimize go-to-market strategies, and align partnership efforts with company-wide objectives
• Be a market expert: Stay ahead of market trends, competitive landscapes, and emerging opportunities in payments and across various industries to continually refine and enhance our partnership strategy

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees