Director, Data Acquisition & Partnerships

Yodlee•Raleigh, NC

About The Position

As the Director of Data Acquisition & Partnerships, you will lead the strategic acquisition and management of data relationships with financial institutions, banks, and key data providers. Your work will ensure the organization has access to secure, high-quality, and compliant financial data to fuel product innovation and drive sustainable business growth. This role acts as the primary liaison and negotiator between external data partners and internal stakeholders including Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance and info sec—ensuring seamless collaboration across all data acquisition initiatives. You will also serve as a local subject matter expert on Open Banking, shaping strategic direction and execution.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in data partnerships, business development, or vendor management in fintech or financial services.
5+ years in financial services or banking; fintech experience strongly preferred.
Deep knowledge of banking data ecosystems, privacy laws, and Open Banking regulatory frameworks.
Working knowledge of CFPB Section 1033 and its implications for data access, consent, and partner agreements.
Proven track record negotiating complex data agreements and managing strategic partnerships.
Hands-on experience with Open Banking architecture, including OAuth 2.0, API gateways, financial data APIs, and tokenized authentication.
Demonstrated leadership in Open Banking initiatives or contributions to industry best practices and regulatory engagement, including participation in standards bodies such as FDX.
Experience driving cross-functional initiatives involving Product, Compliance, IT, Legal, and Go-to-Market teams.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to distill complex topics for executive and cross-functional audiences.
Strong analytical and strategic thinking with the ability to connect technical and business dots.
Ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
Highly adaptable, detail-oriented, and able to thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments.
Proactive and self-motivated, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
Excellent project management and organizational skills, with a proven ability to manage multiple high-impact initiatives.
Demonstrated leadership in team development, performance management, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Comfortable navigating ambiguity, managing competing priorities, and building scalable systems to support long-term growth.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the data partnership strategy with a focus on banks, credit unions, wealth managers, core processors, and Open Finance infrastructure providers.
Identify, negotiate, and manage high-value data licensing agreements and executive-level relationships.
Own the commercial economics of data access — negotiate and manage data-access fee schedules, per-event and authentication billing structures, and the overall cost curve of connectivity.
Ensure all partnerships are fully compliant with regulatory standards such as GLBA, GDPR, CCPA, and CFPB Section 1033 (the U.S. Open Banking / personal-financial-data rule).
Work cross-functionally with Legal to evaluate contractual and regulatory implications, enabling informed business decisions that balance commercial opportunities with legal and operational risk.
Translate Open Banking and Open Finance strategies into actionable roadmaps aligned with local regulatory and market needs.
Monitor CFPB Section 1033 rulemaking and broader open-banking regulatory developments, and translate them into partner terms, data-access strategy, and product requirements.
Drive adoption of Open Banking standards by contributing to industry working groups and influencing data-sharing frameworks, including active participation in FDX (Financial Data Exchange) task forces and equivalent regional standards bodies.
Represent the company externally at industry forums and standards summits (e.g., FDX events, Money20/20, Open Banking Expo) as a speaker, working-group contributor, and relationship-builder.
Partner with Product and Engineering teams to align data acquisition priorities with roadmap and technical feasibility.
Maintain competitive and ecosystem intelligence across data-access providers and networks (e.g., Plaid, Finicity, MX, Akoya) to inform build-vs-partner and pricing decisions.
Oversee Open Banking integration quality, mitigate risks, and manage relationship dynamics with financial institutions to ensure delivery success.
Lead Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) and ensure strong data governance across product changes.
Track KPIs — including connectivity coverage, API/OAuth migration rate vs. credential-based access, and connection longevity/success rates — and provide regular executive updates on Open Banking progress and partnership outcomes.
Coordinate compliance submissions and reporting for Open Banking regulatory requirements.
Mentor and educate internal teams on Open Banking trends, technical standards, and strategic opportunities.
Serve as an internal evangelist and external representative for the company's data access initiatives.
Conduct business reviews with key stakeholders and strategic partners.
Lead and manage media announcements around data partnerships and connectivity.