Director of Strategic Clients & Partnerships, Americas

Ascenda•New York, NY

12d•$150,000 - $250,000

About The Position

As the Director of Strategic Clients & Partnerships, Americas, you will report to the VP of Strategic Clients & Partnerships, Americas, and play a critical role in driving revenue growth across the region. Your focus will be on strategically managing and expanding relationships with key financial services clients and rewards partners as Ascenda scales its global marketplace. You will have responsibility for managing a portfolio of Ascenda’s strategic clients as well as existing redemption content partners across travel categories (such as airlines and hotels). You will work closely with these brands to help them grow their revenue and loyalty by accessing Ascenda’s financial services customer base, while simultaneously ensuring our bank clients maximize the engagement and value of their loyalty programs. In addition, you will define and execute the strategy for acquiring new content partners and unlocking innovative new redemption categories that resonate with tomorrow’s consumers.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in loyalty & partnerships and/or business development
Significant exposure to loyalty programs, especially in a financial services context
Proven ability to build and commercialize external relationships with large merchants and complex clients
Empathetic coach who sets individual goals, conducts performance reviews, and actively supports team member development
Disciplined execution and project management skills, with an ability to "connect-the-dots" across business dependencies to progress the business forward
Strong analytical skills to make fast, well-grounded decisions, backed by specialist knowledge of the industry
Thrives in a fast-paced, evolving startup environment; hands-on, resourceful, and able to drive impact amid ambiguity
Excited by ambitious goals, rapid growth, and breaking new ground in the American market
Structured thinker and communicator who presents ideas in a simple, actionable manner
Strong alignment with Ascenda’s core values of growth mindset, hands-on ownership, supportive collaboration, and radical simplicity

Responsibilities

Drive growth and own the strategy for a portfolio of Ascenda’s key travel partners and strategic financial services clients
Actively engage with complex clients and partners on a regular basis to develop and execute innovative growth and marketing strategies
Collaborate closely with the Senior Leadership team, Business Development, and Product to define the future of rewards content and drive the addition of new categories
Execute rapidly by solving problems, removing obstacles, and showcasing business resiliency to navigate complex situations and workstreams for both partners and clients
Measure and analyze portfolio performance, presenting problem statements, context, and recommendations to leaders and peers to drive a continuous innovation agenda
Lead, coach, and develop a small team, independently defining success, setting goals, conducting performance reviews, and ensuring strong execution
Conduct in-depth market analysis of the U.S. loyalty landscape (e.g., airlines, banks) to uncover trends, effectively "matchmaking" new partners to client needs and identifying new strategic opportunities
Represent Ascenda at industry conferences and events by delivering high-impact speaking engagements that elevate our brand visibility and position the company as a thought leader