Head of Partnerships

Index Industries•Remote, IL

16h

About The Position

Index Industries is looking for a Head of Partnerships to own and grow our relationships across the fintech and blockchain ecosystem. This is a founding-team-level, startup-phase role reporting directly to the CEO. You'll set the partnerships strategy from scratch, close the first wave of deals yourself, and lay the groundwork for a team as the function scales. Success depends on walking in with real, working relationships at the institutions that matter most: Circle, Coinbase, Kraken, and comparable regulated crypto and payments companies.

Requirements

7+ years in business development, partnerships, or strategic alliances, with meaningful time spent in crypto, blockchain, or fintech.
Existing, working relationships with decision-makers at major crypto/fintech institutions, direct experience with or connections into Circle, Coinbase, Kraken, or similar regulated exchanges and stablecoin issuers is required.
Track record of sourcing, negotiating, and closing complex commercial partnerships end-to-end.
Fluency in the mechanics of the space: stablecoins, custody, on/off-ramps, exchange integrations, regulatory considerations (money transmission, BSA/AML, state-by-state licensing).
Comfort operating with startup-level ambiguity, you'll build the playbook, not inherit one.
Excellent communication and negotiation skills; equally credible in a room with a CEO, a legal team, or a compliance officer.
A strong personal network in the fintech/crypto space that translates into a warm pipeline from day one.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience at a crypto exchange, stablecoin issuer, custodian, or payments company.
Experience building a partnerships or BD function from zero at an early-stage startup.
Familiarity with U.S. money transmission licensing and crypto regulatory frameworks.

Responsibilities

Build and execute a partnerships strategy that connects Index Industries to leading fintech and blockchain infrastructure providers, exchanges, and stablecoin issuers.
Originate, negotiate, and close strategic partnerships with companies covering commercial terms, integration scope, and go-to-market alignment.
Serve as the primary relationship owner for key partners, acting as the trusted point of contact across business, product, legal, and compliance stakeholders.
Identify and prioritize partnership opportunities (liquidity, custody, on/off-ramps, stablecoin settlement, exchange listings, co-marketing) that accelerate product and revenue goals.
Work cross-functionally with product, engineering, legal, and compliance to structure deals that are commercially sound and regulatorily defensible.
Represent Index Industries at industry events, conferences, and working groups to build the company's standing in the crypto and fintech partner ecosystem.
Report directly to the CEO on partnership pipeline, deal economics, and market feedback; help shape overall company strategy given your market vantage point.
Build the partnerships function from the ground up, processes, deal templates, CRM/pipeline tracking, and hire/manage team members as the role scales.