Senior Business Development Director - Partnerships

Liberis•Atlanta, GA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Liberis, our mission is to empower small and medium-sized businesses by removing finance as a friction to growth, delivering contextual, embedded financial solutions to support merchants at every stage of their business lifecycle. The role This is a pivotal moment for Liberis in North America. We've proven our model and we're ready to scale - fast. The US embedded finance market is massive, and we are looking for a strategic leader to unlock it. As Senior Business Development Director, you'll own the strategy and execution of our North American partnership expansion. You'll build relationships with leading fintech, payments, and SaaS platforms, architecting the partnerships that will define Liberis' next growth phase. You'll lead the full deal lifecycle - from opportunity identification and commercial negotiation to launch execution - while developing a team of BD professionals and working directly with executive leadership. If you're entrepreneurial, commercially sharp, and energized by scaling a high-growth business in a massive market, this role offers the autonomy and impact to match your ambition.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, strategic alliances, or related commercial roles, with a proven track record of closing high-value deals.
Strategic leadership - Demonstrated ability to set strategy, prioritize opportunities, and execute against ambitious growth targets.
Complex deal experience - Expertise in structuring and negotiating enterprise partnerships, including multi-stakeholder deals with technical and commercial complexity.
Executive presence - Strong ability to engage, influence, and build trust with C-level executives and senior decision-makers.
Cross-functional leadership - Experience leading cross-functional teams and orchestrating inputs from Product, Legal, Finance, Risk, and Operations.
Commercial acumen - Deep understanding of partnership economics, revenue models, pricing strategy, and financial modeling.
People leadership - Experience managing, mentoring, and developing high-performing BD teams.
Industry expertise - Background in fintech, SaaS, financial services, payments, or embedded finance is strongly preferred.
Data-driven mindset - Comfortable using CRM systems, analyzing pipeline metrics, and making decisions based on performance data.
Entrepreneurial and results-oriented - Self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and takes ownership of outcomes.

Responsibilities

Set strategy and prioritize segments - Define and execute the business development strategy for your region or vertical, identifying new markets, geographies, and partner types aligned with company goals.
Own complex, high-value deals - Lead end-to-end negotiation and execution of strategic partnerships, including enterprise and platform deals with significant revenue potential.
Build and manage pipeline - Establish a robust, qualified pipeline of partnership opportunities, tracking conversion metrics and optimizing deal flow across all stages.
Cultivate executive relationships - Develop and maintain C-level and senior stakeholder relationships with current and prospective partners, positioning Liberis as a trusted strategic partner.
Drive commercial negotiations - Structure and negotiate complex commercial terms including pricing models, revenue share agreements, incentive structures, and contract terms in partnership with Legal and Finance.
Lead cross-functional deal orchestration - Coordinate inputs from Product, Legal, Finance, Risk, Operations, and Marketing teams to move deals through discovery, due diligence, and contract execution.
Ensure strategic alignment - Collaborate with Product, Strategy, and GTM teams to ensure partnerships support product roadmaps, business objectives, and go-to-market priorities.
Oversee launch readiness and handoffs - Partner with Solution Architects, Operations, and Partner Management to ensure smooth onboarding, integration, and activation of new partners.
Monitor performance and drive growth - Track partnership KPIs post-launch, identify expansion opportunities, and lead initiatives for upsells, cross-sells, renewals, and joint GTM campaigns.
Lead and develop team members - Manage, mentor, and grow a team of BD and Demand Gen professionals, setting clear goals and providing guidance on deal strategy and execution.
Champion process improvements and best practices across the BD function to increase efficiency and deal quality.
Represent Liberis at industry events, conferences, and partner forums to build brand presence and generate new opportunities.
Conduct competitive intelligence and market analysis to inform partnership strategy and positioning.
Develop and present business cases, board-level materials, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.