Senior Manager, Partnerships Strategy

Airwallex • San Francisco, CA

13d

About The Position

As Senior Manager, Partnerships Strategy, you will be the strategy lead for the Partnerships organization. You’ll own how we decide where to partner, what to build vs. buy vs. partner, and how to structure our largest deals so that Partnerships directly amplifies Airwallex’s global strategy.

This role is global in remit, reports to the VP of Financial & Strategic Partnerships, and is based in San Francisco or New York.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, finance, engineering or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience across some combination of strategy / corporate development / revenue strategy / top‑tier consulting / strategic partnerships / business development.
• Demonstrated ability to shape and drive cross‑functional strategic initiatives end‑to‑end in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills: can size markets, model deal and partner economics, and measure partnership ROI and performance.
• Executive‑ready communication skills – able to distill complexity into simple narratives and influence senior stakeholders (internal and external).
• Proven track record of operating with ambiguity, structuring open‑ended problems and turning them into clear workplans and decisions.
• Experience working across time zones and cultures, with the ability to earn trust and drive alignment among diverse teams.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in fintech / payments / banking / card schemes / LPMs or adjacent financial infrastructure.
• Direct exposure to partnerships with banks, schemes, PSPs, LPMs, or large platforms (e.g., leading strategy, evaluation, or deal support).
• Prior experience as a chief of staff, strategy lead, or engagement manager working closely with VP+ or C‑level leaders.
• A strong interest in the global financial ecosystem and embedded finance, and how modern platforms are reshaping cross‑border commerce.

Responsibilities

• Global Strategy & Market Entry: Define and refine the "where, why, and how" of our partnership roadmap. You’ll lead the "build vs. buy vs. partner" analysis to support new market expansion and product growth.
• Strategic Deal Architecture: Drive the strategy for our most complex negotiations (schemes, global banks, aggregators). You’ll lead economic scenario modeling and pressure-test deal structures to maximize long-term value.
• Operating Rhythm & Value Tracking: Design and run the team’s "business engine"—including QBRs, performance scorecards, and pipeline reviews—ensuring leadership has clear visibility into the value Partnerships creates.
• Executive Support & Board Readiness: Act as a primary thought partner to the VP of Partnerships. You will draft the decision memos, strategy docs, and Board materials that enable fast, high-quality executive decisions.
• M&A & Ecosystem Intelligence: Serve as the subject-matter expert on the global financial ecosystem. You’ll lead due diligence for major partnerships and identify potential M&A targets that align with our strategic goals.
• Cross-Functional Orchestration: Lead high-priority "special projects" (e.g., partner stack redesigns, portfolio optimization) by aligning stakeholders across Product, Finance, Legal, and Risk from ideation through execution.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level