Strategic Alliance Partner Manager

Cavallo•Grand Rapids, MI

About The Position

Cavallo is seeking an experienced, high-impact Strategic Alliance Partner Manager to take ownership of our partner monetization strategy. Historically, our existing partner ecosystem—anchored by payment partners like Global Payments and Square, alongside strategic alliance partners like Avalara, SPS Commerce, and Shopify—have been a passively managed revenue stream. This position is being created to increase the impact of this strategic imperative. We want to bring in a strategic, driven leader to shift us from a passive to an active partner across the board. While your paramount focus and top priority will be adding $100M in net-new annual partner volume over the next 12 months, you will also be responsible for maximizing the recurring revenue generated by our entire ISV and alliance partner network. This role will focus on driving adoption, optimizing contracts, creating new volume channels, and deepening our market presence with top-tier ecosystem partners. As a Strategic Alliance Payment Manager, the typical day includes: Taking direct accountability for your primary goal: adding $100M in net-new annual partner volume to our ecosystem in the next 12 months; Leading and optimizing our existing strategic payment partnerships with Global Payments and Square, serving as the primary point of contact for their executive sponsors; Managing and scaling our broader portfolio of strategic alliance partners (e.g., Avalara, SPS Commerce, Shopify) to maximize mutual referral volume and recurring revenue share; Scouting, evaluating, negotiating, and signing new alliance partnerships (e.g., Fiserv, Payarc, Stripe) to expand our capabilities and maximize revenue; Analyzing our existing customer base against our payments and alliance portfolio to identify the "Gap List" and executing targeted conversion campaigns (e.g., Rate Match Guarantees); Continuously auditing and renegotiating our buy-rates, revenue share splits, and pricing models (Schedule A management) across all current and future providers to maximize margin; Leading Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with both key payment processors and top alliance partners to track pacing, unlock tier bonuses, and align on product rollouts; Securing and effectively deploying Marketing Development Funds (MDF) from our strategic partners to subsidize internal sales and co-marketing campaigns; Collaborating with our Product and Engineering teams to ensure the payments and partner experiences are deeply and frictionlessly embedded into our user interface; Training our internal sales teams on how to effectively pitch embedded payments and seamlessly incorporate preferred alliance solutions into the core software sale.

Requirements

You have 10+ years of direct experience in the payments industry (Fintech, ISV, PayFac, or ISO)
You have a proven track record of managing B2B SaaS, e-commerce, or ERP ecosystem partnerships (e.g., tax compliance, EDI, e-commerce platforms)
You possess a deep understanding of various payment ecosystems, including legacy players (Global Payments, Fiserv, TSYS) and modern platforms (Square, Payarc, Stripe)
You have a mastery of payments economics, including Interchange optimization, Schedule A pricing, risk/compliance, and embedded payments architecture
You have a demonstrable history of taking an existing ISV or SaaS portfolio and driving massive increases in processing volume, partner attachment rates, and recurring revenue
You possess exceptional contract negotiation skills, data-driven analytical abilities, and a "hunter" mentality applied to both account expansion and new partner acquisition
You personify Cavallo’s Core Values ( https://www.cavallo.com/values/ )

Nice To Haves

You hold an ETA CPP (Certified Payments Professional) designation (highly preferred)

Responsibilities

Taking direct accountability for your primary goal: adding $100M in net-new annual partner volume to our ecosystem in the next 12 months
Leading and optimizing our existing strategic payment partnerships with Global Payments and Square, serving as the primary point of contact for their executive sponsors
Managing and scaling our broader portfolio of strategic alliance partners (e.g., Avalara, SPS Commerce, Shopify) to maximize mutual referral volume and recurring revenue share
Scouting, evaluating, negotiating, and signing new alliance partnerships (e.g., Fiserv, Payarc, Stripe) to expand our capabilities and maximize revenue
Analyzing our existing customer base against our payments and alliance portfolio to identify the "Gap List" and executing targeted conversion campaigns (e.g., Rate Match Guarantees)
Continuously auditing and renegotiating our buy-rates, revenue share splits, and pricing models (Schedule A management) across all current and future providers to maximize margin
Leading Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with both key payment processors and top alliance partners to track pacing, unlock tier bonuses, and align on product rollouts
Securing and effectively deploying Marketing Development Funds (MDF) from our strategic partners to subsidize internal sales and co-marketing campaigns
Collaborating with our Product and Engineering teams to ensure the payments and partner experiences are deeply and frictionlessly embedded into our user interface
Training our internal sales teams on how to effectively pitch embedded payments and seamlessly incorporate preferred alliance solutions into the core software sale