Strategic Partnership Manager - Card Networks

Block • San Francisco, CA

30d

About The Position

It all started with an idea at Block in 2013. Initially built to take the pain out of peer-to-peer payments, Cash App has gone from a simple product with a single purpose to a dynamic ecosystem, developing unique financial products, including Afterpay/Clearpay, to provide a better way to send, spend, invest, borrow and save to our 50+ million monthly active customers. We want to redefine the world's relationship with money to make it more relatable, instantly available, and universally accessible. Today, Cash App has thousands of employees working globally across office and remote locations, with a culture geared toward innovation, collaboration and impact. We've been a distributed team since day one, and many of our roles can be done remotely from the countries where Cash App operates. No matter the location, we tailor our experience to ensure our employees are creative, productive, and happy. The Role The Strategic Partnership Team sits within Block's Financial Operations organization and plays a critical role in enabling Block's multi ecosystem strategy. We manage and grow relationships with major card networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) Fraud, risk, identity, technology partners, and financial data partners. These partnerships are foundational to powering Square, Cash App, and Afterpay, enabling innovative product experiences, advancing financial inclusion, and unlocking new opportunities for our customers. We work cross functionally across Block by partnering with Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Finance, Sales, Marketing, and Operations to drive alignment with network partners and deliver on initiatives that shape the future of commerce and financial services. This is a high impact, senior individual contributor role. You will shape and execute Block's network strategy, manage critical relationships, and deliver high priority initiatives. You will influence product direction, negotiate transformative deals, and ensure Block's long term competitiveness in the rapidly evolving payments ecosystem.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, corporate development, or related field
• 8+ years of experience in payments, card networks, or financial services
• Deep understanding of card network economics, business models, and the acquiring and issuing landscape
• Proven track record structuring and executing industry shaping partnerships and commercial deals
• Experience negotiating agreements to support product innovation, expand card acceptance and card issuance, and enable new payment flows
• Demonstrated success working in product driven organizations with high cross functional dependency
• Strong executive presence with exceptional written and verbal communication skills, capable of influencing C level stakeholders internally and externally
• Experience leading large, complex, cross functional initiatives with high business impact

Responsibilities

• Manage and expand one of Block's most critical U.S. card network partnerships, driving joint initiatives and launching offerings that enhance value for Block's ecosystems including Square, Cash App, and Afterpay
• Develop long term strategic plans with networks to support Block's product roadmaps across acquiring, issuing, surcharging, debit routing, and new network enabled innovations
• Negotiate and execute complex commercial agreements that enable new capabilities, expand card acceptance and card issuance, and reduce cost to serve while aligning with Block's mission
• Build business cases and drive internal alignment across Block stakeholders including Product, Engineering, Risk, Compliance, Treasury, and Finance on network strategies and deal execution
• Influence and align network executives by clearly articulating Block's differentiated value proposition and building trusted, long term relationships
• Track, manage and report on strategic plans, key negotiations, and overall partner health with a multi year perspective
• Navigate competing priorities across networks, regulators, and internal teams, driving creative solutions that unlock growth and innovation
• Ensure operational excellence in day to day partner management, including adherence to risk, compliance, and regulatory obligations
• Represent Block at industry forums and partner events, strengthening Block's role as a leader and innovator in the payments ecosystem

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed