VP, Strategic Partnership

Sunrise Banks•Sioux Falls, SD

About The Position

The Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Fintech Credit is responsible for driving tangible growth by maintaining and growing a portfolio of lending partnerships. This individual contributor role focuses on identifying new opportunities, shepherding new opportunities through the bank’s governance process, and collaborating cross-functionally to support national lending programs that align with the bank’s mission.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, or a growth-focused role.
Proven track record of delivering measurable growth through partnerships—expanding and deepening relationships, not merely managing them.
Strong commercial instincts with demonstrated ability to assess opportunities and drive deals from ideation to close.
Excellent relationship-building, communication, and negotiation skills.
Demonstrated ability to operate in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with evolving priorities.
Strong knowledge of national lending products and programs.
Background in fintech, e-commerce, lending, or financial services.
Experience working within or alongside high-impact partner ecosystems at scale.
Familiarity with partnership/pipeline management tools.

Responsibilities

Own and grow a named portfolio of national lending partnerships, with a focus on product and mission alignment.
Identify and pursue new opportunities within existing partner relationships that align with organizational growth objectives.
Identify and pursue new opportunities with new partner relationships that align with organizational growth objectives.
Develop commercial terms that align the interests of both parties.
Negotiate partnership contracts, amendments, and renewals to support evolving business needs.
Monitor and optimize partnership performance using data-driven insights, ensuring alignment with KPIs and strategic goals.
Serve as an internal advocate for partners while maintaining high standards for performance, innovation, and value creation.
Build trusted relationships within partner organizations, from working-level teams to mid-level leadership.
Collaborate closely with Product, Risk, and Operations to support use cases and products that enhance partner success.
Proactively identify lending revenue opportunities with new and current partners.
Lead deal processes from opportunity identification through execution, including commercial negotiations and contract amendments.
Coordinate cross-functional teams (Product, Operations, Legal, Risk) to move opportunities through the bank’s governance process.
Develop outreach strategy to achieve growth goals.
Develop network of industry contacts to supplement direct and indirect sales efforts.
With the partner relationship manager, maintain regular cadence of engagement with partner stakeholders at multiple levels of their organization.
Act as a trusted advisor to partners, aligning their needs with internal capabilities and strategy.
Represent partner interests internally while holding partners to agreed performance standards.
Track and report on partnership KPIs, surfacing insights and recommendations to leadership.
Analyze partnership data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for optimization.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of partnership activities and pipeline in CRM systems.
Conduct other duties as assigned.