Head of Partnerships (Payments & Fintech)

About the role

This is a strategic leadership opportunity for an experienced partnerships professional with a strong background in payments and fintech. Based in Saudi Arabia, you will oversee partnership operations, ensuring seamless onboarding, integration, and management of payment service providers and merchant accounts across multiple channels.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate multiple operational teams within the partnerships function, ensuring clear accountability and high execution standards.
• Drive the onboarding of payment service providers and partners from initial engagement through activation and transaction readiness.
• Build, maintain, and scale strategic partner integrations while ensuring efficient technical and commercial implementation.
• Manage merchant account portfolios across various processing channels, monitoring performance and resolving operational challenges.
• Maintain and enhance partner risk management processes, proactively addressing compliance, operational, acquirer, and payment‑related risks.
• Oversee merchant account infrastructure, including transaction volumes, limits, operational status monitoring, and performance analysis.
• Negotiate and optimise commercial agreements, including processing fees, settlement terms, reserves, and financial arrangements.
• Coordinate partner‑related requests and escalations, ensuring timely resolution of operational, compliance, and payment issues.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to improve partner capacity, operational efficiency, reporting structures, and governance frameworks.

Required profile

• Previous leadership experience within partnerships, account management, operations, payment infrastructure, or related functions.
• Minimum 4 years of experience managing partnerships, onboarding, account management, partner success, or operational functions within payment service providers, acquiring institutions, payment gateways, or fintech organisations.
• Strong understanding of payment processing ecosystems, acquiring flows, settlement processes, approval rates, risk management, and compliance frameworks.
• Hands‑on experience managing merchant accounts and building relationships with payment partners.
• Proven ability to lead multiple teams and coordinate complex operational activities in fast‑paced environments.

Required skills