Senior Manager, Financial Partnerships, Card Issuing & Acquiring, EMEA

Responsibilities

• Build and manage strategic partnerships with global card networks and local card schemes to scale card issuing and acquiring businesses.
• Facilitate market entry by coordinating network licensing, regulatory requirements, and program implementation.
• Identify and execute strategic opportunities including product collaboration, new revenue streams, and cost optimization.
• Negotiate and structure complex commercial partnership agreements and oversee execution of obligations.
• Represent Airwallex at industry events to build brand profile with partners and customers.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Product, Legal, Compliance, Finance, and Commercial for strategic planning and execution.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience working with payment networks, card schemes, or financial institutions in the card issuing/acquiring industry.
• Deep understanding of card network dynamics, issuing and acquiring business models, and economics.
• Proven track record of building and managing strategic partnerships in a fast-paced, technology-led environment.
• Strong negotiation, relationship management, and commercial agreement structuring skills.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams such as Product, Legal, and Compliance.
• International experience managing cross-border relationships or working across multiple markets.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to connect with stakeholders at all levels.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at a global, high-growth fintech or pre-IPO startup.
• Experience building financial partnerships within a new geography.
• Experience with merchant acquiring, card portfolio management, or optimizing interchange and product profitability.
• Recognized industry thought leader with experience representing companies at major industry events.

About the Company

Airwallex is a unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide—including Brex, Rippling, and Qantas—with integrated solutions for business accounts, payments, spend management, and embedded finance at a global scale.