Ant International-Strategic Partnership Manager - Financial Institutions-UAE | Abu Dhabi, UAE

Ant Technology Group Co., Ltd.; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 350,000 - 650,000; Full time

Job summary

Ant International is seeking a UAE-based Strategic Partnership Manager for Financial Institutions and BD with deep payments/fintech experience and established Saudi market relationships. You will lead high-level discussions with banks, acquirers, PSPs and Mada, coordinate cross-functional teams, and ensure timely launches with SAMA-aligned coordination.

Your role includes translating pilgrim spending patterns and seasonal flows into GTM priorities, plus driving merchant activation with hotels,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics or related field.
• 3-6 years of business development, partnerships or commercial experience in payments/fintech within Saudi Arabia.
• Close, established relationships with major Saudi banks.
• Deep understanding of Mada, SAMA licensing and seasonal pilgrim payments.
• Native Arabic speaker with fluent English; able to lead cross-functional projects.

Responsibilities

• Build and deepen relationships with Saudi banks, acquirers, PSPs and Mada/Saudi Payments.
• Lead partner discussions; negotiate terms and drive contract closure.
• Own end-to-end project execution; coordinate cross-functional teams for on-time delivery.
• Provide market insight on Saudi payments, Hajj/Umrah corridors and GTM prioritization.
• Drive merchant engagement and activation with pilgrimage-focused segments.

Skills

Business development

Partnerships

Payments/fintech

Arabic (native)

English (fluent)

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics or related field

Job description

Ant International-Strategic Partnership Manager - Financial Institutions-UAE

Job description

About the Role

Ant International is looking for a FIBD and BD expert based in UAE - a payments professional with established relationships with local banks, first-hand knowledge of the Saudi payments market, and deep understanding of the consumption habits and payment pain points of international tourists and the millions of Hajj & Umrah pilgrims who visit the Kingdom every year.

What You'll Do

1. Partner & Institution Relationship Management

Build and deepen long-term, trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders at leading Saudi banks, acquirers, PSPs and payment gateways, as well as national payment ecosystem players (mada / Saudi Payments).

Lead solution discussions with partners; negotiate commercial terms and drive contract closure.

2. End-to-End Project Execution

Act as the business owner of launch and expansion projects; ensure on-time, high-quality delivery.

Orchestrate cross-functional teams (Product, Tech, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Ops) to resolve blockers and ensure launch readiness - including SAMA-aligned regulatory coordination.

3. Local Market Insight & Strategy Input

Serve as the team's on-the-ground market intelligence source: map the Saudi payments and consumption landscape, with deep focus on the Hajj & Umrah corridors - pilgrim spending behaviour, seasonal flows (Ramadan / Hajj / off-season), hotel-hospitality-retail payment lifecycles, and the cash-vs-mada acceptance gap.

Translate insights into concrete GTM priorities, partner selection and pricing recommendations.

4. Merchant Engagement & Activation

Drive merchant adoption of Alipay+ directly and through acquirer/PSP partners - prioritizing pilgrim-journey touchpoints (hotels, retail, F&B, transport, bazaar/souq clusters).

Conduct merchant training and enablement to ensure genuine acceptance at the point of sale, especially among small merchants and cash-heavy segments.

Job Requirement

What You'll Need (Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics or a related field.
• 3-6 years of business development, partnerships or commercial experience in payments/fintech within Saudi Arabia; acquirer, PSP or bank-side experience strongly preferred.
• Close, established relationships with major Saudi banks - able to open doors and build long-term partnerships from day one.
• Deep, first-hand understanding of the Saudi payment landscape: mada dominance, the SAMA licensing framework, and the seasonal payment behaviour of Hajj & Umrah pilgrims and international tourists.
• Native Arabic speaker with fluent English (mandatory).
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills; proven ability to drive complex projects end-to-end.
• High ownership and self-motivation; resilient under pressure in a seasonal-peak environment (Ramadan / Hajj surge travel expected).