Partnerships Manager - SME Lending

Astra Tech; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Astra Tech in Dubai aims to recruit a Partnerships Manager SME Lending to build and optimize strategic partnerships, expanding partner-led loan origination and ensuring regulatory compliance.

You will collaborate with internal teams to improve onboarding, monitor performance, and drive revenue growth through SME lending alongside payment solutions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in partnerships or SME lending, fintech or financial services (MENA preferred).
• Proven growth through partnership-led models in SME lending or credit products.
• Strong knowledge of SME lending, credit assessment and loan lifecycle.
• Experience with PSPs, merchant aggregators, marketplaces or platforms.
• Familiarity with embedded finance and digital lending is an advantage.
• Excellent stakeholder management and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow strategic partnerships with PSPs, banks, and enterprise partners to drive SME loan origination and disbursement.
• Develop joint business plans with partners to meet lending targets and KPIs.
• Conduct regular reviews of pipeline health, approval rates, and portfolio performance for optimization.
• Drive partner-led revenue by enabling SME lending alongside payment products (POS, QR, VIBANs, digital tools).
• Oversee onboarding, integration, and go-to-market readiness for SME lending products with SLAs.
• Collaborate with Credit, Risk, Product, Tech, Operations and Compliance to improve partner enablement.
• Represent the company in partner meetings, ecosystem events to strengthen relationships.

Skills

Partnerships management

SME lending

Fintech

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Data-driven

Job description

Job Description:

Role Summary

The Partnerships Manager SME Lending will be responsible for building, managing, and optimizing strategic partnerships to drive SME lending growth. This role will focus on expanding partner-led loan origination, increasing disbursement volumes, and improving partner performance across the SME lending ecosystem. The individual will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure seamless onboarding, strong portfolio performance, and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities:

• Manage and grow strategic partnerships with PSPs, Payment Facilitators, marketplaces, aggregators, banks, and enterprise partners to drive SME loan origination and disbursement volumes.
• Develop and execute joint business plans with partners to meet lending targets, portfolio growth, and performance KPIs.
• Conduct regular business reviews with partners to assess pipeline health, approval rates, disbursement trends, and portfolio performance, identifying opportunities for optimization.
• Drive partner-led revenue growth by enabling and cross-selling SME lending solutions alongside payment products such as POS, QR, VIBANs, and digital acceptance tools.
• Oversee end-to-end partner onboarding, integration, and go-to-market readiness for SME lending products while maintaining agreed SLAs.
• Monitor partner performance metrics including lead quality, conversion rates, loan utilization, and delinquency indicators, and implement data-driven improvement initiatives.
• Ensure adherence to Central Bank regulations, credit policies, and compliance requirements related to SME lending and financial services.
• Collaborate closely with internal teams (Credit, Risk, Product, Tech, Operations, Compliance) to enhance partner enablement, streamline processes, and resolve operational issues.
• Represent the company in partner meetings, ecosystem discussions, and industry events to strengthen relationships and expand SME lending partnerships.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in partnerships, SME lending, fintech, financial services, or related domains (experience in MENA preferred).
• Proven track record of driving business growth through partnership-led models, preferably in SME lending or credit products.
• Strong understanding of SME lending, credit assessment, loan lifecycle management, and partner-based distribution models.
• Experience working with PSPs, merchant aggregators, marketplaces, or platforms enabling SME financial solutions.
• Familiarity with POS-based lending, embedded finance, digital lending, or alternative credit products is a strong advantage.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to track lending KPIs, portfolio performance, and partner effectiveness.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced fintech environment while managing multiple partners and commercial objectives.