Senior Banking & FI Partnerships Leader – MENA

PayerMax; Dubai; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

PayerMax is seeking a Senior Banking & Financial Institutions Partnership Lead in Dubai to drive strategic banking, FI, and payment infrastructure partnerships across the MENA region and beyond.

The role focuses on building high-value relationships with banks, PSPs, and fintechs, architecting scalable payment infrastructure, and leading end-to-end deal cycles from structuring through go-live.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of progressive experience in tier-1 banks or leading fintech platforms, focusing on transaction banking, FI coverage, or payments.
• Proven track record of originating, structuring, and closing complex FI partnerships with measurable impact.
• Deep domain expertise in AML/KYC, FX operations, cross-border payments infrastructure, and modern banking tech stacks.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute the banking and FI partnership strategy across MENA, focusing on UAE market.
• Establish and nurture C-level relationships with banks, financial institutions, PSPs, fintechs, and other ecosystem players.
• Own the full partnership lifecycle: sourcing, evaluation, commercial negotiation, due diligence, onboarding, integration, and ongoing performance management.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Treasury, and Operations to deliver partnerships on time and within scope.
• Develop channel management and risk frameworks, optimize routing by cost and geography, and monitor regulatory risk.

Skills

Transaction banking

FI partnerships

Strategic partnerships

Cross-functional leadership

AML/KYC

Cross-border payments

SWIFT

ISO 20022

Tools

SWIFT APIs

Payment APIs

Job description

PayerMax is seeking a Senior Banking & Financial Institutions Partnership Lead in Dubai to drive strategic banking, FI, and payment infrastructure partnerships across the MENA region and beyond.

The role focuses on building high-value relationships with banks, PSPs, and fintechs, architecting scalable payment infrastructure, and leading end-to-end deal cycles from structuring through go-live.