Strategic Financial Institutions Partnerships Lead

Tap Payments; Manama; On-site; BHD 15,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Tap Payments is seeking a dynamic partnerships professional to drive collaboration with banks, acquirers and payment networks across the MENA region. You will identify opportunities, manage negotiations, and oversee onboarding, implementation and ongoing governance to unlock growth and improve payments ecosystem performance.

The role requires 4-5 years in partnerships/BD within fintech or financial services, with strong communication skills in English (Arabic a plus) and a proactive, independent

Qualifications

• 4-5 years of experience in partnerships, business development, relationship management or a related role within Financial Services, Fintech or a high-growth startup.
• Proven experience managing strategic relationships with banks, acquirers, payment networks or other financial institutions.
• Strong understanding of payment processing, acquiring, issuing, settlement, reconciliation, chargebacks and related payment flows.
• Demonstrated experience leading commercial negotiations and managing complex partnership agreements.
• Strong knowledge of the MENA financial services and payments landscape, with an understanding of relevant regulatory and market considerations.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence senior decision-makers internally and externally.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and deliver complex initiatives on time.
• Commercially minded and analytical, with the ability to assess opportunities, understand performance data and make sound recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic is a plus.
• Proactive, organised and comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, evolving fintech environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute partnership strategies with financial institutions, including banks, acquiring partners, payment networks and other strategic ecosystem participants.
• Identify, evaluate and prioritise new partnership opportunities that support Tap's growth, market expansion and product roadmap.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across partner organisations, acting as the primary point of contact for strategic engagements.
• Lead commercial discussions, negotiations and partnership agreements, working closely with legal, compliance, finance, product and operations teams.
• Manage the full partnership lifecycle, from initial opportunity assessment and due diligence through onboarding, implementation, optimisation and ongoing governance.
• Coordinate partner integrations and operational launches, ensuring clear ownership, timelines, deliverables and escalation paths.
• Work with internal teams and financial institution partners to improve payment acceptance, settlement, reconciliation, dispute handling and overall service performance.
• Monitor partner performance against agreed service levels, commercial terms and key performance indicators, identifying risks and opportunities for improvement.
• Prepare business cases, partnership proposals, market analyses and executive-level updates to support strategic decision-making.
• Represent Tap at relevant industry events, forums and meetings, building the company's profile and expanding its financial services network.
• Stay informed about payment industry developments, regulatory requirements, market trends and emerging partnership models across MENA.
• Act as the voice of partners internally, sharing feedback and insights to influence product development, operational improvements and customer experience.
• Drive continuous improvement across partnership processes, documentation, reporting and governance frameworks.
• Carry out other duties as assigned based on the demands of the business and growth of the role.

Skills

Partnerships

Business development

Relationship management

Strategic relationships

Negotiations

Stakeholder management

Project management

Data analysis

English communication

Arabic (nice)

Tools

Slack

CRM platforms

Reporting tools

Project management systems

Job description

Tap Payments is seeking a dynamic partnerships professional to drive collaboration with banks, acquirers and payment networks across the MENA region. You will identify opportunities, manage negotiations, and oversee onboarding, implementation and ongoing governance to unlock growth and improve payments ecosystem performance.

The role requires 4-5 years in partnerships/BD within fintech or financial services, with strong communication skills in English (Arabic a plus) and a proactive, independent