Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships

Symcor; Mississauga; Hybrid; CAD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Total rewards program

Flexible benefits

Retirement and savings plans

Well-being program

Career development opportunities

Inclusive culture

Job summary

Symcor seeks a Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships to identify, structure, and manage external partnerships that accelerate innovation and expand market reach. This role leads partnership initiatives end-to-end from opportunity identification to negotiation and ongoing relationship management.

Hybrid role with flexible onsite expectations, typically 2 days per week. You will collaborate with product, legal, risk, and delivery teams to drive measurable business outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Strategy, Finance, or a related field.
• MBA or equivalent is an asset, particularly with a focus on strategy, innovation, or business development.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive partnership strategy aligned to Symcor’s priorities across products and growth areas.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of high-value external partnerships driving innovation and revenue.
• Lead end-to-end partnership lifecycle activities from sourcing to negotiating and closing strategic agreements.
• Engage and influence external partners to drive shared outcomes and long-term value creation.
• Design and implement partnership frameworks, governance models, and processes for scalable success.
• Drive cross-functional alignment with internal stakeholders across product, legal, risk, and delivery teams.
• Strengthen Symcor’s position within the broader financial services and fintech ecosystem.

Skills

Strategic & Commercial Acumen

Partnership Development & Deal Closure

Cross-Functional Leadership

Communication & Relationship Building

Innovation Mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration

MBA or equivalent

Job description

About Symcor

Symcor enables secure data exchanges and supporting business processes, to help clients succeed in an evolving digital world. Trusted by Canada's largest institutions for over 25 years to support their digital transformations, Symcor aligns industry participants to solve common challenges in the most effective and efficient way. Our goal is for every employee to feel valued and accepted as part of the team and connected to Symcor and our values, fostering a sense of belonging. Symcor is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing an accessible recruitment process. If you need accommodation for the interview process, just let us know!

The Opportunity

The Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships is responsible for identifying, structuring, and managing strategic relationships that accelerate innovation, expand Symcor’s market reach, and support Horizon 2 & 3 initiatives. This role is focused on building a high-impact partner ecosystem that complements Symcor’s capabilities, unlocks new business models, and delivers measurable business outcomes.

This is a highly strategic and externally focused role, leading partnership initiatives end-to-end from opportunity identification through to negotiation, execution, and ongoing relationship management.

This is a hybrid role with flexible onsite expectations, typically 2 days per week.

About The Role

• Developing and executing a comprehensive partnership strategy aligned to Symcor’s business priorities across current products and future growth areas.
• Building and maintaining a strong pipeline of high-value external partnerships that drive innovation and revenue opportunities.
• Leading end-to-end partnership lifecycle activities including sourcing, structuring, negotiating, and closing strategic agreements.
• Engaging and influencing external partners to drive shared outcomes and long-term value creation.
• Designing and implementing partnership frameworks, governance models, and processes to enable scalable and repeatable success.
• Driving cross-functional alignment with internal stakeholders across product, legal, risk, and delivery teams to ensure seamless execution.
• Strengthening Symcor’s position within the broader financial services and fintech ecosystem.

What You Need to Succeed

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Strategy, Finance, or a related field is preferred.
• MBA or equivalent is an asset, particularly with a focus on strategy, innovation, or business developmen

Experience

• 8-10 years in strategic partnerships, corporate development, or business strategy.
• Progressive experience in strategic partnerships, corporate development, or business strategy, ideally within financial services or a highly regulated environment
• Demonstrated success in leading complex partnership negotiations and successfully closing commercial agreements
• Experience working with or within Tier 1 and/or fintech ecosystems, including engaging with both established institutions and emerging partners
• Experience building or scaling partnership programs, including establishing operating models, governance, and performance frameworks
• Background operating at a senior leadership level (Director or Senior Director equivalent) with accountability for external relationships and business outcomes

Skill Requirements

Strategic & Commercial Acumen

• Strong understanding of business models, market dynamics, and strategic growth levers.
• Ability to assess partnership opportunities for strategic fit, financial impact, and long-term value.

Partnership Development & Deal Execution

• Expertise in identifying, negotiating, and managing strategic relationships across diverse ecosystems.
• Skilled in building governance models, joint planning frameworks, and performance metrics.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Ability to influence and align internal stakeholders across product, legal, finance, and delivery teams.
• Strong facilitation and collaboration skills to drive execution across departments.

Communication & Relationship Building

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including executive-level presentations and external representation.
• Skilled in building trust-based relationships with partners, vendors, and industry leaders.

Innovation Mindset

• Familiarity with emerging technologies, innovation ecosystems, and Horizon 3 thinking.
• Ability to support transformational initiatives through external collaboration.

What’s In It For You

At Symcor, we define our success by what we help others achieve. We were created to support our clients and, through our products, services, and solutions, protect and strengthen their brands. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.

• A comprehensive Total Rewards Program that includes a competitive compensation package, flexible benefits and time away options, retirement and savings plans and a commitment to your overall health and well-being through our myWell-being program.
• Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities.
• Ability to make a difference and lasting impact.
• Opportunities to do challenging work and progressively take on greater accountabilities for growth.
• We foster an inclusive atmosphere of One Symcor with our philosophy of +1 Unique You, we harness each employee’s uniqueness, different skills, backgrounds, and perspectives to contribute to mutual success. It is the diversity of our people and the inclusive environment that has been and will always be key to Symcor’s success.

#youbelonghere

For more information, visit www.symcor.ca

Symcor is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing an accessible recruitment process. Upon request, we will provide accommodation for candidates.