Business Development Manager

WorldFirst; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Ant International is seeking a Business Development Manager for UK markets to drive merchant acquisition and store activation for Alipay+ across offline retail and strategic districts.

You will own end-to-end sales, from lead generation to go-live and performance post-launch, collaborating with partners to broaden distribution and merchant value. English fluency and strong commercial drive are essential.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in sales or business development, ideally in payments, fintech, retail, or digital platforms.
• Experience managing key merchant accounts and/or retail stores, including negotiation and relationship management.
• Strong understanding of offline and online payments, including card payments and alternative methods (wallets, QR, BNPL, A2A).
• Familiarity with merchant acquiring models, acquirers, ISOs, and payment ecosystems.
• Excellent communication and persuasive skills with a hunter mindset and results orientation.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, international environment with adaptivity to strategic changes.
• Knowledge of mobile payments, digital marketing, and in-store activation is a strong plus.
• Well-connected with major European Key Accounts and ecosystem players, with C-level and operational relationships with major global acquirers and key merchants.

Responsibilities

• Acquire and manage key merchant accounts, including retail chains, premium brands, and high-traffic merchants.
• Own the end-to-end sales cycle for Alipay+ in-store payment and marketing solutions, from lead generation to go-live and post-launch performance.
• Collaborate with acquiring partners, ISOs, and payment service providers to distribute Alipay+ to merchants.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute store activations, including store visits, merchant engagement, POSM deployment, visibility checks, payment testing, and staff training.
• Drive merchant growth by supporting marketing campaigns, promotions, and daily operations to increase transaction volume and user penetration.
• Build relationships with merchant decision-makers and acquiring partners at strategic and operational levels.
• Monitor merchant and acquirer performance, identify gaps, and propose concrete improvement actions.
• Coordinate with internal teams across Europe and HQ for onboarding and execution.
• Support partnerships with brands, retailers, marketing partners, institutions, and trade associations under senior BD leadership guidance.
• Contribute to local ecosystem visibility with media, PR, and industry initiatives promoting Alipay+.

Skills

merchant development

sales

business development

payments

fintech

retail

cross-border

English fluency

Job description

Business Development Manager, Alipay+

About Ant International

Ant International is a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider. Through collaboration across the private and public sectors, our unified techfin platform supports financial institutions and merchants of all sizes to achieve inclusive growth through a comprehensive range of cutting-edge digital payment and financial services solutions.

Our Mission

To make it easy to do business anywhere, bringing small and beautiful changes to the world.

Our Vision

To be the most innovative and trusted digital partner to bring inclusive growth to all.

About Alipay+

Alipay+ is a cross-border digital payment and marketing platform that connects merchants with consumers across multiple e-wallets and payment methods worldwide. We enable seamless payment experiences for travelers and online shoppers, partnering with leading digital wallets across Asia and beyond. Our technology powers millions of transactions daily, making cross-border commerce simple and accessible.

About the Role

As a Business Development Manager for UK markets, you will drive merchant acquisition, store activation, and growth for Alipay+ in UK, with a strong focus on offline retail and key commercial districts.

Known as borderless payment, Alipay+ is accepted by global merchants online and in-store across over 55 countries and regions for convenient payment at home and abroad. It connects millions of global merchants with over 1 billion users of mobile payment app.

Alipay+ takes away the hassle of individual mobile payment app integration - a single integration is all it takes. Created by one of the leading figures in the mobile payment industry, Alipay+ brings more global business opportunities through reliable and pioneering solutions.

Our vision is to provide more inclusive and convenient payment and financial solutions for global cross-border consumers and sellers, you will be a key member of Ant International team to help achieve company's global vision.

Responsibilities

• Acquire and manage key merchant accounts, including retail chains, premium brands, and high-traffic tourist merchants.
• Own the end-to-end sales cycle for Alipay+ in-store payment and marketing solutions, from lead generation to go-live and post-launch performance.
• Work closely with acquiring partners, ISOs, and payment service providers to distribute Alipay+ to selected merchants.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute store activations, including:
  • Store visits and merchant engagement
  • POSM deployment and visibility checks
  • Payment testing and staff training
• Drive merchant growth by supporting marketing campaigns, promotions, and daily operations, increasing transaction volume and user penetration.
• Build strong relationships with merchant decision-makers (owners, HQ teams, operations) and acquiring partners at both strategic and operational levels.
• Monitor merchant and acquirer performance, identify gaps, and propose concrete improvement actions.
• Coordinate with internal teams (marketing, operations, finance, legal, compliance, product & tech) across Europe and HQ to ensure smooth onboarding and execution.
• Support partnerships with brands, retailers, marketing partners, institutions, and trade associations under the guidance of senior BD leadership.
• Contribute to local ecosystem visibility, including support for media, PR, and industry initiatives promoting Alipay+.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

We're looking for a hands-on, commercially driven BD profile with a hunter mindset and strong execution capability.

• Proven experience in sales or business development, ideally in payments, fintech, retail, or digital platforms.
• Experience managing key account merchants and/or retail stores, including negotiation and relationship management.
• Solid understanding of offline and online payments, including card payments and alternative payment methods (wallets, QR payments, BNPL, A2A).
• Familiarity with merchant acquiring models, acquirers, ISOs, and payment ecosystems.
• Strong communication and persuasion skills, with a hunter mentality and result-oriented attitude.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, international environment, adapting quickly to strategic changes.
• Knowledge of mobile payments, digital marketing and in-store activation is a strong plus.
• Well-connected with major European KeyAccounts and ecosystem players (e.g. major acquirers, payment platforms, digital and retail providers), with C-level and operational relationships with major global acquirers and key merchants.
• Understanding of Asian / Chinese consumer payment behaviors and cross-border shopping or travel retail is a plus.
• Team player with strong ownership, autonomy, and execution mindset.
• On-the-ground experience in or with retail industry is a plus.

Experience & Languages

• Solid and relevant experience in merchant development, sales, or BD (mid-level profile).
• English: fluent
• Other European or Asian languages (i.e. Mandarin Chinese) are a plus.

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