Strategic Partner Manager

Liberis; London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company focused on empowering small businesses is seeking a Strategic Partnership Manager in London. This pivotal role involves owning and developing strategic partnerships, driving commercial success, and collaborating across teams to enhance partner relationships. To excel, candidates should possess strong negotiation skills, commercial acumen, and experience in relationship management.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in a Strategic Partnership or Business Development role.
• Strong experience managing complex partnerships.
• Exceptional communication and relationship management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of high-value partnerships aligned with strategic objectives.
• Cultivate relationships with key decision-makers at partner organizations.
• Take ownership of the commercial performance of partnerships.

Skills

Negotiation

Relationship Management

Commercial Acumen

Stakeholder Engagement

Market Intelligence

Job description

Liberis is on a mission to supercharge the power of small businesses all over the world - delivering the financial products they need to grow through a network of global partners.

Before all else, Liberis is a technology company, connecting finance with small businesses.

We use data to help partners understand their customers’ real time needs and tech to offer tailor-made funding and financial products. Empowering small businesses to grow and keep their independent spirit alive is central to our vision.

Up to now we have funded almost 40,000 small businesses with over $1.5bn - but we believe there is much more to be done.

The team

The Strategic Partnerships team plays a pivotal role in driving our growth by identifying, developing and managing long-term, high-value partnerships. This team is responsible for cultivating strong relationships with decision-makers at partner organisations, ensuring a mutually successful partnership.

As part of Growth & Strategic Partnerships, the Strategic Partnerships team is collaborating closely with the Partner Operations and Partner Solutions teams and plays a critical role in shaping a successful partnership strategy and meeting our ambitious targets.

The role

The Strategic Partnership Manager will play a pivotal role in owning, developing, and managing strategic partnerships that are critical to the commercial success of Liberis. You will be responsible for building strong, mutually beneficial relationships with key decision-makers within partner organisations, ensuring Liberis remains the partner of choice for revenue-based finance products.

You will own the full partnership lifecycle, from identifying and onboarding new partners to managing ongoing relationships and driving long-term value. You will be accountable for meeting ambitious commercial targets, leveraging your influence to shape both partner strategies and internal processes. Your ability to balance the needs of both Liberis and our partners will be crucial to success in this role.

What you’ll be doing

• Partnership Development & Growth: Lead the identification, implementation, and development of high-value partnerships that align with Liberis’ strategic objectives. Foster new and existing partner relationships with a focus on sustainable growth and long-term commercial success.
• Relationship Management: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers at partner organisations. Act as the primary point of contact for partners, ensuring clear communication and alignment on strategic goals, KPIs, and performance.
• Driving Commercial Success: Take full ownership of the commercial performance of your partnerships. Work relentlessly towards meeting and exceeding revenue and growth targets, ensuring both Liberis and its partners realise mutual benefits.
• Partner Advocacy & Negotiation: Champion your partners’ needs both internally and externally. Advocate for process or requirement changes when needed to ensure partners' needs are met while maintaining alignment with Liberis’ goals. Be comfortable negotiating terms, pushing for improvements, and at times challenging partners to drive optimal outcomes.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams, including Sales, Product, Marketing, and Operations, to ensure the successful delivery of products and services to partners and their customers. Collaborate to refine processes, develop new solutions, and enhance the overall partner experience.
• Market Intelligence: Stay ahead of industry trends and competitor activity, providing valuable insights to shape the partnership strategy. Identify new partnership opportunities and market channels that will help expand Liberis’ reach and impact within the SME space.
• Reporting & Analytics: Track and report on partnership performance, leveraging data to continuously optimise relationships and outcomes. Collaborate with the Partner Operations team to provide regular updates on progress toward commercial targets and highlight areas for improvement or new opportunities.

What we think you’ll need

• Proven track record in a Strategic Partnership or Business Development role, within the fintech, financial services, or SME-focused sectors.
• Strong experience in managing complex partnerships and driving commercial success.
• A deep understanding of how to navigate and build relationships with senior stakeholders and decision-makers.
• Excellent negotiation, persuasion, and influencing skills, with the ability to challenge and push partners when necessary.
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to develop and deliver partnership strategies that drive measurable results.
• Exceptional communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to build trust and rapport with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a cross-functional team in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Desirable trait: fluency in the German language.

What happens next?

Think this sounds like the right next move for you? Or if you’re not completely confident that you fit our exact criteria, apply anyway and we can arrange a call to see if the role is fit for you. Humility is a wonderful thing, and we are interested in hearing about what you can add to Liberis!

Our hybrid approach

Working together in person helps us move faster, collaborate better, and build a great Liberis culture. Our hybrid working policy requires team members to be in the office at least 3 days a week, but ideally 4 days. At Liberis, we embrace flexibility as a core part of our culture, while also valuing the importance of the time our teams spend together in the office.

#LI-CG1

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone

Resume/CV

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

LinkedIn Profile

How did you hear about this position? * Select...

If you have been referred by a Liberis employee, please enter their name.

Current salary (including bonus/commission) *

Expected salary (including bonus/commission) *

Our hybrid working policy requires team members to be in the office at least 3 days a week (ideally 4). Are you comfortable with this in-person working arrangement? * Select...

Do you have full rights to work in the country this role is based from? * Select...