Business Manager – Partnerships

Darwinbox Digital Solutions Pvt. Ltd.; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwinbox Digital Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is seeking a Business Manager – Partnerships to drive strategic collaborations with banks, NBFCs, fintechs, and digital platforms.

The role focuses on building and scaling partner ecosystems, managing end-to-end partnership cycles, and delivering revenue impact. The ideal candidate will bring deep experience in partnerships, business development, and financial services, with strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in building and scaling partnerships with banks, NBFCs, fintechs, DSAs, digital platforms, aggregators, and brokers.
• Strong commercial acumen and ability to develop joint business plans with strategic partners.
• Proven track record in partnership-led business models and revenue growth.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute partnership strategies aligned with growth and revenue objectives.
• Identify and onboard new strategic and channel partners across financial ecosystems.
• Lead negotiations on terms, revenue sharing, and operational commitments.
• Own partner relationships, conduct quarterly business reviews, and drive activation and retention.
• Collaborate with Product, Technology, Risk, and Compliance to implement partnerships.

Skills

Partnerships

Business development

Negotiation

Relationship management

Market knowledge

Financial products

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA/PGDM

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

Job Title: Business Manager – Partnership

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and results-driven Business Manager - Partnerships to drive strategic partnerships, channel development, business acquisition, and revenue growth for the organization.

The role will be responsible for identifying, developing, managing, and scaling partnerships with banks, NBFCs, fintechs, DSAs, digital platforms, aggregators, brokers, connectors, merchant ecosystems, and other relevant business partners.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in partnerships, business development, fintech, lending, banking, NBFC, digital financial services, or related industries, with a proven track record of building and scaling strategic partnerships. The candidate should possess strong commercial acumen, relationship management skills, negotiation capabilities, market knowledge, and an understanding of financial products and partnership-led business models.

What You'll Do

Partnership Strategy & Business Growth

Develop and execute partnership strategies aligned with business growth and revenue objectives.

Identify new partnership opportunities across banks, NBFCs, fintechs, digital platforms, aggregators, DSAs, brokers, merchants, and other relevant ecosystems.

Build and maintain a strong partnership pipeline to drive sustainable business growth.

Identify new business models, customer segments, acquisition channels, and strategic opportunities.

Evaluate potential partners based on business potential, customer reach, product fit, commercial viability, and strategic alignment.

Develop and execute joint business plans with strategic partners.

Drive partner-led sourcing, customer acquisition, revenue, and disbursement targets, wherever applicable.

Monitor market trends, competitor activity, emerging business models, and industry developments to identify partnership opportunities.

Partner Acquisition & Business Development

Identify, prospect, and onboard new strategic and channel partners.

Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, founders, business heads, sales leaders, and decision-makers across partner organizations.

Lead partnership discussions from initial engagement through commercial closure and implementation.

Understand partner business models, customer segments, distribution networks, and growth priorities.

Develop customized partnership proposals and value propositions.

Negotiate commercials, business terms, revenue-sharing models, service levels, and other partnership requirements.

Drive partner onboarding and ensure timely activation after agreement closure.

Maintain a healthy pipeline of prospective partners and continuously identify new opportunities.

Partner Relationship Management

Own relationships with key partners and act as the primary point of contact for business matters.

Build long-term strategic relationships and identify opportunities for deeper collaboration.

Conduct regular business reviews with partners to assess performance, opportunities, challenges, and action plans.

Understand partner requirements and coordinate with internal stakeholders to deliver appropriate solutions.

Resolve partner escalations and ensure timely closure of business and operational issues.

Drive partner engagement, activation, productivity, and retention.

Identify opportunities to expand existing partnerships into new products, geographies, customer segments, or channels.

Business & Revenue Management

Own partner-level business performance against agreed targets and commercial objectives.

Track sourcing, login, approval, sanction, disbursement, revenue, conversion, and other relevant business metrics.

Drive partner productivity and improve conversion across the partnership funnel.

Identify underperforming partnerships and develop corrective action plans.

Optimize partner economics and ensure sustainable contribution to business growth.

Identify cross-sell and upsell opportunities across existing partnerships.

Develop initiatives to increase customer acquisition, transaction volumes, loan sourcing, or revenue through partner channels, wherever applicable.

Prepare business forecasts and track performance against monthly, quarterly, and annual targets.

Strategic Partnerships & Alliances

Identify and develop high-value strategic alliances that can create long-term business opportunities.

Explore partnerships with banks, NBFCs, fintech platforms, marketplaces, SaaS platforms, merchant ecosystems, digital platforms, and other relevant businesses.

Develop co-branded, embedded finance, referral, distribution, API-led, or other partnership models as applicable.

Work with internal Product, Technology, Risk, Credit, Operations, and Business teams to develop and launch partnership propositions.

Evaluate opportunities for geographic, product, and customer-segment expansion through partnerships.

Build a strong understanding of the competitive partnership landscape and emerging ecosystem opportunities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with Product, Technology, Credit, Risk, Operations, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Marketing, Sales, and Collections teams to execute partnerships successfully.

Translate partner requirements into actionable business and operational requirements.

Coordinate with internal teams to ensure smooth partner onboarding and implementation.

Drive timely resolution of operational, technology, credit, compliance, and customer-related issues.

Support development and implementation of partner-specific processes, workflows, and operating models.

Ensure clear communication between internal stakeholders and external partners throughout the partnership lifecycle.

Partner Onboarding & Implementation

Lead the end-to-end partner onboarding process from initial discussion to business activation.

Coordinate commercial, legal, compliance, technology, operational, and documentation requirements.

Ensure partner agreements, commercial structures, processes, and operating models are implemented effectively.

Work with Technology and Product teams on API, system integration, CRM, LOS, LMS, or other required integrations.

Develop partner onboarding plans, launch timelines, and implementation milestones.

Ensure smooth go-live and post-launch stabilization.

Develop partner-specific sales strategies and go-to-market plans.

Enable partners with product knowledge, sales materials, processes, and relevant training.

Work with partner sales teams to improve customer acquisition and conversion.

Develop joint campaigns, promotions, and customer acquisition initiatives with partners.

Monitor partner sales productivity and identify opportunities for improvement.

Ensure partners have the required tools, information, and support to drive business effectively.

What We're Looking For

Educational Background

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Commerce, Economics, Engineering, or a related field.

MBA/PGDM in Sales, Marketing, Finance, Business Management, or a related discipline is preferred.

Professional Experience

3+ years of relevant experience in Partnerships, Business Development, Strategic Alliances, Channel Management, Fintech, Banking, NBFC, Lending, Financial Services, or related industries.

Proven experience in identifying, onboarding, and managing strategic or channel partnerships.

Strong track record of achieving business, revenue, sourcing, or partnership targets.

Experience managing relationships with senior stakeholders and decision-makers.

Experience in negotiating commercial agreements and partnership structures.

Experience working across multiple internal and external stakeholders.

Functional Expertise

Strong understanding of partnership-led business models and customer acquisition channels.

Good understanding of lending, banking, fintech, NBFC, or financial services ecosystems.

Strong business development, relationship management, and negotiation skills.

Ability to identify and evaluate new partnership opportunities.

Strong commercial and business acumen.

Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

Ability to manage multiple partnerships and initiatives simultaneously.

Strong understanding of business metrics, revenue models, and partner economics.

Nice to Have

Experience working with fintechs, NBFCs, digital lenders, banks, marketplaces, or technology-enabled financial services companies.

Exposure to digital lending, embedded finance, API-led partnerships, co-lending, referral models, or digital distribution.

Experience working with LOS, LMS, CRM, API integrations, or digital onboarding platforms.

Understanding of technology-enabled customer acquisition and financial product distribution.

Strong network across banks, NBFCs, fintechs, DSAs, aggregators, brokers, merchants, marketplaces, and digital platforms.

Experience developing and scaling new partnership channels.

Experience managing multiple partnership models simultaneously.

Experience building strategic alliances and ecosystem partnerships.

Commercial & Analytics

Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and familiarity with Power BI, Tableau, or similar reporting tools.

Ability to analyze partner economics, business performance, conversion, and revenue metrics.

Experience with CRM systems, sales dashboards, partner management tools, and business analytics.

Strong understanding of revenue-sharing models, commercials, partner incentives, and business profitability.

Why You'll Love Working With Us

Opportunity to build and scale strategic partnerships in a fast-growing fintech organization.

Exposure to digital lending, fintech, and innovative financial products.

Opportunity to work with leading banks, NBFCs, fintechs, and digital businesses.

Significant ownership of partnership-led business growth and revenue.

Opportunity to build new business models and acquisition channels.

Collaborative, performance-driven, and growth-focused culture.

Continuous learning, leadership development, and career growth opportunities.

Competitive compensation and benefits.

Position: Business Manager - Partnerships

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (3+ Years)

This job description is intended to outline the general nature and key responsibilities of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the role. The responsibilities and qualifications described may be subject to change, and other duties may be assigned as needed. Employment is at-will, meaning the employee or the employer may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice.

By applying for this position, you acknowledge and agree that any personal data you provide may be used for recruitment and employment purposes. The data collected will be stored and processed in accordance with our privacy policy and applicable data protection laws. Your information will only be shared with relevant internal stakeholders and will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent, unless required by law.