Senior Manager, Financial Partnerships, Card Issuing & Acquiring, EMEA

Airwallex-; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 140,000 - 186,000; Full time

Job summary

Airwallex is seeking a Senior Manager, Financial Partnerships, Card Issuing & Acquiring, EMEA, to scale our card issuing and acquiring businesses. You will build and manage partnerships with global networks and regional schemes, enabling Airwallex’s entry into new markets and unlocking strategic opportunities with network partners.

You’ll collaborate with internal teams to deliver initiatives, represent Airwallex at industry events, and help grow our brand with partners and customers.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience working with payment networks, card schemes, financial institutions, or other players in the card issuing/acquiring industry.
• Deep understanding of card network dynamics, issuing and acquiring business models, and economics.
• Proven track record of building and managing strategic partnerships in a fast‑paced, technology‑led environment.
• Strong negotiation, relationship management, and commercial agreement structuring skills.
• Experience working with cross‑functional teams, including Product, Legal, Compliance, Finance, and Commercial.
• International experience—working in multiple markets or managing cross‑border relationships.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills—able to connect with stakeholders at all levels and communicate project expectations and progress effectively.
• Thrive under pressure—work well in a high‑velocity environment with aggressive timelines, constant change, and dynamic priorities.
• Creative problem‑solving skills and innate curiosity—we’re trying to grow Airwallex exponentially by exploring new business constructs, not just replicating the old models employed by industry incumbents

Responsibilities

• Build and manage partnerships with global card networks and local card schemes to support Airwallex’s card issuing and acquiring businesses.
• Facilitate Airwallex’s entry into new markets by coordinating network licensing, regulatory requirements, and program implementation.
• Identify and execute on strategic opportunities with network partners, including product/feature collaboration, new revenue streams, cost optimization, and co‑marketing initiatives, amongst others.
• Negotiate and structure mutually beneficial partnership agreements, and oversee the execution of Airwallex’s obligations under these agreements.
• Represent Airwallex at partner and industry events, actively building our brand profile with partners and customers.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (Product, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Commercial) for strategic planning, execution of critical initiatives, business analysis, and communications regarding partnership status and strategy.

Skills

Card networks

Partnership management

Negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

International experience

Financial services

Strategic thinking

Job description

About Airwallex

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.

Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.

Attributes We Value

We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.

You're humble and collaborative; turn zero-to-one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high-visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next.

About the team

The Financial Partnerships team at Airwallex is dedicated to building and managing strategic relationships with key financial institutions and fellow fintech partners worldwide. We focus on expanding Airwallex’s payment network, enhancing our product offerings, and driving mutual growth for Airwallex and our partners. We coordinate closely with cross‑functional internal and external stakeholders to deliver innovative solutions and ensure our customers have access to the best financial services worldwide. Join a collaborative, high‑impact team that values creativity, agility, and results.

What you'll do

As Senior Manager, Financial Partnerships, Card Issuing & Acquiring, EMEA, you’ll play a pivotal role in scaling Airwallex’s card issuing and acquiring businesses. You’ll be responsible for building and managing partnerships with global card networks (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc.) and regional/local card schemes, facilitating Airwallex’s entry into new markets, and unlocking strategic opportunities with our network partners. You’ll collaborate closely with internal stakeholders to deliver on critical initiatives and represent Airwallex at partner and industry events, helping to build our brand profile with partners and customers. This role is based in London.

Responsibilities:

• Build and manage partnerships with global card networks and local card schemes to support Airwallex’s card issuing and acquiring businesses.




• Facilitate Airwallex’s entry into new markets by coordinating network licensing, regulatory requirements, and program implementation.




• Identify and execute on strategic opportunities with network partners, including product/feature collaboration, new revenue streams, cost optimization, and co‑marketing initiatives, amongst others.




• Negotiate and structure mutually beneficial partnership agreements, and oversee the execution of Airwallex’s obligations under these agreements.




• Represent Airwallex at partner and industry events, actively building our brand profile with partners and customers.




• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (Product, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Commercial) for strategic planning, execution of critical initiatives, business analysis, and communications regarding partnership status and strategy.

Who you are

We're looking for people who meet the minimum requirements for this role. The preferred qualifications are great to have, but are not mandatory.

Minimum qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience working with payment networks, card schemes, financial institutions, or other players in the card issuing/acquiring industry.


• Deep understanding of card network dynamics, issuing and acquiring business models, and economics.


• Proven track record of building and managing strategic partnerships in a fast‑paced, technology‑led environment.


• Strong negotiation, relationship management, and commercial agreement structuring skills.


• Experience working with cross‑functional teams, including Product, Legal, Compliance, Finance, and Commercial.


• International experience—working in multiple markets or managing cross‑border relationships.


• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills—able to connect with stakeholders at all levels and communicate project expectations and progress effectively.


• Thrive under pressure—work well in a high‑velocity environment with aggressive timelines, constant change, and dynamic priorities.


• Creative problem‑solving skills and innate curiosity—we’re trying to grow Airwallex exponentially by exploring new business constructs, not just replicating the old models employed by industry incumbents

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience at a global, high‑growth fintech or pre‑IPO startup.


• Experience building financial partnerships in a new geography.


• Experience with merchant acquiring and/or card portfolio management and optimizing pricing, interchange, and product profitability.


• Recognized as an industry thought leader; experience representing your company at industry events.

This job description is designed to attract top‑tier candidates by clearly outlining the impact, expectations, and growth opportunities of the role, while aligning with Airwallex’s internal standards and industry best practices.

Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third‑Party Recruiters

To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com email address.

Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.

Equal opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.