Partnership Manager

Gender; Doha; On-site; QAR 240,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Gender is strengthening its Loyalty function by embedding a dedicated Partnership Manager to accelerate merchant ecosystem expansion and drive cardholder offers. You will own the end-to-end partnership lifecycle, from sourcing through onboarding to ongoing optimisation, shaping the loyalty value proposition in the GCC market.

The role requires strong negotiation, cross-functional collaboration, and a data‑driven mindset to deliver measurable spend uplift and revenue growth for the card issuer.

Qualifications

• Experience in merchant acquisition and partnership management.
• Loyalty program design, management and optimisation.
• Understanding of interchange economics and card scheme rules.
• Banking/payments/fintech exposure.

Responsibilities

• Source, onboard and manage merchant partners across sectors such as retail, dining, travel and e‑commerce.
• Lead design, negotiation and optimisation of merchant‑funded offers and cashback structures.
• Monitor market trends, competitor loyalty programs, and GCC activity to inform strategy.
• Collaborate with product, marketing, digital, risk and compliance for seamless offer execution.
• Track KPI performance and provide actionable insights to maximise ROI.
• Drive cardholder engagement and spend uplift through targeted promotions.

Skills

Merchant acquisition

Partnership management

Loyalty optimisation

Data analytics

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing

MBA (preferred)

Tools

Salesforce

Tableau

Power BI

Excel

Job description

The client is strengthening its Loyalty function by embedding a dedicated Partnership Manager to accelerate merchant ecosystem expansion and drive commercially impactful cardholder offers. This role sits at the intersection of commercial strategy and execution -owning the end-to-end merchant partnership lifecycle from sourcing and onboarding through to ongoing optimisation. For the right candidate, this is an opportunity to directly shape a card issuer's loyalty value proposition in one of the fastest-growing payments markets in the GCC, with visible impact on cardholder engagement, portfolio spend, and revenue growth.

Key Activities

Core Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Merchant Acquisition & Onboarding (~35%) -Source, evaluate, and onboard new merchant partners across retail, dining, travel, e-commerce, and lifestyle sectors, ensuring alignment with the client's card portfolio strategy and customer segmentation.
• Relationship Management (~25%) -Serve as the primary point of contact for existing merchant partners; conduct regular business reviews, resolve issues proactively, and identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities to deepen partnerships.
• Offer Design & Commercial Negotiation (~20%) -Design, negotiate, and optimise merchant-funded offers, cashback structures, and loyalty rewards that drive cardholder engagement and measurable spend uplift.
• Market Intelligence & Competitive Benchmarking (~10%) -Monitor competitor loyalty programmes, emerging merchant categories, and regional consumer trends across the Qatar and broader GCC to inform partnership strategy.
• Cross-Functional Coordination (~10%) -Collaborate with product, marketing, digital, risk, and compliance teams to ensure seamless offer execution, regulatory alignment, and go-to-market delivery.
• Identify, negotiate, and onboard new merchant partners across diverse sectors (retail, F&B, travel, entertainment, e-commerce), ensuring each partnership aligns with the client's strategic objectives and target cardholder segments.
• Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with existing merchant partners -acting as their trusted point of contact, driving satisfaction, retention, and incremental commercial value through regular performance reviews.
• Design, implement, and optimise loyalty offers and merchant-funded promotions, leveraging data?driven insights to create compelling value propositions that increase cardholder engagement, activation, and spend.
• Lead commercial negotiations with merchants to secure favourable terms (revenue-share, exclusivity, co-funding), ensuring compliance with QatarCentral Bank regulations, card scheme rules, and internal risk policies.
• Track and analyse the performance of merchant partnerships and loyalty initiatives against defined KPIs, producing regular reporting with actionable recommendations to refine strategy and maximise ROI.
• Conduct market research to identify emerging trends, new merchant categories, and competitive offerings within the Qatar and broader GCC translating insights into a prioritised partnership pipeline.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, marketing, digital channels, CRM, and compliance teams to ensure end-to-end execution of partnership initiatives, from offer design through campaign delivery and post-campaign analysis.

KPIs (illustrative)

• New Merchant Partners Onboarded -Number of new partners activated per quarter
• Offer Redemption Rate % of cardholder base engaging with merchant offers
• Incremental Card Spend Uplift % spend increase attributable to merchant-driven offers vs. baseline
• Partner Retention / Renewal Rate % of merchant partnerships renewed at contract end 21. % of merchant partnerships renewed at contract end Average days from partner agreement to offer going live
• Cardholder Engagement Score Composite metric: offer views, redemptions, repeat usage

Knowledge and Experience

• Merchant acquisition, partnership management, or business development within card issuing, acquiring, or payments
• Loyalty programme design, management, and optimisation (points-based, cashback, merchant-funded offers, coalition models)
• Understanding of interchange economics, scheme rules (Mastercard/Visa), and merchant-funded offer mechanics
• Banking, payments, fintech, or card scheme environment
• CRM platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, or equivalent) for pipeline and relationship tracking
• Loyalty management platforms (e.g., Comarch, Collinson, Giift, Novus Loyalty, or similar)
• Campaign management and offer publishing tools
• Data analytics and reporting tools (Excel advanced, Tableau, Power BI, or equivalent)
• Familiarity with digital channels (mobile banking apps, e-wallets) for offer distribution
• Excellent negotiation, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities
• Ability to manage multiple partner relationships and competing priorities simultaneously
• Stakeholder management across senior internal and external contacts
• Commercially minded with an ability to balance strategic vision and tactical execution

Preferred (Not Mandatory)

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, or related field; MBA is a plus
• Arabic language skills (preferred, not required -broadens merchant engagement reach in Qatar/GCC)
• Certifications: Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional (CLMP) or equivalent (nice to have)
• Experience with A/B testing or Test & Learn methodologies for offer optimisation

Mandatory Skills

• Previous experience within banking, cards & payments, or fintech -non negotiable for understanding scheme dynamics, interchange, and cardholder value proposition design
• Proven merchant acquisition and partnership management track record must demonstrate experience sourcing, negotiating, and managing commercial partnerships
• Strong analytical capability -ability to interpret performance data, identify trends, and translate into actionable partnership strategies
• Professional English fluency -required for all internal and external stakeholder communication