Data Partnerships Lead

Method; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 240,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

A financial technology company in Washington D.C. is seeking a Head of Data Strategy & Access to lead negotiations and secure data access agreements with financial institutions. You will be responsible for managing relationships and co-designing specifications for data integration. The ideal candidate has experience in financial data aggregation and open banking standards, along with a strong business background. The role offers a salary range of $240,000-$280,000 and requires technical fluency to engage with bank engineering teams.

Qualifications

• Experience at a financial data aggregator or related financial institution.
• Fluency in open banking and financial data standards.
• Proven track record of closing commercial agreements with large financial institutions.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute Method's data access strategy with financial institutions.
• Build and manage relationships with target data providers.
• Negotiate data integration agreements and technical specifications.

Skills

Commercial negotiation

Industry relations

Open banking standards

Technical fluency

Relationship building

Education

MBA or equivalent business background

Job description

Overview

Meet Method Method has built the most modern way to connect to consumer financial accounts. Combining real-time liability connectivity with instant payment execution, Method’s API is designed to make it easy for people to connect their financial accounts to the apps and services they want to use.

Method has built the most modern way to connect to consumer financial accounts. Combining real-time liability connectivity with instant payment execution, Method’s API is designed to make it easy for people to connect their financial accounts to the apps and services they want to use.

We have helped 45+ million users connect 350+ million liability accounts credential-less and processed over $2.5B in payments, helping users save millions in interest. One in every three credit cards in the United States is in the Method ecosystem and leading financial institutions like SoFi, Bilt, Cleo, Sezzle, Figure & Aven rely on our APIs to build magical experiences for millions of consumers.

We’re a team of 50+ people spread across offices in Austin, SF, New York City, and Washington D.C! We’re excited to continue the momentum working alongside our investors and advisors from Andreessen Horowitz, Emergence Capital, Y Combinator, Avra, and Ardent. To learn more about us, check out our blog!

About The Role

We\'re hiring a Head of Data Strategy & Access to own Method\'s most consequential and technically complex external partnership effort. You’ll be responsible for negotiating and securing the data access agreements with financial institutions and other data providers that power Method’s platform. You’ll also engage with industry associations and other industry consortia to advance the technical standards that govern how financial data is shared across the industry.

You\'re operating at the intersection of commercial negotiation, industry relations, product co-design, open banking and industry standards work in an environment where the counterparties are major financial institutions, the stakes are high, and progress is slow and hard-won. You\'ll build trust with technical and business stakeholders at institutions that are simultaneously your partners and your infrastructure providers. You\'ll need to know when to be transparent, when to be patient, and when to push.

What You'll Do

• Own and execute Method\'s data access strategy with financial institutions.
• Build and manage a pipeline of target data provider relationships across technical and business stakeholders; drive outbound, conference-based networking, and warm introductions.
• Co-design and negotiate bank authentication and user experience specifications as part of data integration agreements.
• Participate in and represent Method within industry consortia working groups; develop and advance proposals for technical standards and authentication protocols.
• Own the commercial negotiation on direct access agreements including build cost contributions, data licensing terms, and implementation timelines.
• Evaluate and pursue financial institutions and digitally native lenders integrations to move manual repayment flows to digital alternatives.
• Manage various Method internal and external resources supporting our data access efforts.
• Build internal visibility and alignment on the data access agenda across Product, Legal, and Engineering.

Who You Are

• You\'ve done this job, or something very close to it, at a financial data aggregator (Plaid, MX, Yodlee, Intuit IDX) or from within a financial institution\'s digital partnerships or open banking team.
• You\'re fluent in open banking and financial data standards, FDX, FAPI, OpenID Connect; you\'ve sat in the rooms where these decisions get made.
• You have an MBA or equivalent business background and have closed or contributed to commercial agreements with large financial institutions.
• You know how banks move, who the real stakeholders are, and how to build momentum when every counterparty has competing priorities and limited urgency.
• You have a bias toward ownership; this role requires sustained effort against institutional inertia with limited short-term feedback loops.
• You\'re technically fluent enough to engage with bank engineering and product teams without an interpreter.

Extra Awesome

• Existing network within FDX, Open ID Connect, or banking standards bodies.
• Experience working alongside or within a government affairs or regulatory strategy function.
• Prior startup experience or demonstrated comfort operating at a company where the process is yours to build.
• You’ve built teams and/or new functions in a fast-paced, startup environment where priorities can shift, growth is exponential, and autonomy is critical.
• Relationships at top-10 US financial institutions.

The annual US base salary range for this role is: $240,000-$280,000 and will have a variable component.