Head of Partnerships

Index Industries; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Meaningful equity

Benefits

Job summary

Index Industries seeks a Head of Partnerships to own and grow relationships across fintech and blockchain ecosystems. This founding-team role reports to the CEO, setting partnerships strategy from scratch and closing the first wave of deals.

You’ll lay groundwork for a scalable team and work with Circle, Coinbase, Kraken, and other regulated players. You will build a playbook, establish processes, and create CRM/pipeline tracking while hiring and managing a partnerships team as the function

Qualifications

• 7+ years in business development, partnerships, or strategic alliances within crypto/fintech.
• Existing working relationships with decision-makers at crypto/fintech institutions is required.

Responsibilities

• Build and execute a partnerships strategy connecting Index Industries with fintech/blockchain infrastructure providers, exchanges, and stablecoin issuers.
• Originate, negotiate, and close strategic partnerships with commercial terms, scope, and GTM alignment.
• Own key partner relationships across business, product, legal, and compliance.

Skills

Strategic partnerships

Business development

Crypto/fintech domain knowledge

Relationship building

Negotiation

Cross-functional leadership

Tools

CRM systems

Job description

Index Industries is looking for a Head of Partnerships to own and grow our relationships across the fintech and blockchain ecosystem. This is a founding-team-level, startup-phase role reporting directly to the CEO, you'll set the partnerships strategy from scratch, close the first wave of deals yourself, and lay the groundwork for a team as the function scales. Success depends on walking in with real, working relationships at the institutions that matter most: Circle, Coinbase, Kraken, and comparable regulated crypto and payments companies.

What You’ll Do

• Build and execute a partnerships strategy that connects Index Industries to leading fintech and blockchain infrastructure providers, exchanges, and stablecoin issuers.
• Originate, negotiate, and close strategic partnerships with companies covering commercial terms, integration scope, and go-to-market alignment.
• Serve as the primary relationship owner for key partners, acting as the trusted point of contact across business, product, legal, and compliance stakeholders.
• Identify and prioritize partnership opportunities (liquidity, custody, on/off-ramps, stablecoin settlement, exchange listings, co-marketing) that accelerate product and revenue goals.
• Work cross-functionally with product, engineering, legal, and compliance to structure deals that are commercially sound and regulatorily defensible.
• Represent Index Industries at industry events, conferences, and working groups to build the company's standing in the crypto and fintech partner ecosystem.
• Report directly to the CEO on partnership pipeline, deal economics, and market feedback; help shape overall company strategy given your market perspective.
• Build the partnerships function from the ground up, processes, deal templates, CRM/pipeline tracking, and hire/manage team members as the role scales.

What You Bring

• 7+ years in business development, partnerships, or strategic alliances, with meaningful time spent in crypto, blockchain, or fintech.
• Existing, working relationships with decision-makers at major crypto/fintech institutions, direct experience with or connections into Circle, Coinbase, Kraken, or similar regulated exchanges and stablecoin issuers is required.
• Track record of sourcing, negotiating, and closing complex commercial partnerships end-to-end.
• Fluency in the mechanics of the space: stablecoins, custody, on/off-ramps, exchange integrations, regulatory considerations (money transmission, BSA/AML, state-by-state licensing).
• Comfort operating with startup-level ambiguity, you'll build the playbook, not inherit one.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills; equally credible in a room with a CEO, a legal team, or a compliance officer.
• A strong personal network in the fintech/crypto space that translates into a warm pipeline from day one.

Nice To Have

• Prior experience at a crypto exchange, stablecoin issuer, custodian, or payments company.
• Experience building a partnerships or BD function from zero at an early-stage startup.
• Familiarity with U.S. money transmission licensing and crypto regulatory frameworks.

Why Index Industries

• Ground-floor leadership role with direct CEO access and real influence over company strategy.
• Competitive salary, meaningful equity, and benefits.
• The chance to define what partnerships looks like at a fast-moving fintech/blockchain company, rather than operate inside someone else's playbook.