Partner Development Associate

Circle; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 88,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Circle is seeking a Partner Development Associate in Seattle to be the first point of contact for partners and prospects. You’ll qualify inbound leads, route them to the right motion, and own the full qualification process for high-priority opportunities.

You’ll deepen understanding of Circle’s portfolio and collaborate with senior colleagues on cases needing judgment. You’ll manage an inbound queue, maintain CRM data, and drive timely follow-through with precision, speed, and a positive

Qualifications

• 2+ years of relevant customer- or partner-facing experience.
• Ability to manage a prioritized pipeline and conduct discovery.
• Strong written and verbal communication with CRM hygiene.
• Knowledge of fintech, digital assets, or payments is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage a prioritized inbound queue and respond to new leads within the team’s SLA.
• Own the full qualification and handoff motion on high-priority leads, including discovery, routing, and next steps.
• Manage inbound leads across Circle's product portfolio.
• Lead discovery conversations to uncover goals, use case, and readiness to move forward.
• Maintain accurate CRM data hygiene and set dispositions within 24 hours of last contact.
• Use CRM and AI-enabled tools to improve prioritization and prospect engagement.

Skills

Partner development

Sales development

Discovery skills

CRM hygiene

Written communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Salesforce

HubSpot

Google Workspace

Slack

AI-enabled tools

Job description

Circle (NYSE: CRCL) is one of the world’s leading internet financial platform companies, building the foundation of a more open, global economy through digital assets, payment applications, and programmable blockchain infrastructure. Circle’s platform includes the world’s largest regulated stablecoin network anchored by USDC, Circle Payments Network for global money movement, and Arc, an enterprise-grade blockchain designed to become the Economic OS for the internet. Enterprises, financial institutions, and developers use Circle to power trusted, internet-scale financial innovation. Learn more at circle.com.

What You’ll Be Part Of

Circle is committed to visibility and stability in everything we do. As we grow as an organization, we're expanding into some of the world's strongest jurisdictions. Speed and efficiency are motivators for our success and our employees live by our company values: High Integrity, Future Forward, Multistakeholder, Mindful, and Driven by Excellence. We have built a flexible work environment where new ideas are encouraged and everyone is a stakeholder.

What You'll Be Responsible For

As a Partner Development Associate, you’ll be the first point of contact for partners and prospective customers exploring Circle’s products. You'll evaluate fit, qualify inbound leads, and route them to the right BD or sales motion — ensuring every serious opportunity is handled with speed and care. You’ll own the full qualification motion on our highest-priority leads, build real depth across Circle's portfolio, and partner with senior colleagues on cases that need more judgment. This is a role for someone who's energized by a fast-moving inbound queue, asks good questions, and takes pride in leaving every prospect with a positive first experience.

What You’ll Work On

• Manage a prioritized inbound queue and respond to new leads within the team’s SLA.
• Own the full qualification and handoff motion on high-priority leads, including discovery, routing, and a clear recommended next step.
• Manage inbound leads across the full Circle product portfolio.
• Lead discovery conversations that uncover a prospect’s goals, use case, business model, product needs, decision process, and readiness to move forward.
• Maintain accurate CRM data hygiene and set disposition or close cases within 24 hours of last contact.
• Use CRM, AI-enabled tools, and other workflow systems to improve prioritization, response time, follow-up quality, and prospect engagement.

What You’ll Bring To Circle

Core Requirements

• 2+ years of relevant customer-facing, partner-facing, business development, sales development, or commercial experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a prioritized pipeline, conduct discovery, and move prospects to a clear next step.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to build rapport and ask effective qualification questions.
• Ability to assess basic business fit, prioritize follow-up, and make sound routing decisions across multiple internal motions.
• Ability to learn and communicate fintech, payments, and digital-asset concepts with accuracy and curiosity.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to CRM hygiene, documentation, and timely follow‑through.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with BD, sales, product, operations, and teammates while independently managing day‑to‑day responsibilities.

Preferred Requirements

• Knowledge of or demonstrated interest in fintech, digital assets, blockchain technology, stablecoins, or the future of global payments.
• Experience with Salesforce or HubSpot and productivity tools such as Google Workspace, Slack, and AI-enabled workflow tools.
• Experience engaging professional communities through LinkedIn, X, Telegram, Discord, or similar channels.

Circle is on a mission to create an inclusive financial future, with transparency at our core. We consider a wide variety of elements when crafting our compensation ranges and total compensation packages.

Starting pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to: relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, and other business and organizational needs. Please note that compensation ranges may differ for candidates in other locations.

Base Pay Range: $88,000 - $105,333

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, or any other protected status required by the laws in the locations where we hire. Additionally, Circle participates in the E-Verify Program in certain locations, as required by law.

Should you require accommodations or assistance in our interview process because of a disability, please reach out to [e-mail] for support. We respect your privacy and will connect with you separately from our interview process to accommodate your needs.