Partnerships Manager

thunes; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

thunes is seeking a versatile Partnerships Manager to own the end-to-end lifecycle of its external partner ecosystem in a hybrid San Francisco setting. You will drive strategic expansion with Banks, Mobile Wallet Providers, and Cash Networks, and oversee vendor management, risk governance, and regulatory alignment.

You will lead negotiations, manage multi-department approvals, coordinate CRM/CLM workflows, and ensure high partner health through quarterly reviews and ongoing relationship

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• 7+ years in business development/partnerships or TPRM in payments/fintech.
• Strong regulatory and risk management knowledge.
• Proven ability to negotiate multi-party contracts.

Responsibilities

• Identify, source, and build relationships with financial partners to expand regional payments footprint.
• Manage live accounts and drive end-to-end deal lifecycle from lead gen to go-live and ongoing management.
• Lead negotiations on commercial terms, pricing, SLAs, and renewal cycles.
• Coordinate legal/compliance/security/finance/product sign-offs for new agreements.
• Monitor KPIs, SLAs, and drive QBRs; maintain partner health and risk remediation.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Treasury, and Legal for seamless integration.

Skills

Strategic partnerships

Vendor management

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

CRM familiarity

Regulatory awareness

Third-party risk

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance/Law/Tech

Tools

CRM systems

CLM/VMS platforms

Job description

Position Overview We are seeking a highly motivated, versatile Partnerships Manager to manage the end-to-end lifecycle of our external partner ecosystem. This hybrid role combines strategic partnership/network expansion with rigorous vendor management and third-party risk governance.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Expansion: Identify, source, and build relationships with key financial partners, including Banks, Mobile Wallet Providers, and Cash Networks, to expand and optimize our regional payment footprint.

   Full Sales & Deal Lifecycle: Manage live accounts and drive the full business development cycle-from lead generation and deal structuring to go-live and ongoing relationship management.

   Account Retention & Health: Maintain strong working relationships with partner executives to ensure high retention rates, positive contractual health, and long-term mutual value creation.

   Industry Representation: Represent the company at industry events, conduct regulatory outreach as needed, and serve as an ambassador for the brand.

2. End-to-End Contract Management: Lead negotiations for commercial terms, pricing models, SLA structures, liability terms, and renewal cycles across both network partners and operational vendors.

   Cross-Functional Approvals: Coordinate multi-departmental sign-offs (Legal, Compliance, Security, Finance/Treasury, and Product) for new agreements and contract renewals.

   Pipeline & Tone Management: Utilize CRM and CLM/VMS systems (e.g., Gatekeeper) to systematically track deals, contract pipelines, and renewal timelines.

3. Risk Assessments & Audits: Conduct initial and periodic third-party risk management (TPRM) reviews, coordinate security evaluations (e.g., SOC 2), and support internal/external compliance audits.

   Regulatory Alignment: Ensure partners and vendors adhere to strict industry oversight, local data privacy mandates, anti-money laundering (AML), and OFAC compliance standards.

   Issue Remediation: Proactively identify risk findings during partner/vendor reviews, establish actionable remediation plans, and track issues through to resolution.

4. Service Quality & SLA Monitoring: Continuously monitor partner and vendor performance against agreed KPIs and SLAs; resolve operational friction points and negotiate cost reimbursements or service credits for performance breaches.

   Executive Governance & QBRs: Structure, organize, and facilitate Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with key partners/vendors to report on performance metrics and align product/technology roadmaps.

   Internal Escalations: Present complex legal, commercial, or operational risks to leadership with actionable recommendations.

5. Internal Collaboration: Partner closely with internal stakeholders (Product, Engineering, Solutions Delivery, Treasury, and Legal) to ensure seamless technical integration and operational execution far beyond contract signing.

   Implementation Support: Drive onboarding, API integration, and system upgrade projects for new and existing partner/vendor solutions.

   Reporting & Insights: Maintain precision records in internal systems and provide executive updates on performance metrics, regional regulatory shifts, and strategic growth initiatives.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Law, Technology, or a related field.
• Experience: 7+ years of combined experience in Business Development/Partnerships, Vendor Management, Procurement, or Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) within Payments, Fintech, Banking, or Financial Services.
• Domain Expertise: Strong background working with Mobile Wallet Providers, Financial Institutions, Payment Processors, and compliance/risk tooling.
• Commercial Acumen: Proven track record of negotiating complex, multi-party commercial contracts and achieving favorable commercial terms.
• Risk & Regulatory Knowledge: Solid understanding of financial regulations, third-party risk management frameworks, privacy regulations, SOC 2 standards, and OFAC/AML compliance.
• Operational Execution: Highly organized with experience using CRM and CLM/VMS systems to manage contract workflows and track SLA metrics.
• Interpersonal & Communication Skills: Exceptional negotiation, presentation, and stakeholder-management skills, with the confidence to communicate effectively at the C-suite and regulatory levels.

Key Attributes for Success

• Adaptability: Comfortable moving seamless