Vice President of Rewards Partnerships, Americas

Ascenda; United States; Remote; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company seeks a VP of Rewards Partnerships for the Americas to drive growth in travel rewards. The role involves managing strategic relationships, innovating marketing solutions, and shaping the rewards strategy in collaboration with senior leadership. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience and a strong business acumen.

Benefits

Competitive compensation package

Career growth opportunities

Supportive and dynamic environment

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in travel rewards and financial services.
• Proven track record of strategic partnerships and loyalty programs.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead new partner acquisition and manage existing relationships.
• Collaborate with product and engineering teams for targeted marketing.
• Measure and analyze partnership performance for continuous improvement.

Skills

Negotiation

Loyalty Marketing

Strategic Thinking

Partnership Management

Data-Driven Decision Making

Communication

Job description

Great to Meet You! We are Ascenda

Ascenda powers the growth of leading financial services brands worldwide with premium rewards programs that differentiate their products, drive profitable customer behaviors, and create sustainedengagement.

We are behind the world-class rewards propositions of major banks and fintechs around the globe, including brands like American Express, Capital One, Brex, Robinhood, Ramp, HSBC, Virgin Money (Australia), SMBC (Japan), ICBC (China), Bradesco (Brazil), ANZ (Australia), HDFC (India) and many others.

The Role: VP of Rewards Partnerships, Americas

As part of Ascenda’s ambitious goal of becoming the world’s most powerful human incentive engine, we are looking to strengthen the senior leadership team with a Vice President of Rewards Partnerships, Americas.

The position has full ownership for acquiring, managing and expanding the relationships with large travel and content merchants in North, Central, and South America who contribute rewards and benefits to Ascenda’s ecosystem. Ascenda’s close relationships and technical integrations with over 50 of the world’s leading airline & hotel brands are one of the company’s most defining assets. The Americas, in particular, are home to the highest concentration of large travel and merchant companies globally. That’s why the VP of Rewards Partnerships, Americas plays such a key role in Ascenda’s success.

The role oversees the company’s existing relationships with major partners helping them grow by accessing the valuable customer bases of Ascenda’s financial services clients through effective marketing strategies. Additionally, the VP leads the development of new relationships with critical partner targets, converting them into signed long-term agreements.

The VP of Rewards Partnerships, Americas reports directly into the President of International and Partnerships and will shape the company’s overall rewards content strategy and roadmap in close collaboration with Chief Product Officer. This will be an entrepreneurial, collaborative, and hands-on leader with sales, business development and partnerships experience specifically in the travel rewards domain. It is an exciting time to join Ascenda as the industry is rapidly transforming in favour of rewards, with incentive investments quickly accelerating globally and an exploding need for more effective marketing solutions driven by mounting competitive pressures. Ascenda has an exciting and immediate window of opportunity to hyperscale.

The role can be based anywhere the US.

Your Impact

• Lead partner management, new partner acquisition and long-term partnership strategy for the travel and merchant content vertical across the Americas
• Drive the growth of Ascenda’s existing relationships with large airline, hotel partners, and merchant content partners including the renewal of agreements, expansion of collaboration scope, and securing of new merchant-funded incentives & benefits
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to lead the introduction of targeted marketing capabilities for travel merchant partners with seamless automated execution of campaigns
• Measure and analyze the performance of Ascenda’s partnerships both financially and in terms of client & end-user satisfaction, to drive a rapid and continuous innovation agenda.
• Own the end-to-end BD cycle for new partnerships across prospecting, first discussions, in-depth consultative collaboration, commercial negotiation, contracting and implementation.
• Execute rapidly by solving problems, removing obstacles and creating value with merchant partners.
• Provide strong people leadership and coaching to your team of Partnership Managers and Directors.

Who You Are

The ideal candidate is a senior executive with 15+ years of experience, including substantial exposure to travel rewards propositions and their intersection with financial services. They bring a proven track record of acquiring and expanding strategic partnerships for large-scale rewards programs, underpinned by deep expertise in loyalty marketing and program design.

This leader is entrepreneurial, outcomes-driven, and thrives in dynamic environments. They are quick to make data-informed decisions and adept at adapting to change. Equally comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels, they build strong followership through crisp execution, technical depth, and hands-on leadership.

We’re looking for someone who exemplifies Ascenda’s core value of Supportive Collaboration, a leader who operates with humility, empathy, and contagious positivity. They champion organizational well-being while driving action with urgency, embracing ambiguity, encouraging healthy debate, and staying intellectually curious to anticipate market shifts.

Key Qualifications:

• Demonstrated success in structuring, negotiating, and implementing complex commercial partnerships.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify new opportunities and turn ideas into action.
• Strategic thinker who understands partner and end-customer needs to deliver compelling value propositions.
• Strong instincts grounded in data and experience to drive sound decision-making.
• Exceptional communicator, comfortable engaging with senior stakeholders and influencing at all levels.
• Skilled in delivering compelling, concise partnership pitches and presentations.
• Deep alignment with Ascenda’s values: Growth Mindset, Hands-On Ownership, Supportive Collaboration, and Radical Simplicity.

Why Join Ascenda?

Ascenda offers the unique opportunity to lead in the LaaS innovation space, shaping the future of rewards programs. You'll be part of an environment that prizes groundbreaking ideas and their execution. We provide unparalleled career growth opportunities in a supportive and dynamic environment, complemented by a competitive compensation package that recognizes your impact. Ascenda is dedicated to diversity and inclusion, welcoming candidates from all backgrounds. Join us on our mission to make loyalty simple and rewarding for everyone, everywhere.

Ready to Drive Innovation With Premium Rewards?Apply now to become the VP of Rewards Partnerships, Americas.Together, we'll redefine what's possible in rewards programs.