Key Merchant Partnership Manager

To drive the growth and profitability of the BNPL B2C business by strategically acquiring, developing, and managing a portfolio of key merchant partners. This role is responsible for forging high-value partnerships, negotiating commercial terms, and ensuring the successful integration and growth of EMKAN's BNPL solution within the merchant's checkout experience, ultimately maximizing transaction volume and revenue.

Responsibilities:

• Develop the annual business plans for the Partnership section ensuring alignment to the function’s strategic plan.
• Contribute to the formulation and implementation of the strategy in line with EMKAN’ vision, mission and Business Focus Areas.
• Report on the progress of activities against the annual business plans, opportunities, challenges and issues faced, mitigations taken, etc. as required, to facilitate informed decision-making.
• Build high levels of trust and understanding with internal and external stakeholders to promote full compliance with industry regulations and promote broader understanding of EMKAN interests and practices.
• Manage employee performance and development by assigning individual performance targets and development objectives at least on an annual basis.
• Direct and supervise the activities and work of subordinates by providing formal and informal feedback regularly and on a timely basis, to ensure that all work is carried out in an efficient manner and in accordance with set individual targets.
• Recommend an optimum organization structure for the section, in coordination with the Human Resources department, to ensure efficient and effective workflow of operational processes and optimal utilization of resources.
• Collaborate with Human Resources department in development of business unit’s manpower plan to ensure timely and best-of-class delivery of tasks.
• Prepare and recommend the department’s budget in alignment to the respective annual business plan.
• Oversee costs and activities are monitored on a regular basis highlighting any relevant opportunities and issues, to facilitate appropriate decision-making in line with changing priorities.
• Manage the implementation and contribute towards the development of departmental policies, system, processes, procedures and controls covering all areas of the function so that all relevant procedural/legislative requirements are fulfilled while delivering a quality, cost-effective service in a consistent manner.
• Manage the continuous improvement of existing policies, processes and procedures to drive incremental benefits through efficiencies and better insights and analysis.
• Identify, target, and secure partnerships with key, high-potential B2C merchants across strategic sectors (e.g., Retail, Travel, Electronics, Home Goods).
• Lead end-to-end commercial negotiations, including approved pricing, commercials, legal terms, and marketing commitments, to close mutually beneficial agreements.
• Serve as the primary strategic contact for key accounts, fostering deep relationships at the executive level to ensure partner satisfaction, resolve issues, and identify growth opportunities.
• Develop and execute joint business plans with key merchants to maximize transaction volume, customer acquisition, and revenue. Analyse performance data to provide insights and recommendations.
• Work closely with the Product and Technology teams to ensure smooth technical integration of the BNPL solution and advocate for merchant-specific needs and feature requests.
• Maintain a deep understanding of the competitive BNPL landscape, market trends, and merchant needs to inform strategy and maintain a competitive edge.
• Project manage the end-to-end launch process for new merchant partners, coordinating with internal and external teams to ensure a timely and successful go live.

Qualification:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Marketing, or a related field. An MBA is a plus.
• 5+ years of proven experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or key account management, preferably within the FinTech, Payments, BNPL, or E-commerce sectors.
• Experience in managing and mentoring a team is required.