Head of Partnerships

This is a strategic leadership opportunity for an experienced partnerships professional with a strong background in payments, fintech, and operational excellence. In this role, you will oversee critical partnership operations, ensuring seamless onboarding, integration, and management of payment service providers and merchant accounts across multiple channels. You will work cross-functionally with commercial, compliance, finance, and operations teams to optimize partner performance, strengthen risk management practices, and drive sustainable growth. The position offers significant ownership, influence, and visibility, making it ideal for a leader who thrives in fast-paced environments and enjoys building scalable partnership frameworks. Your expertise will directly contribute to operational stability, commercial success, and the continued expansion of a global payments ecosystem.

Accountabilities

• Lead and coordinate multiple operational teams within the partnerships function, ensuring clear accountability, high execution standards, and continuous process improvement.
• Drive the onboarding of payment service providers and partners from initial engagement through activation and transaction readiness.
• Build, maintain, and scale strategic partner integrations while ensuring efficient technical and commercial implementation.
• Manage and oversee merchant account portfolios across various processing channels, monitoring performance and resolving operational challenges.
• Maintain and enhance partner risk management processes, proactively addressing compliance, operational, acquirer, and payment‑related risks.
• Oversee merchant account infrastructure, including transaction volumes, limits, operational status monitoring, and performance analysis.
• Negotiate and optimize commercial agreements, including processing fees, settlement terms, reserves, and financial arrangements.
• Coordinate partner‑related requests and escalations while ensuring timely resolution of operational, compliance, and payment issues.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to improve partner capacity, operational efficiency, reporting structures, and governance frameworks.

Requirements

• Previous leadership experience within partnerships, account management, operations, payment infrastructure, or related functions.
• Minimum 4 years of experience managing partnerships, onboarding, account management, partner success, or operational functions within payment service providers, acquiring institutions, payment gateways, or fintech organizations.
• Strong understanding of payment processing ecosystems, acquiring flows, settlement processes, approval rates, risk management, and compliance frameworks.
• Hands‑on experience managing merchant accounts and building relationships with payment partners.
• Proven ability to lead multiple teams and coordinate complex operational activities in fast‑paced environments.
• Strong analytical skills with experience using operational dashboards, reporting tools, and advanced Excel capabilities.
• Ability to identify operational inefficiencies, resolve escalations, and implement scalable process improvements.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across technical, commercial, operational, and external partner groups.
• Fluent Russian language skills and strong professional English communication abilities.
• Highly proactive, ownership-driven mindset with strong decision‑making and problem‑solving capabilities.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package aligned with experience, expertise, and performance.
• Annual performance reviews and opportunities for compensation growth.
• Significant career development opportunities within a rapidly growing fintech environment.
• Company‑sponsored access to conferences, professional certifications, training programs, and industry events.
• Collaborative culture with passionate and highly engaged colleagues.
• 21 days of paid vacation plus public holidays.
• Paid sick leave and an additional day off for your birthday.
• Opportunity to contribute directly to the growth and success of an ambitious, innovative organization.