Strategic Partnerships Manager

Overview

Affirm is reinventing credit to make it more honest and friendly, giving consumers the flexibility to buy now and pay later without any hidden fees or compounding interest.

The Strategic Partnerships team at Affirm builds and scales high-impact partnerships within the financial services and fintech ecosystem to expand Affirm’s pre- and post-purchase financing capabilities to third-party issuers. This team drives new business line growth by sourcing and closing complex deals, shaping product strategy from the ground up, and integrating Affirm’s offerings into partner platforms.

The Strategic Partnerships Manager role will be instrumental in identifying, building, and scaling new partnerships in the financial services and fintech industries to bring Affirm's pre- and post-purchase financing capabilities to third party issuers. This is a critical role that will establish foundational partnerships for an emerging business line that will significantly expand Affirm’s network. It requires exceptional strategic thinking, an entrepreneurial spirit, and strong interpersonal skills to influence and nurture relationships with internal and external stakeholders in a dynamic and evolving environment.

• Support development of business strategy and product vision often from a zero-to-one starting point.
• Own the entire deal process, from sourcing, pitching, to negotiating and signing.
• Negotiate and execute complex commercial contracts with new partners leveraging a deep understanding of underlying financial models and product considerations.
• Manage relationships with existing strategic partners by expanding joint collaboration, driving innovation in our products, and maximizing the mutual benefits derived from these partnerships.
• Cultivate a comprehensive understanding of how Affirm’s offerings integrate with our partners’ products to deliver an industry-leading new product.
• Help navigate compliance and regulatory frameworks as we launch new products.
• Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and growth targets to measure partnership success.
• Partner with enablement teams to develop robust marketing and sales training strategies to meet our goals

• 5-7 years of experience in banking, fintech, payments or another high growth startup in a complex vertical who enjoys working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a bias toward action: you’re energized by ambiguity and thrive in fast-paced, high-growth environments. Comfortable toggling between strategic priorities and tactical execution, with a strong sense of ownership over outcomes.
• A strong communicator, both in written (e.g., proposals, memos, e-mails) and verbal communications (e.g., presenting), with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly.
• A strong desire to build a new business line from the ground up, with an ability to ideate on product design and manage partner pipelines effectively.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to understand financial models, evaluate business performance, and communicate program performance to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to lead high-stakes deals end-to-end—sourcing, structuring, negotiating, and closing—while collaborating across functions.
• Excellent customer and/or partnership relationship management skills with the ability to sign and manage new high-profile accounts.
• Strong collaborator who can build relationships across the company internally and with partners

• Health care coverage - Affirm covers all premiums for all levels of coverage for you and your dependents
• Flexible Spending Wallets - generous stipends for spending on Technology, Food, various Lifestyle needs, and family forming expenses
• Time off - competitive vacation and holiday schedules allowing you to take time off to rest and recharge
• ESPP - An employee stock purchase plan enabling you to buy shares of Affirm at a discount

Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company! The majority of our roles are remote and you can work almost anywhere within the country of employment. Affirmers in proximal roles have the flexibility to work remotely, but will occasionally be…