Senior Manager, Financial Partnerships, Card Issuing & Acquiring, EMEA

Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and...

We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions ...

You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If tha...

As Senior Manager, Financial Partnerships, Card Issuing & Acquiring, EMEA, you’ll play a pivotal role in scaling Airwallex’s card issuing and acquiring businesses. You’ll be responsible for building and managing partnerships with global card networks (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc.) and regional/local card schemes, facilitating Airwallex’s entry into new markets, and unlocking strategic opportunities with our network partners. You’ll collaborate closely with internal stakeholders to deliver on critical initiatives and represent Airwallex at partner and industry events, helping to build our brand profile with partners and customers. This role is based in London.
Build and manage partnerships with global card networks and local card schemes to support Airwallex’s card issuing and acquiring businesses.
Facilitate Airwallex’s entry into new markets by coordinating network licensing, regulatory requirements, and program implementation.
Identify and execute on strategic opportunities with network partners, including product/feature collaboration, new revenue streams, cost optimization, and co-marketing initiatives, amongst others.
Negotiate and structure mutually beneficial partnership agreements, and oversee the execution of Airwallex’s obligations under these agreements.
Represent Airwallex at partner and industry events, actively building our brand profile with partners and customers.
Collaborate with internal stakeholders (Product, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Commercial) for strategic planning, execution of critical initiatives, business analysis, and communications regarding partnership status and strategy.

We're looking for people who meet the minimum requirements for this role. The preferred qualifications are great to have, but are not mandatory.
7+ years of experience working with payment networks, card schemes, financial institutions, or other players in the card issuing/acquiring industry.
Deep understanding of card network dynamics, issuing and acquiring business models, and economics.
Proven track record of building and managing strategic partnerships in a fast-paced, technology-led environment.
Strong negotiation, relationship management, and commercial agreement structuring skills.
Experience working with cross-functional teams, including Product, Legal, Compliance, Finance, and Commercial.
International experience—working in multiple markets or managing cross-border relationships.
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills—able to connect with stakeholders at all levels and communicate project expectations and progress effectively.
Thrive under pressure—work well in a high-velocity environment with aggressive timelines, constant change, and dynamic priorities.
Creative problem-solving skills and innate curiosity—we’re trying to grow Airwallex exponentially by exploring new business constructs, not just replicating the old models employed by industry incumbents
Experience at a global, high-growth fintech or pre-IPO startup.
Experience building financial partnerships in a new geography.
Experience with merchant acquiring and/or card portfolio management and optimizing pricing, interchange, and product profitability.
Recognized as an industry thought leader; experience representing your company at industry events.
This job description is designed to attract top-tier candidates by clearly outlining the impact, expectations, and growth opportunities of the role, while aligning with Airwallex’s internal standards and industry best practices.
To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page.
Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.