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

Attributes We Value: 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 from first principles, balancing speed and rigor. 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 that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next.

Who you are: We're looking for people who meet the minimum requirements for this role. The preferred qualifications are great to have, but are not mandatory.

Minimum qualifications:

• 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

Preferred qualifications:

• 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.