At Liberis, our mission is to empower small and medium-sized businesses by removing finance as a friction to growth, delivering contextual, embedded financial solutions to support merchants at every stage of their business lifecycle.
The Role
The Director of Partnerships - UK leads our UK partnerships end to end: the team of Partner Managers who run day-to-day relationships, the senior relationships and negotiations that shape each partner’s future with Liberis, and the growth plan that turns those relationships into funding volume and revenue.
This is a broader role than a team lead. You will combine people leadership with commercial ownership: deepening our existing UK partnerships and expanding the products and segments we offer through each. You will lead a team of Partner Managers (currently four) and, as we move to a regional operating model from January 2027, shape how the team is organised around partner growth and partner needs.
Managing senior relationships is the heart of this role. You will be the trusted counterpart of our UK partners at executive and senior leadership level and own the relationships that matter most. You will connect each partner’s strategy and operating model to Liberis’ goals, products and priorities, so that we run growing, profitable partnership programs and defend and retain our market position against competition.
Our UK partners span four partner types: merchant acquirers, ISOs, marketplaces and payment providers. Each has its own commercial model, decision-makers and way of working with us.
What you'll be doing
Own and lead senior partner relationships
- Own the most senior relationships at our UK partners (merchant acquirers, ISOs, marketplaces and payment providers) at executive and senior leadership level, for example C-suite, Managing Director, VP and Head of function across Commercial, Product, Data, Risk and Operations.
- Be the accountable owner of each partner’s long-term future with Liberis and the escalation point for senior stakeholders on both sides.
- Understand each partner’s strategy, operating model and what they are optimising for, and connect the dots between that and what Liberis can offer.
- Set the agenda, roadmap and priorities with each partner, balancing their needs against Liberis’ goals, objectives, product offering and prioritisation.
- Lead commercial and contract negotiations at this level, including pricing, commission, exclusivity and data-access terms, together with Legal and Finance.
- Run executive-level governance with partner leadership: QBRs, annual planning and strategy sessions.
- Make sure relationships are multi-threaded across each partner, so that no key relationship depends on a single person.
- Represent Liberis as a trusted advisor on embedded finance best practice.
- Defend and retain our position with partners against competitors, and know when and how to respond to competitive moves.
Lead the UK Partnerships team
- Lead, coach and develop a team of Partner Managers (currently four), setting clear expectations, standards and ways of working.
- Coach your team to prepare for and hold senior conversations, and step in where a relationship needs your level.
- Own hiring, capability building and succession for the team, and build a culture of ownership and accountability.
- Set the governance rhythm (MBRs, QBRs, roadmap reviews) and make sure it is consistent, insight-led and drives action.
- Act as the escalation point for key partners and internal teams.
Own commercial outcomes
- Own the revenue, funding volume, conversion and unit-economics drivers for the UK partner portfolio, and the plan to deliver them.
- Operate growing and profitable partnership programs, making trade-offs between partner growth and Liberis’ profitability explicit.
- Lead forecasting and commercial planning with Finance and Analytics, and be accountable for accuracy.
- Identify and act on funnel, pricing, renewal and penetration opportunities across the full merchant lifecycle, not just initial originations.
- Assess the commercial viability, operational readiness and P&L impact of proposed expansions and new product launches.
Grow and expand existing partnerships
- Lead partner discussions on new products and new merchant segments.
- Shape the proposition for each partner and align it with Product and Solutions on scope, integration and launch.
- Take on newly signed partners from BD and make sure they launch and ramp well.
Work across the business and across regions
- Work with Product, Partner Solutions, Underwriting, Risk, Marketing and Operations to deliver launches and lifecycle improvements.
- Make sure partner priorities, risks, dependencies and roadmap commitments are aligned internally.
- Work closely with the Director of Partnerships, UK/EU, who also owns our EU partners, so that partners operating in both UK and EU are managed under one plan and one voice.
- Partner with the Global Partnerships team on globally owned partners, shared standards and reporting, and bring UK insight into the global agenda.
- Support multi-market opportunities with the EU team, for example marketplace and platform partners that operate across the UK and EU.
What you’ll need
Must have
- Proven experience in partnerships or Key Account Management, including leading a team of partner- or Key Account facing managers.
- Commercially minded: you have owned revenue, P&L drivers or commercial outcomes, and can show the results.
- Familiarity with embedded finance, in either lending or payments.
- Experience building and negotiating relationships at executive and senior leadership level (e.g. C-suite, Managing Director, VP, Head of function), including contract negotiations.
- Ability to own the most senior partner relationships and read a partner’s strategy and operating model to align it with Liberis’ goals, product offerings and priorities.
- Experience with partner types such as merchant acquirers, ISOs, marketplaces or payment providers.
Also valued
- Experience managing complex B2B2B or B2B2C partnerships and platform ecosystems.
- Analytical skills with funnel data, renewals and financial metrics.
- Understanding of lending workflows, underwriting concepts and partner integrations.
- A track record of building and developing teams.
Our hybrid approach
Working together in person helps us move faster, collaborate better, and build a great Liberis culture. This role requires at least three days per week in the office, with flexibility around which days depending on team and business needs. Our ways of working may evolve over time, including office attendance expectations. At Liberis, we embrace flexibility as a core part of our culture, while also valuing the importance of the time our teams spend together in the office.
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