Sr. Director, Network Partnerships

The Partner Operations team is a key division within Marqeta's broader Go-To-Market Organization, with two essential functions. The bank and network partnership teams drive global strategies to enhance our core technology and capabilities across credit, debit, prepaid card, and money movement offerings. Meanwhile, the solution design and delivery teams guide and support our customers in launching tailored, best-in-class solutions to meet their business needs.

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director of Network Partnerships to lead the development, management, and optimization of key relationships with our network partners, including payment, debit, ATM and various money movement providers. In this role, you will be responsible for driving growth, maximizing incentives, managing contractual obligations, and establishing favorable terms to enhance the economics of the company. Additionally, you will design and execute a holistic strategy to ensure we maintain the right mix of network partners to support the company’s diverse products and services. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to align network partnerships with the company’s overall objectives and growth goals.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in building and managing successful network partnerships within the card payments and issuing ecosystem, including deep experience working with card networks, issuing banks, and payment processors. They bring a strong understanding of the end-to-end card issuing lifecycle, network economics (including interchange, assessments, and incentives), and the regulatory and operational considerations of card programs. Experience in the financial services, payments, or fintech industry is required.

They will be an exceptional negotiator, balancing strategic and financial objectives to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, and possess strong analytical skills to optimize partnership terms and drive data-informed decision-making. With excellent communication abilities, they can influence and build relationships at all levels, both internally and externally. As a visionary leader, they will create and implement innovative strategies to shape long-term success, while leveraging deep industry knowledge of networking products and services. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities effectively, and is focused on driving growth, profitability, and operational efficiency.

We work Flexible First. This role can be performed remote within the United States or from our Oakland, CA or New York City offices. We’d love for you to join us!

NOTE: if you are based within 35 miles of our Oakland, California, New York City (Midtown) or London office, you will be expected to be in-office 2 days / week. The Talent team will share more details if selected for the Recruiter Interview.

• Partnership Development & Management: Build, foster, and maintain strong relationships with network partners to ensure mutually beneficial partnerships. Develop deep expertise in the needs, goals, and business models of each partner to align objectives and drive growth.
• Growth Optimization: Maximize growth opportunities with each network partner by identifying and executing on new business opportunities, expanding product offerings, and driving  discovery of key innovation initiatives. .
• Contractual Oversight & Negotiations: Lead the negotiation and management of contracts, ensuring favorable terms for the company, minimizing risk, and ensuring contractual obligations are met. Collaborate with legal and other teams to facilitate smooth contract execution.
• Strategic Planning & Alignment: Design and implement a comprehensive strategy to build and manage a diverse portfolio of network partnerships, ensuring alignment with company objectives and long-term growth plans.
• Economic Optimization: Drive the company’s financial success through careful management of partnership terms, incentives, and compensation structures. Analyze and optimize the financial terms of each agreement to maximize profitability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with internal teams, including sales, product, legal, and marketing, to ensure effective execution of partnership initiatives. Act as the team’s primary senior point of contact between the company and network partners, ensuring smooth communication,  alignment, and path for escalation.
• Performance Metrics & Reporting: Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor the success of network partnerships. Regularly report on performance, identify challenges, and implement strategies to continuously improve outcomes.
• Market Intelligence: Stay informed of industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitor activities that could impact the network partnership landscape. Provide insights and recommendations to the leadership team for staying ahead of the curve.

• Experience: Minimum of 15+ years of experience in card payments and issuing, financial services, global partnership management,, or similar roles. Experience in payment network partnerships, domestic and global, or financial products/services is highly preferred.
• Leadership Skills: Proven experience in leading and managing strategic partnerships at a senior level. Strong ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage complex relationships, and drive results.
• Negotiation Expertise: Extensive experience in negotiating payment network commercial agreements, managing contract terms, and optimizing financial outcomes for the company.
• Strategic Thinker: Ability to develop and execute complex, long-term strategies that align with organizational goals. Must have a data-driven approach and be comfortable working with senior leadership to drive business outcomes.
• Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of the financial industry, card payments and issuance ecosystem, including networking operations, products, and incentives. Ability to optimize partnership terms to maximize financial value.
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present ideas clearly and persuasively to internal teams and external partners.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

• Application Submission
• Recruiter phone call
• Hiring manager video call
• Virtual “Onsite” consisting of 3-4, 45 min Video Interviews
• Final Executive Interview
• Offer!

Marqeta is on a mission to change the way money moves. We’re one of the earliest enablers of embedded finance, a market opportunity sized up in the trillions. Our card issuing platform provides unprecedented flexibility and control for companies to issue cards, authorize transactions, and manage payment operations in real time. Marqeta is powering the most well known brands in the new economy (Block, Cash App, Affirm, Instacart, Doordash, Uber, Walmart, etc). You don’t need to be a Payments expert to join the Marqeta Team, let us help you with that.  This is the opportunity of a lifetime to work with innovators around the world and unlock equitable financial access for all.

Marqeta is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, childbirth, or related medical conditions), veteran status or uniformed service member status, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, physical or mental disability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information (including testing or characteristics) or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. 

Marqeta endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please submit this form with your specific accommodation request.

Personal data that is provided as part of the application and recruitment process is processed in accordance with the Applicant Privacy Notice. Additional information for California residents can be found here.