Partnerships & Business Development Manager - Banking Industry

About the role

Transguard Workforce Solutions is recruiting on behalf of its client for a Partnerships & Business Development Manager focused on the banking industry, based in the Dubai office. The role leads the identification, evaluation, development and management of strategic partnerships and business opportunities that drive revenue growth, market reach and a stronger customer proposition, turning strategic priorities into commercially viable partnerships while managing partner performance, governance and risk.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute the partnerships and business development strategy, pipeline and annual plan in line with organisational priorities and financial targets.
• Identify, research and qualify priority sectors, partners, channels and propositions using customer, competitor and market insights.
• Build business cases covering strategic fit, customer value, commercial model, implementation requirements, risks and expected returns.
• Lead partner engagement and commercial negotiations, coordinating legal, compliance, risk, finance, technology, operations and product stakeholders through approval and contracting.
• Design partnership operating models, governance, service levels, implementation roadmaps and joint go-to-market plans.
• Own the opportunity pipeline, forecasts, budgets and management reporting, keeping progress, dependencies and risks visible.
• Manage partner performance against revenue, acquisition, engagement, service and customer-experience measures, and initiate corrective actions where needed.
• Act as the senior day-to-day relationship lead for assigned partners, resolving escalations and deepening relationships.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, delegated authorities, regulatory obligations, data protection and third-party risk standards.
• Coach team members and foster disciplined, collaborative and customer-focused ways of working.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Marketing or a related discipline; a postgraduate qualification is advantageous.
• Typically 8-10 years of relevant experience in partnerships, business development, strategy, product, sales or relationship management, including leading complex commercial initiatives.
• Demonstrated success originating, negotiating, launching and scaling strategic partnerships.
• Experience in banking, financial services, fintech or another regulated industry is preferred.
• Strong written and spoken English; Arabic is advantageous.