Senior Manager, APN Network Management in City of Westminster

We are seeking an experienced Network Manager in London to join the new Network (APN) Management Team. This role is both a relationship management role where the individual will be responsible for managing a suite of Global Payment Partners that form part of Western Union’s Account Payment Network (APN) - banks, wallets, and card providers. The focus will be on Global Partnerships plus EMEA regional coverage. In addition, this individual will be responsible for executing on the APN governance strategy ensuring that our key partners are aligned with our business objectives and regulatory requirements. We are looking for someone that can identify partnership and collaboration opportunities to support the development and optimization of the payment product suite. The role will work collaboratively with regional product teams to understand their future payment requirements.

Responsibilities

• Manages a suite of global and regional APN Partnerships taking end to end ownership of the relationship.
• Conducts regular services reviews, monitors and revises service level agreements (SLAs), tracks performance against key performance indicators (KPIs) and objectives and key results (OKRs) to drive operational excellence.
• Ensures APN Partner performance meets WU standards; escalates and tracks issues to resolution.
• Proactively discusses business development opportunities, identifying growth or revenue opportunities; presenting back to VP and Business.
• Builds and nurtures strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, helps contribute towards product vision and strategic direction.
• Identifies and evaluates strategic partnerships with pay-out partners, correspondent banks, and payment networks to enhance network resilience, currency coverage, and support APN product development.
• Stays abreast of global payment market trends, regulatory changes, and technological advancements including local wallets, payment schemes and stablecoin.
• Collaborates closely with risk, compliance, legal, product, and technology teams to deliver changes, close process and governance gaps, and ensure audit and regulatory readiness.
• Reviews contractual agreements with Legal and Compliance teams, guaranteeing regulatory adherence and comprehensive documentation.

Requirements

• 7-10 years of experience of partnership management in Financial Services, preferably payments and 5+ years of experience managing teams.
• Undergraduate or graduate degree or equivalent experience.
• Business development skills: negotiating contracts and managing commercial terms.
• Partnership Management Skills: demonstrated partnership management skills including strategic and tactical partner management, working knowledge of payments industry participants, and executive relationship building.
• Project Management Skills: demonstrated project management skills including the ability to create a project plan, planning and coordinating, organization, adaptability, and execution.
• Communication Skills: Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Proven problem-solving skills, a robust technological background, and an understanding of business processes.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave – plus 8 public holidays.
• Comprehensive life & medical cover – including dependents.
• Contributory pension plan.

Western Union values in-person collaboration, learning, and ideation whenever possible. We believe this creates value through common ways of working and supports the execution of enterprise objectives, ultimately helping us achieve our strategic goals. By connecting face-to-face, we are better able to learn from our peers, problem-solve together, and innovate. Our Hybrid Work Model categorizes each role into one of three categories. This role is classified as Hybrid, defined as a flexible working arrangement that enables employees to divide their time between working from home and working from an office location. The expectation is to work from the office a minimum of three days a week.