Director of Strategic Partnerships in London

Who we are: Zilch is a payment tech company on a mission to create the most empowering way to pay for anything, anywhere. Combining the best of debit, credit and savings, we give our customers the option to earn instant cashback or spread the cost of pricier purchases, completely interest free and with no late fees. We started in 2018 with a small team and a big dream - to make credit accessible to all. Since then, we've achieved double unicorn status and taken on more than 5 million customers. There are some exciting projects coming up and we’ve got big growth plans.

About the role: We're looking for a commercially exceptional deal-maker to join Zilch’s Strategic Partnerships function and build our external partnership pipeline from the ground up. This is not a role for someone who manages partnerships from a distance or inherits a working playbook. We want someone who originates, structures, and closes - end to end - across complex, high-value commercial agreements that are too structurally novel or strategically significant for a standard sales or marketing motion.

You will operate across two parallel tracks: accelerating distribution of Zilch’s existing proposition through embedded, high-value partner relationships; and building and supporting new revenue streams and business models by licensing Zilch’s core capabilities to power new products, new models, and new markets. You will work directly with the VP of Partnerships with a high degree of visibility into the C-Suite. The pipeline does not yet exist. The playbook has not been written. If you have spent your career supporting deals rather than owning them, this is not the right role. If you have closed complex, multi-party commercial agreements end-to-end and are energised by the prospect of building something significant from scratch, read on.

What You'll Do:

• Pipeline origination: Scanning the market to identify and prioritise high-value partner categories — financial services, fintech, payments infrastructure, retail, platforms, and beyond — using commercial judgement, not a provided list. Originating relationships at the right level — C-suite and senior decision-makers — through your existing network and active market engagement. Building and maintaining a disciplined Tier 1–3 pipeline with clear stage gates, named sponsors, and honest probability and timeline assessments.
• Deal structuring and execution: Leading end-to-end structuring of bespoke commercial agreements — defining the model, negotiating the terms, and closing the deal. Building commercial architectures from scratch across novel deal types: Embedded finance structures, co-brands, integrations, and others. Working with Legal, Finance, Product, and Engineering to bring complex deals to life without losing commercial momentum. Owning flagship deals throughout their full lifecycle, from first conversation to go-live.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Providing commercial architecture and partner relationship support for major product launches and market entries. Converting scaled partnership models into documented playbooks and handing them to Sales or Marketing for rollout. Representing Zilch at senior partner and industry forums, building Zilch’s profile as a credible and authoritative commercial counterpart.

What We Are Looking For:

• A track record of closing complex, multi-party commercial deals end-to-end - not supporting them, not being in the room, but owning the outcome from origination to signature.
• Experience operating at C-suite and senior stakeholder level, both internally and externally, with the credibility to move fast and the authority to commit.
• Demonstrated ability to build commercial models from scratch - not optimising existing structures, but conceiving and structuring novel commercial arrangements.
• Meaningful experience with regulated or technically complex products - credit, lending, payments, or financial infrastructure - and a clear understanding of what that complexity means for deal structuring.
• An active, senior network in relevant industries: people who will take your call and trust your read on an opportunity.
• Experience working in or alongside a high-growth or scale-up environment, with comfort navigating pace, ambiguity, and resource constraints.
• Strong analytical and commercial modelling skills - able to size an opportunity, stress-test a deal structure, and present a clear business case.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills at executive level, internally and externally.
• A degree in a quantitative, analytical, or commercial discipline (STEM, Finance, Economics, Accounting, or Business) from a strong academic institution.

Bonus skills:

• A second European language - a meaningful advantage as the function expands across markets.
• Background in strategy or management consulting, with a subsequent move into commercial partnerships or enterprise BD.
• Experience with enterprise partnerships or business development in a technology-led or platform business.
• Familiarity with Retail, Embedded finance, or financial infrastructure licensing models.

Benefits:

• Compensation & Savings: Pension scheme. Death in Service scheme. Income Protection. Permanent employees enjoy access to our Share Options Scheme. 5% back on in-app purchases. £200 for WFH Setup.
• Health & Wellbeing: Private Medical Insurance including; GP consultations (video, telephone or face-to-face). Prescribed medication. In-patient, day-patient and out-patient care. Mental health support. Optical, dental & audiological cover. Physiotherapy. Advanced cancer cover. Menopause support. Employee Assistance Programme including: Unlimited mental health sessions. 24/7 remote GP & physiotherapy. 24/7 helpline for emotional & practical support. Savings & discounts on everyday shopping. 1:1 personalised well-being consultations. Gym membership discounts.
• Family Friendly Policies: Enhanced maternity pay. Enhanced paternity pay. Enhanced adoption pay. Enhanced shared parental leave.
• Learning & Development: Professional Qualifications. Professional Memberships. Learning Suite for e-courses. Internal Training Programmes. FCA & Regulatory training.
• Workplace Perks: Hybrid working: office-based Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; remote working Tuesday and Friday. Casual dress code. Workplace socials. Healthy snacks.