Strategic Business Development Manager

Hello there. We’re Zopa. Early in 2023 Zopa Bank acquired DivideBuy, a market leading point of sale finance platform. Now part of Zopa Group, the offering will combine technology and fintech innovation to enable instant decisions and fully integrated consumer journeys with consumer protection, credit checks and safeguards of a regulated bank.

We’re on a step-change growth trajectory. Alongside our best-in-class POS tech solution we have the scale, trust, and market-leading credit capabilities of one of the UK’s top consumer lenders. We are uniquely positioned in the market with rapid growth and bold ambitions for the next three years where this role will be pivotal in spearheading our growth.

Join us as we embark on this new chapter, harnessing the strengths of both Zopa and DivideBuy to create cutting-edge financial solutions that truly benefit our customers.

We’re looking for a Strategic Business Development Manager to secure large-scale partnerships with nationally recognised brands that influence the UK retail landscape. This is a senior commercial role focused on expanding our Point of Sale/Retail Finance footprint with national retailers, while also building an early pipeline for our emerging co-brand and white-label lending products. You’ll use market knowledge and commercial judgement to help shape how we bring new lending propositions to high-volume consumer sectors across the UK.

You will lead acquisition and expansion across large retailers and multisector consumer brands with high GMV. Operating at a national level, you’ll develop partnerships across sectors such as home improvement and furnishings, as well as insurance, travel, and wider consumer services.

While your primary focus will be retail finance, you’ll also build a pipeline for future lending products (including Unsecured Personal Loans and Credit Cards) and identify opportunities with businesses managing large consumer volumes. Working in partnership with Product, Commercial, Risk and Marketing, you will provide market insight to inform the roadmap and help ensure propositions evolve in line with customer and partner needs.

• Lead national-level acquisition for large retailers and consumer-facing brands, owning the full sales cycle.
• Build an early-stage pipeline for co-brand and white-label lending propositions across high-consumer-volume sectors.
• Contribute to go-to-market strategies across verticals, collaborating with senior leadership.
• Provide market insight to inform product and commercial roadmap decisions.
• Represent the business at industry events and conferences.
• Work cross-functionally with product, engineering, risk, operations and marketing.
• Deliver against annualised GMV targets of c. £50m in year one, with scope to scale as new products launch.
• Develop and maintain long-term relationships across senior stakeholders and operational teams.
• Support the wider Sales team through knowledge sharing and collaboration.

• Significant experience selling into national or large multisector consumer brands.
• A track record of winning complex, high-value deals with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of UK retail, consumer finance, or fintech.
• Commercial acumen and confident negotiation skills.
• Ability to contribute to product strategy and commercial design through market insight.
• Clear, effective communication skills.
• Comfortable working in evolving markets where priorities and approaches may change.

This role is remote based but will require travel to clients and to the London/Manchester office for meetings.

Flexible working? Yes please! At Zopa we value flexible ways of working. We understand the benefits of face-to-face collaboration and the importance of a good work-life balance. Our teams work in a hybrid manner, from our vibrant UK offices and the comfort of their own homes, at a frequency that suits the team and the work they do.

Not only that – you’ll also have the option of working from abroad for up to 120 days a year! But no matter where you are, we’ll make sure you’ve got everything you need to thrive, both in your work and home life, from day one.

Diversity Statement: Zopa is proud to offer a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds leads to better products for our customers and a unique company culture for our people. We are made up of nearly 50 nationalities, have a DE&I forum made up of Zopians wanting to make a difference and we are proud of our culture where everyone can bring their full self to work. Our approach to DE&I is reflected in our hiring process so please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.