Partnership Manager- Merchant Partnerships & Loyalty

Job Title: Partnerships Manager- Merchant Partnerships & Loyalty

Term: 18 months

Location: Doha Qatar

Division: Loyalty/ Cards & Payments

Reports to: Head of Loyalty/ Head of Partnerships/ Head of Cards Portfolio

Relevant experience:

58 years in partnershipmanagement merchantacquisition or loyalty programmanagement within bankingpayments or fintech

Mandatory requirements:

1. Previous experience within bankingcards & payments or fintechindustry.
2. Proven track record in merchantpartner acquisition and relationshipmanagement.
3. Professional English fluency.
4. Immediately available or on shortnotice period

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

The client is strengthening its Loyalty function by embedding a dedicated Partnership Manager toaccelerate merchant ecosystem expansion and drive commercially impactful cardholder offers. This role sitsat the intersection of commercial strategy and execution -owning the end-to-end merchant partnershiplifecycle from sourcing and onboarding through to ongoing optimisation. For the right candidate this is anopportunity to directly shape a card issuers loyalty value proposition in one of the fastest-growingpayments markets in the GCC with visible impact on cardholder engagement portfolio spend and revenuegrowth.

Key Activities
Core Responsibilities and Accountabilities

1. Merchant Acquisition & Onboarding (35%) -Source evaluate and onboardnew merchant partners acrossretail dining travel e-commerce andlifestyle sectors ensuring alignment with the clients cardportfoliostrategy and customer segmentation.
2. Relationship Management (25%) -Serve as the primary point of contactfor existing merchantpartners; conduct regular business reviews resolve issues proactively and identify upsell and cross-sellopportunities to deepen partnerships.
3. Offer Design & Commercial Negotiation (20%) -Design negotiate and optimise merchant-fundedoffers cashback structures and loyalty rewards that drive cardholder engagement and measurablespend uplift.
4. Market Intelligence & Competitive Benchmarking (10%) -Monitor competitor loyalty programmesemerging merchant categories and regional consumer trends across the Qatar and broader GCC toinform partnership strategy.
5. Cross-Functional Coordination (10%) -Collaborate with product marketing digital risk andcompliance teams to ensure seamless offer execution regulatory alignment and go-to-market delivery.
6. Identify negotiate and onboard new merchant partners across diverse sectors (retail F&B travelentertainment e-commerce) ensuring each partnership aligns with the clients strategic objectives andtarget cardholder segments.
7. Build and maintain strong long-term relationships with existing merchant partners -acting as theirtrusted point of contact driving satisfaction retention and incremental commercial value throughregular performance reviews.
8. Design implement and optimise loyalty offers and merchant-funded promotions leveraging datadriven insights to create compelling value propositions that increase cardholder engagementactivation and spend.
9. Lead commercial negotiations with merchants to secure favourable terms (revenue-share exclusivityco-funding) ensuring compliance with QatarCentral Bank regulations card scheme rules and internalrisk policies.
10. Track and analyse the performance of merchant partnerships and loyalty initiatives against definedKPIs producing regular reporting with actionable recommendations to refine strategy and maximiseROI.
11. Conduct market research to identify emerging trends new merchant categories and competitiveofferings within the Qatar and broader GCC translating insights into a prioritised partnership pipeline.
12. Collaborate cross-functionally with product marketing digital channels CRM and compliance teams toensure end-to-end execution of partnership initiatives from offer design through campaign delivery andpost-campaign analysis.
    
    

KPIs (illustrative)

• New Merchant Partners Onboarded -Number of new partners activated per quarter
• Offer Redemption Rate % of cardholder base engaging with merchant offers
  
• Incremental Card Spend Uplift % spend increase attributable to merchant-driven offers vs. baseline
• Partner Retention / Renewal Rate % of merchant partnerships renewed at contract end 21. % of merchant partnerships renewed at contract end Average days from partner agreement to offer going live
• Cardholder Engagement Score Composite metric: offer viewsredemptions repeat usage
  
  

Knowledge and Experience

• Merchant acquisition partnership management or business development within card issuing acquiring orpayments
• Loyalty programme design management and optimisation (points-based cashback merchant-fundedoffers coalition models)
• Understanding of interchange economics scheme rules (Mastercard/Visa) and merchant-funded offermechanics
• Banking payments fintech or card scheme environment
• CRM platforms (Salesforce HubSpot or equivalent) for pipeline and relationship tracking
• Loyalty management platforms (e.g. Comarch Collinson Giift Novus Loyalty or similar)
• Campaign management and offer publishing tools
• Data analytics and reporting tools (Excel advanced Tableau Power BI or equivalent)
• Familiarity with digital channels (mobile banking apps e-wallets) for offer distribution
• Excellent negotiation presentation and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities
• Ability to manage multiple partner relationships and competing priorities simultaneously
• Stakeholder management across senior internal and external contacts
• Commercially minded with an ability to balance strategic vision and tactical execution
  
  

Preferred (Not Mandatory)

• Bachelors degree in Business Administration Marketing Finance or related field; MBA is a plus
• Arabic language skills (preferred not required -broadens merchant engagement reach in Qatar/GCC)
• Certifications: Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional (CLMP) or equivalent (nice to have)
  
• Experience with A/B testing or Test & Learn methodologies for offer optimisation
  
  

Mandatory Skills**

• Previous experience within banking cards & payments or fintech -non negotiable for understandingscheme dynamics interchange and cardholder value proposition design
• Proven merchant acquisition and partnership management track recordmust demonstrate experiencesourcing negotiating and managing commercial partnerships
• Strong analytical capability -ability to interpret performance data identify trends and translate intoactionable partnership strategies
• Professional English fluency -required for all internal and external stakeholder communication