Partnership Manager- Merchant Partnerships & Loyalty

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT The client is strengthening its Loyalty function by embedding a dedicated Partnership Manager to accelerate merchant ecosystem expansion and drive commercially impactful cardholder offers. This role sits at the intersection of commercial strategy and execution -owning the end-to-end merchant partnership lifecycle from sourcing and onboarding through to ongoing optimisation. For the right candidate, this is an opportunity to directly shape a card issuer's loyalty value proposition in one of the fastest-growing payments markets in the GCC, with visible impact on cardholder engagement, portfolio spend, and revenue growth. Key Activities Core Responsibilities and Accountabilities • Merchant Acquisition & Onboarding (~35%) -Source, evaluate, and onboard new merchant partners across retail, dining, travel, e-commerce, and lifestyle sectors, ensuring alignment with the client's card portfolio strategy and customer segmentation. • Relationship Management (~25%) -Serve as the primary point of contact for existing merchant partners; conduct regular business reviews, resolve issues proactively, and identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities to deepen partnerships. • Offer Design & Commercial Negotiation (~20%) -Design, negotiate, and optimise merchant-funded offers, cashback structures, and loyalty rewards that drive cardholder engagement and measurable spend uplift. • Market Intelligence & Competitive Benchmarking (~10%) -Monitor competitor loyalty programmes, emerging merchant categories, and regional consumer trends across the Qatar and broader GCC to inform partnership strategy. • Cross-Functional Coordination (~10%) -Collaborate with product, marketing, digital, risk, and compliance teams to ensure seamless offer execution, regulatory alignment, and go-to-market delivery. • Identify, negotiate, and onboard new merchant partners across diverse sectors (retail, F&B, travel, entertainment, e-commerce), ensuring each partnership aligns with the client's strategic objectives and target cardholder segments. • Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with existing merchant partners -acting as their trusted point of contact, driving satisfaction, retention, and incremental commercial value through regular performance reviews. • Design, implement, and optimise loyalty offers and merchant-funded promotions, leveraging data?driven insights to create compelling value propositions that increase cardholder engagement, activation, and spend. • Lead commercial negotiations with merchants to secure favourable terms (revenue-share, exclusivity, co-funding), ensuring compliance with QatarCentral Bank regulations, card scheme rules, and internal risk policies. • Track and analyse the performance of merchant partnerships and loyalty initiatives against defined KPIs, producing regular reporting with actionable recommendations to refine strategy and maximise ROI. • Conduct market research to identify emerging trends, new merchant categories, and competitive offerings within the Qatar and broader GCC translating insights into a prioritised partnership pipeline. • Collaborate cross-functionally with product, marketing, digital channels, CRM, and compliance teams to ensure end-to-end execution of partnership initiatives, from offer design through campaign delivery and post-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 views, redemptions, repeat usage Knowledge and Experience • Merchant acquisition, partnership management, or business development within card issuing, acquiring, or payments • Loyalty programme design, management, and optimisation (points-based, cashback, merchant-funded offers, coalition models) • Understanding of interchange economics, scheme rules (Mastercard/Visa), and merchant-funded offer mechanics • 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) • Bachelor's 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 understanding scheme dynamics, interchange, and cardholder value proposition design • Proven merchant acquisition and partnership management track record must demonstrate experience sourcing, negotiating, and managing commercial partnerships • Strong analytical capability -ability to interpret performance data, identify trends, and translate into actionable partnership strategies • Professional English fluency -required for all internal and external stakeholder communication