Lead Strategic Partnerships Manager, Financial Services

About the Role

Forter is seeking a Lead Strategic Partnerships Manager, Financial Services to own and accelerate our most strategic relationships across the global payments ecosystem. Reporting to the VP of Global Strategic Partnerships, this position carries expanded ownership: you will set the vision for Forter's PSP and issuing bank partnership strategy, close and structure landmark deals, and serve as an internal authority on how the Financial Services landscape intersects with Forter's AI-powered fraud and identity platform.

You will work cross-functionally with Product, Sales, Marketing, and Analytics to shape Forter's go-to-market positioning and translate partner needs into product requirements. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role for a seasoned partnerships leader who thrives in complex, multi-stakeholder environments and wants to leave a clear mark on one of fintech's fastest-growing companies.

What You'll Be Doing

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Own and evolve Forter's end-to-end partnership strategy for PSPs, issuing banks, and broader financial institutions — translating company objectives into a disciplined, measurable BD plan with clear pipeline and revenue targets.
• Act as the internal subject-matter expert on the payments and Financial Services landscape; brief GTM leadership on emerging trends, competitive shifts, and white-space opportunities.
• Define and drive annual pipeline goals ($Xm+ in net-new bookings) and multi-year relationship roadmaps with Forter's most strategic partners.

Partnership Development & Deal Execution

• Identify, evaluate, and advance strategic alliances with global PSPs, acquirers, issuing banks, card networks, and adjacent financial institutions that extend Forter's market reach and product distribution.
• Lead complex, multi-stakeholder deal cycles end-to-end: prospecting, value articulation, solution scoping with Product, commercial negotiation, contracting, and post-signature launch coordination.
• Structure partnership agreements that are commercially favorable, legally sound, and set both parties up for measurable joint success.
• Expand Forter's trust platform by onboarding new top- and mid-tier bank partners globally.

Revenue & Pipeline Ownership

• Drive net-new revenue through the Payments product portfolio, including 1:Many platform partnerships & direct issuer integrations tied to a Business Development team bookings quota.
• Maintain rigorous CRM hygiene, clear account and close plans, and proactive stakeholder alignment to accelerate deal velocity and remove blockers.
• Own full deal cycles and collaborate with cross-functional teams, as needed, to convert partnerships to durable, growing revenue streams.

Cross-functional Collaboration & Influence

• Partner closely with Product and R&D to ensure partner needs are prioritized in the roadmap; translate market intelligence and partner feedback into clear, actionable product requirements.
• Work with Field Marketing to advance Forter's brand in the 1:Many vendor space and drive adoption of Forter's platform, including our new Agentic motion.
• Align with Sales, Analytics, RevOps, Legal, and Marketing to ensure seamless strategy execution and consistent messaging across all partner touchpoints.
• Mentor and coach junior BD team members, elevating the team's overall capabilities in deal structuring, relationship management, and payments domain expertise.

Market Intelligence & Positioning

• Conduct ongoing market research to identify emerging trends across payments, fraud, identity, and open banking ecosystems.
• Use market insights to shape product positioning, inform competitive strategy, and identify new partnership categories before they become table stakes.
• Represent Forter externally at industry events, conferences, and partner forums; serve as a credible, compelling voice for Forter's vision.

What You'll Need

• 8–12 years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, or enterprise sales within the payments and/or Financial Services space — with a strong track record in online payments, Banks or PSPs, fraud, or identity-adjacent environments.
• Demonstrated ability to own, structure, and close complex multi-million-dollar deals with PSPs, issuing banks, card networks, or major financial institutions.
• Deep knowledge of the payments ecosystem: PSPs, acquirers, issuers, card networks, 3DS/Trusted Authentication, fraud prevention, and related identity domains.
• Executive presence and credibility: you build trust at the C-suite level and can navigate complex, multi-stakeholder organizations with confidence.
• Outstanding communication skills — clear, compelling writer and presenter; able to distill complex topics into sharp, visual storytelling for any audience.
• Ability to travel as needed (~20–30%), including internationally.
• Bachelor's degree in Business or a related field; MBA or equivalent preferred.

Would Be Very Cool If You Have

• Direct experience partnering with global PSPs such as Mastercard, Worldpay/FIS, Nuvei, Stripe, Adyen, Clover, or comparable providers.
• Background in issuer development and 3DS/Trusted Authentication, open banking, or adjacent fraud and identity solutions.
• Experience at leading payments, fraud prevention, or identity companies or at major PSPs/networks.
• Established senior relationships across the PSP and issuing bank ecosystem that can accelerate Forter's pipeline.
• Public speaking or thought leadership experience; comfort and enthusiasm representing a company at industry events (Money20/20, Sibos, NACHA, etc.).
• Familiarity with CRM forecasting best practices and partnership lifecycle management tooling.

About us:

Digital commerce is built on trust. At every point along the eCommerce journey, businesses must make a critical decision: Can I trust this customer? Answering this simple question accurately and instantly is powerful—it can accelerate revenue growth and strengthen a company’s connection with its customers. How do we do it? Forter was founded on the insight that it's not about what is being purchased, nor where— but who is behind the interaction.

The Forter Decision Engine finds patterns across more than one billion identities in our dataset. We isolate fraudsters and protect customers—ensuring everyone gets the experience they deserve.  Given that trust is central to how we operate, Forter is very much driven by a defined set of values. We attract remarkable talent and have retention and engagement levels that are well above benchmarks. We’re meticulous about strengthening our culture as we grow and ensuring this is an environment where people can have outsized impact. 

Trust is backed by data –  Forter is a recipient of over 10 workplace and innovation awards, including: 

• Great Place to Work Certification (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
• Fortune’s Best Workplaces in NYC (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025)
• Forbes Cloud 100 (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025)
• #3 on Fast Company’s list of “Most Innovative Finance Companies” (2022)
• Anti-Fraud Solution of the Year at the Payments Awards (2024)
• SAP Pinnacle Awards “New Partner Application Award” (2023)
• Fintech Breakthrough Awards – Best Fraud Prevention Platform (2023)

Life as a Forterian:

We are a team of over 500 Forterians spread across 3 different continents. Since 2013, we've raised $525 million from investors such as Tiger Global, Bessemer, Sequoia Capital, March Capital and Salesforce Ventures. We're on a mission to bring trust to global digital commerce so that companies like Nordstrom, Priceline, Instacart and ASOS can block fraud, drive revenue and improve customer experience.

At Forter, we believe unique people create unique ideas, and valuable experience comes in many forms. So, even if your background doesn't match everything we have listed in the job description, we still encourage you to apply and tell us why your skills and values could be an asset to us. By welcoming different perspectives, we grow together as humans and as a company.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary 
• Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
• Matching 401K Plan 
• Comprehensive and generous health insurance, including vision and dental coverage
• Home office allowance 
• Generous PTO policy 
• Half day Fridays

At Forter, we embrace a hybrid work model that blends in-person connection with the flexibility of remote work. Team members based near our key hubs are expected to work from the office at least three days per week. We believe that regular face-to-face collaboration fuels professional development, strengthens our culture, and builds the relationships that help teams thrive.

*Forter does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to Forter (or any related) jobs alias or directly to any Forter employees. Forter will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Salary Range: $196,000 - $240,000 annually + bonus + equity + benefits
The referenced salary range is based on the Company's good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, and skill level.