Strategic Partnerships Lead

About the role

You will own the full commercial lifecycle for Column's most critical strategic partnerships, driving discovery, scoping, and execution across complex, multi-stakeholder deals in the financial technology ecosystem. You will act as a commercial leader and trusted advisor, articulating Column's differentiated API infrastructure and value proposition to prospects while navigating procurement, compliance, legal, and technical teams. This role requires building deep, long-term relationships and delivering a consistent track record of closing high-impact agreements that expand Column's footprint in the banking supply chain. You will leverage your expertise to simplify the banking stack for builders by removing friction between fintechs, BaaS providers, and traditional institutions. Success in this position will be defined by your ability to move fast, establish subject matter credibility, and influence outcomes without relying on traditional inbound or handed pipeline. You will partner closely with Solutions Engineering, Legal, Risk, and Compliance to tailor solutions that address novel customer use cases and regulatory considerations. This is a builder-focused role where you are expected to contribute to the development of Column's sales playbook, deal structures, and qualification frameworks from the ground up.

Key facts

What you'll do

Run the full sales cycle: discovery, scoping, negotiation, and close across complex, multi-stakeholder organizations in the financial services sector.

Navigate procurement, compliance, legal, and technical stakeholders simultaneously; proactively identify and overcome blockers before they stall deals or delay implementation.

Partner with Solutions Engineering, Legal, Risk, and Compliance to structure solutions that address novel customer use cases while aligning with Column's infrastructure and regulatory obligations.

Develop deep fluency in Column's API suite and how it applies across financial services use cases; position yourself as a credible thought partner for prospects' Product and Compliance teams.

Maintain a strong pulse on market dynamics, competitive positioning, and regulatory developments affecting Column's target customers and embedded finance landscape.

Build and maintain account plans with clear milestones, stakeholder maps, and commercial targets for each strategic partnership.

Source and qualify new opportunities through outbound prospecting, industry relationships, and market intelligence; you are building pipeline, not waiting for it to be handed to you.

Contribute to the development of Column's sales playbook, including deal structures, qualification frameworks, and processes that the broader team can learn from and iterate on.

Operate in accordance with safe and sound business practices and applicable regulatory requirements governing financial services partnerships and data sharing.

Demonstrate high agency and a builder's orientation by operating effectively without a fully defined playbook and contributing to its creation as deals evolve.

Requirements

Bring 8+ years in strategic partnerships, business development, strategic accounts sales, or a commercial-adjacent function, including investors or capital markets professionals who have spent meaningful time sourcing, evaluating, and closing complex deals with sophisticated counterparties.

Prove experience running structured, autonomous deal cycles from pipeline generation through close, with strong attention to contractual, compliance, and technical details.

Show demonstrated ability to navigate large, multi-stakeholder organizations; you know how to identify decision makers and move deals forward even when the path is unclear or consensus is difficult.

Establish subject matter credibility in your space so that prospects and partners actively seek out your perspective on financial infrastructure, embedded finance, and regulatory considerations.

Exhibit high agency and a builder's orientation, operating comfortably without a fully defined playbook and contributing to its development as you engage with new use cases.

Be competitive, curious, and coachable; actively solicit feedback, iterate quickly on your approach, and hold yourself to a higher standard than anyone else would.

Possess strong written and verbal communication skills to articulate complex technical and commercial concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Have a track record of working with regulated industries and an understanding of the constraints and obligations that come with selling into financial services companies.

Nice to have

Direct experience selling into or partnering with financial services companies; familiarity with embedded finance, APIs, or regulated product environments strongly preferred.

Experience building and scaling go-to-market motions in fast-growth startups or technology companies that have transformed traditional industries.

Practical notes

This role reports to the Head of Sales & Partnerships and is based in San Francisco or remote, with ~50% travel expected, always dependent on deal needs.