Partnership Manager- Merchant Partnerships & Loyalty Job Doha area,Baladīyat ad Dawḩah Qatar,Business

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:

5–8 years in partnership management, merchant acquisition, or loyalty program management within banking, payments, or fintech.

Mandatory requirements:

Previous experience within banking, cards & payments, or fintech industry.

Proven track record in merchant partner acquisition and relationship management.

Professional English fluency.

Immediately available or on short notice period.

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

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 Qatar and the 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.

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.
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.
Experience in banking, payments, fintech, or card scheme environment.
CRM platforms (Salesforce, Hub Spot, 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…