Director, Business Development - Issuers

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze®, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Early Warning follows a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Paze’s Issuer, Network and Digital Partnerships team develops and manages relationships with issuers, payment networks, and big tech/agentic partners, with a remit spanning partner strategy, business development, and sales. Positioned at the intersection of Paze and the broader payments ecosystem, the team activates these relationships to bring Paze’s value proposition to life, translating partner capabilities, priorities, and market developments into opportunities for the business.

The team sits within EWS Partnerships and works across the organization and alongside senior leadership to optimize Paze performance and drive adoption, transaction growth, and loyalty – while helping shape what Paze builds, how it scales, and where it invests next.

The Business Development Director – New Issuer Partnerships leads the sales strategy for Paze across the nation’s top 30+ financial institutions. This role is accountable for winning new issuer partners—from identifying and prioritizing opportunities through consultative discovery, executive alignment, solution development, negotiation, and contract execution. The Director builds trusted relationships with senior leaders across product, digital, payments, marketing, technology, operations, and risk to establish the value of Paze, secure enterprise commitment, and achieve business growth objectives.

The Director develops tailored pursuit strategies, mobilizes the right internal resources, tightly coordinates with Channel Partnership colegas, and navigates complex institutional buying processes to move opportunities forward. This role combines strategic selling, executive presence, commercial discipline, and cross-functional influence to build a strong pipeline and convert priority prospects into signed partners. Once an agreement is executed, the Director ensures a coordinated handoff to the teams responsible for integration and ongoing relationship management.

• Develop and execute the issuer sales strategy for targeted top 30+ financial institutions, including market segmentation, account prioritization, opportunity qualification, pipeline development, and sales objectives.
• Build trusted relationships with senior executives and key decision‑makers while developing a deep understanding of each institution’s strategy, organizational structure, technology environment, customer priorities, and decision‑making process.
• Lead consultative discovery and translate institutional needs into a differentiated Paze value proposition, tailored solution, and compelling business case.
• Deliver high-impact executive presentations and conversations that build confidence in Paze, create urgency, and secure the sponsorship and cross‑functional alignment required to advance opportunities.
• Own complex enterprise sales cycles from initial engagement through due diligence, solution alignment, commercial negotiation, and contract execution.
• Coordinate closely with the Issuer Channel Partnership team, which manages the reseller and technical platform partners essential to…