Strategic Alliance Partnership Manager - Lesaka (Fintech) at Lesaka Technologies

Primary Focus

• To design, negotiate, and scale high-impact, revenue-linked strategic alliance partnerships that create defensible and scalable distribution advantages for Alternative Distribution.
• This role exists to secure structured, performance-based partnerships with alliance partners, financial institutions, enterprise intermediaries, industry networks, and large distribution players that accelerate merchant acquisition and solution adoption.

All partnerships must have:

• Clear GTM motion
• Defined revenue or distribution mechanics
• Embedded execution pathways
• Measurable commercial outcomes
• This is a growth architecture role with direct revenue and economic accountability.

Key Responsibility Areas & Associated Tasks

Strategic Deal Identification & Architecture

• Identify high-leverage partnership opportunities across distribution organisations, financial institutions, enterprise intermediaries, industry networks
• Define embedded distribution models (referral, co-selling, white-label, revenue share)
• Structure defensible commercial constructs
• Align partnership design to Alternative Distribution strategic priorities
• Present structured deal proposals to Executive Committee

Commercial Structuring & Negotiation

• Lead executive-level negotiations
• Structure revenue-share, distribution, or embedded acquiring agreements
• Define clear performance obligations and commercial thresholds
• Align incentives to activation and revenue outcomes
• Work with Legal and Finance to ensure risk-adjusted commercial viability

Performance-Based Partnership Governance

• Establish partnership scorecards with acquisition, activation, CAC, and revenue metrics
• Implement monthly and quarterly executive review framework
• Monitor performance against economic assumptions
• Trigger redesign, renegotiation, or exit where performance thresholds are not met
• Ensure no partnership exists without measurable commercial value

Activation & GTM Integration

• Ensure seamless integration into Omni-Channel acquisition engine
• Align onboarding and lifecycle management processes
• Prevent channel conflict across direct, retail, or ecosystem routes
• Track activation quality and retention metrics from partner sources
• Feed learnings back into Alternative Distribution strategy

Economic & Strategic Impact

• Drive revenue contribution from strategic partnerships
• Achieve lower cost-to-acquire or superior access compared to traditional direct channels
• Secure long-term defensible positioning within key merchant ecosystems
• Convert strategic positioning into measurable growth outcomes

Key Competencies Required

• Strategic deal‑making capability to structure high‑impact commercial agreements
• Strong commercial acumen with understanding of revenue, margin, and economic drivers
• Executive influence with ability to engage and persuade senior stakeholders
• Negotiation mastery balancing value creation and risk mitigation
• Performance governance excellence using structured scorecards and thresholds
• Systems thinking to integrate partnerships into the broader GTM engine
• Analytical decision‑making to prioritise economically viable models

Experience & Qualifications

Minimum Experience:

• 10+ years’ experience in strategic partnerships, corporate development, or partner‑led growth
• Proven track record of structuring revenue‑generating commercial agreements
• Experience negotiating executive‑level deals
• Strong commercial modelling and economic evaluation capability
• Experience aligning cross‑functional GTM execution

Preferred Experience:

• Fintech, payments, embedded finance, telecoms, or enterprise distribution
• Experience structuring API‑based or embedded partnerships
• Exposure to regulated commercial environments

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce, Business, Law, Economics, or related field required
• MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification strongly preferred

Closing Date 11 March 2026