Strategic Partnerships Lead

📋 Description

• • **Shape the Future of Financial Services:** Column is revolutionizing the financial technology landscape by providing a fundamentally new banking infrastructure. We are a bank and a software company built from the ground up, designed to empower fintech builders and developers. Our mission is to eliminate the complex, costly, and often opaque banking supply chain that hinders innovation. By offering technology-forward banking solutions and APIs, we cut out hundreds of vendors, middleware providers, and abstraction layers, creating a safer, more transparent, and cost-effective ecosystem. Join us in building this future.
• • **Drive Strategic Growth and Partnerships:** As a Strategic Partnerships Lead, you will be instrumental in identifying, cultivating, and closing deals with high-potential strategic accounts. Your primary mandate is to build strong, lasting relationships with companies that can leverage Column's unique APIs to build groundbreaking financial products. You will be the face of Column to these key partners, demonstrating our value proposition and differentiating us in a competitive market.
• • **Become a Trusted Advisor:** Success in this role hinges on positioning yourself as a trusted advisor to both current and prospective customers. This involves deeply understanding their business needs, product roadmaps, and compliance challenges, and then architecting solutions using Column's platform. You will build long-term relationships based on expertise, reliability, and a shared vision for innovation.
• • **Own the Full Sales Cycle:** You will be responsible for managing a broad portfolio of high-potential accounts and territories. This includes developing comprehensive account plans, executing all stages of the sales cycle from initial outreach to deal closure, and driving deep discovery to understand complex organizational structures and proactively address potential roadblocks.
• • **Contribute to Sales Excellence:** This is an opportunity to not only execute but also to help build the foundation of a world-class sales organization. You will collaborate with leadership and the broader Business team to develop and refine the sales playbook, processes, and strategies that will define Column's go-to-market approach.
• • **Navigate Complexity and Ambiguity:** The financial services industry is inherently complex and regulated. You will thrive in this environment, navigating ambiguity to deliver tailored solutions that meet the innovative use cases of our customers. This requires close collaboration with our Solutions Engineering, Risk, and Compliance teams to ensure seamless integration and adherence to all regulatory requirements.
• • **Develop Market and Product Expertise:** You will maintain a keen understanding of the financial services market, competitive landscape, and emerging trends. Simultaneously, you will develop deep expertise in Column's product suite, enabling you to engage in thought leadership discussions with prospects regarding their product and compliance roadmaps.
• • **Master Technical Solutions:** While not requiring a deep engineering background, you will develop a strong familiarity with Column's API suite and its practical applications. You'll learn how our technology solves a multitude of real-world financial services pain points, allowing you to articulate technical benefits clearly and effectively to a diverse range of stakeholders.
• • **Collaborate Cross-Functionally:** Deal-making in this space requires seamless collaboration. You will work closely with Solutions Engineering, Risk, Compliance, Legal, and other internal teams to navigate discovery, scope solutions, negotiate terms, and ensure successful deal closure.
• • **Uphold Safe and Sound Practices:** As part of a regulated financial institution, you will perform all day-to-day activities consistent with safe and sound business practices and regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance and integrity in all dealings.
• • **Thrive in a Fast-Paced Environment:** Column is an early-stage, high-growth company. You will embrace this dynamic environment, moving quickly, adapting to change, and contributing to a culture of rapid innovation and execution.
• • **Impactful Deal Structuring:** You will leverage your experience to structure and close complex, multi-stakeholder deals that deliver significant business outcomes for both Column and our strategic partners. This involves creative problem-solving and a deep understanding of commercial and technical requirements.
• • **Build and Scale:** This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the scaling of a foundational sales function within a rapidly growing fintech company. Your insights and execution will directly influence the company's trajectory.