[Hiring] Senior Director, Partnerships, ISV Payments @8am

Role Description

You will build and lead a team of Partner Account Managers responsible for sourcing new Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partnerships and managing and growing our existing portfolio of ISV partners with payments use cases. You’ll operate as both strategist and operational leader — setting the vision for how 8am’s payments partner ecosystem expands in scope and value, while building the day-to-day discipline, processes, and accountability that turn that vision into measurable results.

This is a leadership role with high visibility across 8am’s Partnerships, Product, and Sales organizations. You’ll be accountable for your team’s book of ISV relationships, the roadmap of new functionality and payment types brought to those partners, and the rigor with which your team manages pipeline, renewals, and partner health. While the relationships you and your team manage are business-to-business, you’ll keep the shared end customer — the businesses and consumers who ultimately experience these payment capabilities — at the center of every decision.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or partner/account management within payments, fintech, or SaaS — including significant experience with ISV or software partner ecosystems.
• 5+ years of people leadership experience, having built, managed, and developed teams of partner account managers or a similar partner-facing function.
• Deep knowledge of the payments ecosystem — acquiring/processing, payment methods, embedded payments, and the economics underpinning ISV and software partner models.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as both strategist and operator — equally comfortable setting multi-year partner strategy and rolling up your sleeves on day-to-day team execution.
• Proven track record of driving partner growth (revenue, adoption, retention) through structured account management and commercial negotiation.
• Experience prioritizing and launching new product functionality or payment types in partnership with Product and Engineering teams.
• Strong commercial and analytical instincts — comfortable with partner economics, KPIs, and data-driven prioritization.
• Excellent leadership, coaching, and cross-functional influence skills, with a track record of developing high-performing teams.
• A genuine customer-centric mindset — able to translate business-to-business partnership decisions into better outcomes for the end customer.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with strong executive presence.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or a related field; MBA a plus.
• Willingness to travel periodically (~20%) for partner and team engagements, on-sites, and industry events.
• Demonstrated experience leveraging AI tools and technologies to improve workflows, enhance decision-making, or drive innovation.

Requirements

• Build, lead, and develop a team of Partner Account Managers responsible for sourcing new ISV partnerships and managing and growing the existing portfolio of ISV partners with payments use cases.
• Own the strategic roadmap for 8am’s ISV and payments partner ecosystem — identifying which partners, integrations, and payment types will drive the greatest shared growth for 8am and our partners alike.
• Champion partner growth and success as a direct lever for 8am’s growth — building the programs, incentives, and enablement that help ISV partners succeed with payments, and in turn grow with 8am.
• Prioritize and drive new functionality and payment types — new payment methods, embedded capabilities, and value-added services — that create tangible value for partners and the shared end customers they serve.
• Set and manage team KPIs, scorecards, and an operating cadence — covering pipeline health, partner satisfaction, revenue growth, and integration or launch velocity.
• Establish and run a consistent partner engagement model — QBRs, escalation paths, and executive-level relationship-building with 8am’s most strategic ISV partners.
• Lead commercial strategy for the ISV portfolio — pricing, incentive structures, renewals, and negotiation support for your team’s largest and most strategic partnerships.
• Partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, Risk, and Compliance — to ensure new payment capabilities and partner integrations ship successfully and on plan.
• Maintain a B2B-with-a-C-in-mind mindset — ensuring that even purely business-to-business partnership decisions are evaluated for their impact on the end consumer and customer experience.
• Coach, mentor, and grow a high-performing team — building a strong talent bench and a culture of accountability, curiosity, and customer-centricity.
• Represent 8am externally — as an executive-level point of contact for top ISV partners.

Benefits

• Health Insurance Coverage: A variety of medical, dental, and vision plans, including a 100% company-paid HDHP plan for employees.
• Financial perks: Competitive compensation and benefits package including annual bonuses, equity options, and 401(k) or RRSP if in Canada, with a company match for all team members.
• Time for what matters: Flexible Time Off, paid holidays, and a parental leave program for new parents.
• Wellness: Wellness stipends, mental health support, and one-on-one nutrition coaching.
• Learning and Development: Continuous learning through 8am.edu, leadership programs, professional development funds, and individually focused talent development.
• Giving back to the communities around us: Participate in our charitable matching gift program, paid time off for volunteer service, and company-sponsored volunteer events (both local and virtually).
• Engagement: Virtual and in-person team-building events, quarterly award recognition through our Rise & Shine Award of Excellence Program, and our peer-to-peer appreciation platform.