Financial Institution Business Partnership Manager (FIBD)

Role OverviewLead regulatory relationships and financial institution partnerships for the Meituan Financial Services Platform in Saudi Arabia, covering opportunity identification, commercial assessment, and partnership development in payment acquiring and embedded finance based on Keeta use cases.Draw on local regulatory and institutional relationships to advise on business priorities, market-entry approaches, and partnership strategy, and lead partnership design, key commercial negotiations, and agreement finalisation. Own local commercial development and growth as relevant businesses launch in Saudi Arabia.Complementary responsibilities include regulatory and financial institution engagement and fintech opportunity exploration in other GCC and Middle East markets, as business needs arise.Job ResponsibilitiesSaudi regulatory relationships and market accessRepresent the Meituan Financial Services Platform in business dialogue with the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and other relevant regulators. Build and deepen long-term professional working relationships, and provide regulatory insights and recommendations for the company’s financial services business in Saudi Arabia.Work with legal, compliance, and risk teams to assess regulatory requirements, licensing pathways, feasibility, and timelines in the context of market opportunities and business needs. Where required and in line with business decisions, lead regulatory engagement, licence applications, approvals, and relevant certifications.Market insights and opportunity assessmentAssess the Saudi payment acquiring, embedded finance, and fintech markets, including competitive dynamics, product models, and partnership opportunities; recommend business priorities and market-entry approaches.Assess opportunities to embed payment, credit, insurance, and other financial services into Keeta consumer, merchant, rider, and platform use cases, including potential models such as BNPL. Develop commercial feasibility assessments, return-on-investment analysis, and partnership recommendations to inform internal business and product decisions.Financial institution partnerships and commercial negotiationsBuild and deepen relationships with banks, card networks, acquirers, payment service providers, BNPL partners, fintech companies, insurers, and other relevant institutions to identify priority partners and collaboration opportunities for specific business needs.Lead the commercial partnership lifecycle, including partnership and commercial term design, partner assessment and selection, key negotiations, and agreement finalisation; turn market opportunities into executable partnership arrangements.As a complementary responsibility and as required by the business, develop and maintain relationships with regulators and financial institutions in other GCC and Middle East markets, research local market and regulatory conditions, identify fintech and embedded finance opportunities, and support related commercial partnerships.Commercial execution and business growthAct as the business bridge among Saudi, regional, and headquarters international payments teams. Align product, technology, operations, legal, compliance, and risk teams to resolve critical commercial, regulatory, and risk issues affecting partnership decisions, agreement finalisation, and implementation of commercial arrangements.Own local commercial development and growth for relevant businesses following launch in Saudi Arabia, defining and executing market, client, and channel development strategies. For payment and other B2B fintech solutions, personally lead key enterprise and merchant client development, commercial proposal design, critical negotiations, and deal closure. Use market and client feedback to refine the growth approach, expand the business, and improve commercial returns.Assess partner performance and return on investment, recommend improvements, renewals, and adjustments, and develop long-term partnership value.Proactively and broadly incorporate AI into day-to-day work to improve efficiency and quality, in accordance with company information security requirements.Job RequirementsBachelor’s degree or above in business, finance, economics, engineering, law, or a related field.Eight or more years of relevant experience in payments, fintech, financial institution partnerships, digital banking, or financial services, spanning business development, institutional partnerships, strategy, or related functions. Saudi nationals are preferred.Established and ongoing professional working relationships with the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), with direct experience engaging regulators and progressing licensing, approvals, or certification-related matters; knowledge of Saudi financial regulatory requirements and licensing pathways.Knowledge of the Saudi payments and financial services ecosystem, with a partnership network and hands-on collaboration experience involving banks, card networks, acquirers, payment service providers, BNPL partners, or other financial institutions.An acquiring background and hands-on experience negotiating or delivering acquiring partnerships, with an understanding of their commercial economics.Strong market judgement, commercial analysis, and opportunity assessment skills, with the ability to connect platform use cases to well-supported business recommendations, commercial proposals, and return-on-investment analysis.A demonstrated track record of independently leading significant financial institution partnerships, including partnership and commercial term design, key negotiations, and agreement finalisation; hands-on experience translating commercial opportunities into client development and business growth, with the ability to align cross-functional teams to resolve complex partnership issues.Fluent written and spoken English, with strong cross-cultural communication, stakeholder-management, and cross-functional collaboration skills. Arabic is an advantage.Proactively use AI in day-to-day work to improve the efficiency of analysis, decision-making, and collaboration.Preferred QualificationsPractical experience embedding payments, credit, insurance, or other financial services into platform use cases, including BNPL, wallets, credit cards, and other consumer- or merchant-facing financial products.Experience with financial institution partnerships, regulatory engagement, or market entry in GCC or Middle East markets outside Saudi Arabia.Experience establishing financial partnership networks in a new market or developing early-stage opportunities into commercial partnerships.Job HighlightsBuild on the Meituan Financial Services Platform and Keeta use cases to shape opportunities in Saudi payment acquiring and embedded finance as part of the international business.Lead regulatory and institutional relationships, commercial model design, and key partnership negotiations, making a substantive contribution to business direction and partnership decisions while driving local business growth.Work with local, regional, and headquarters teams to develop partnerships and explore opportunities in other GCC and Middle East markets as the business requires.