Partnership Manager - Merchant Partnerships & Loyalty

Role overview

A leading banking and payments institution in Doha is hiring a Partnership Manager for its Loyalty and Cards division. This position is centered on growing the merchant network, shaping strategic alliances, and delivering loyalty and rewards programs that improve cardholder activity, portfolio expansion, and income generation.

The selected professional will manage the full merchant partnership journey, from finding and onboarding new partners to strengthening existing relationships and rolling out merchant-funded campaigns. This is a strong opportunity to contribute to a card issuer’s loyalty strategy in one of the GCC’s fastest-expanding payments markets.

Engagement details

• Client: Leading Banking & Payments Institution
• Employment type: 18-month contract
• Location: Doha, Qatar
• Division: Loyalty / Cards & Payments
• Experience level: 5–8 years

Responsibilities

• Find, assess, negotiate with, and onboard merchant partners from sectors such as retail, dining, travel, entertainment, e-commerce, and lifestyle.
• Develop and nurture partner relationships, serving as the main contact point and helping create long-term commercial value.
• Create and refine merchant-funded promotions, cashback activities, loyalty benefits, and reward campaigns to boost card usage and engagement.
• Handle commercial discussions and secure attractive terms, including revenue-sharing models, co-funded campaigns, and exclusive arrangements.
• Review partnership outcomes against key metrics and convert findings into actions that improve return on investment.
• Study market trends and benchmark competitors to uncover new categories, emerging opportunities, and partnership possibilities across Qatar and the wider GCC.
• Work with Product, Marketing, Digital, CRM, Risk, Compliance, and other teams to ensure smooth campaign delivery and regulatory alignment.
• Contribute to the evolution of the bank’s loyalty and merchant partnership roadmap.
• Measure offer performance, redemption, engagement, and spend uplift to keep improving customer value propositions.
• Coordinate several partnership workstreams at once while maintaining effective communication with internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements

• 5–8 years of background in merchant acquisition, partnership management, business development, or loyalty program management.
• Prior exposure to Banking, Cards & Payments, FinTech, card issuing, acquiring, or loyalty programs.
• Demonstrated success in sourcing, negotiating, onboarding, and managing merchant partners.
• Hands-on experience with loyalty program design, cashback propositions, merchant-funded offers, and reward initiatives.
• Working knowledge of card scheme rules such as Visa and Mastercard, interchange economics, and merchant offer structures.
• Experience using CRM systems such as Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with loyalty management tools such as Comarch, Giift, Collinson, Novus Loyalty, or comparable solutions.
• Strong analytical capability and experience with Excel, Power BI, Tableau, or similar reporting tools.
• Excellent negotiation, stakeholder management, presentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to combine strategic thinking with practical execution in a fast-moving environment.
• Banking, Cards & Payments, or FinTech experience is mandatory.
• Professional fluency in English is required.
• Candidates should be available immediately or with only a short notice period.

Preferred qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, or a related discipline.
• MBA is considered an advantage.
• Arabic language ability is a plus, though not essential.
• Professional certifications such as Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional (CLMP) are desirable.
• Experience with A/B testing and Test & Learn methods for offer improvement is preferred.

Additional information

This opportunity is intended for candidates with relevant experience in Banking, Cards & Payments, or FinTech.