Manager, Partnership/Merchant Development, Consumer Banking

Job Purpose
Responsible for driving CIMB's ecosystem growth through the acquisition and development of merchants and strategic partners. The role leads merchant acquisition, onboarding, campaign execution and portfolio growth to drive customer acquisition and transaction volume, while also developing long-term, solution-oriented partnerships that create sustainable business value and strengthen CIMB's ecosystem strategy. As the business owner, the role drives commercial outcomes, leads cross-functional execution, and delivers measurable impact on revenue growth, customer acquisition, and strategic business objectives.
Key Responsibilities A - Merchant Acquisition & Growth
Objective
Acquire and grow a portfolio of merchants that can drive customer acquisition, card spending, lending volume, and Octo app engagement.
Key Responsibilities
Merchant Acquisition
Identify, prospect and onboard new merchants across priority industries, including E-commerce, Retail, F&B, Education, Healthcare, Travel, Ride-hailing and other target segments.
Build and maintain a qualified merchant pipeline to achieve acquisition targets.
Lead the end-to-end sales process from prospecting and pitching to negotiation, contracting and implementation.
Negotiate commercial terms including merchant offers, MDR support, co-marketing contributions and campaign funding.
2. Merchant Campaign & Deal Management
Develop and execute merchant promotions, cardholder offers and acquisition campaigns.
Work with merchants to create compelling customer value propositions that drive card acquisition, usage and transaction volume.
Coordinate campaign execution with Marketing, Product and Operations teams.
Monitor campaign effectiveness and optimize investments based on performance results.
3. Merchant Portfolio Growth
Manage and grow the performance of assigned merchant accounts.
Identify opportunities to increase transaction volume, customer acquisition and merchant engagement.
Conduct regular business reviews with key merchants.
Renew and optimize commercial agreements to maximize long-term value.
4. Merchant Performance Management
Track merchant onboarding, activation and revenue contribution against targets.
Analyze portfolio performance and identify growth opportunities or performance gaps.
B - Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development
Objective
Develop long-term strategic partnerships that create scalable customer acquisition opportunities, embedded financial solutions and ecosystem growth for CIMB.
Key Responsibilities
Partnership Strategy & Ecosystem Development
Identify and prioritize strategic partners that align with CIMB's business objectives and ecosystem strategy.
Develop partnership opportunities with digital platforms, fintechs, telcos, marketplaces, mobility providers, loyalty ecosystems and other strategic organizations.
Build a rolling partnership roadmap with clear business outcomes and revenue targets.
Ensure alignment with CIMB's broader partnership and digital ecosystem strategy.
2. Solution Development & Commercial Structuring
Identify customer and partner pain points and develop integrated financial solutions to address business needs.
Design partnership models that create mutual value while balancing customer experience, growth objectives and profitability.
Structure commercial arrangements including revenue-sharing, acquisition partnerships, embedded finance solutions and strategic alliances.
Develop compelling business cases for new partnership investments.
3. Partnership Implementation & Governance
Serve as business lead and PMO for strategic partnership implementation.
Coordinate Product, Technology, Risk, Legal, Compliance and Operations teams to ensure successful launch and execution.
Manage governance processes, approvals and post-implementation reviews.
Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal risk frameworks.
4. Executive Relationship Management
Establish and maintain strong relationships with senior executives and decision-makers within partner organizations.
Serve as the primary point of contact for strategic partners.
Lead partnership reviews and identify new collaboration opportunities.
Drive long-term partnership value creation and ecosystem integration.
Performance Management
Across both Merchant Acquisition and Strategic Partnerships:
Deliver acquisition, revenue and profitability targets.
Drive new-to-bank customer acquisition.
Grow credit card acquisition and spending.
Increase ENR and portfolio contribution.
Monitor partnership and merchant performance versus targets.
Identify risks, challenges and growth opportunities through data-driven analysis.
Job Specification
Banking / Finance / Business degree and equivalent functional experience
Minimum 5 years of experience in business development, partnership management, or merchant acquisition within banking, financial services, fintech, or e-commerce.
Proven track record of managing a portfolio of B2B partners or merchants with measurable impact on top-line revenue.
Technical/Functional skills
Strong track record in driving revenue and commercial outcomes
Experience working with external partners / ecosystems
Solid understanding of customer lifecycle & personalization strategies
Data-driven mindset with ability to translate insights into actions
Strong stakeholder management and execution capability
Personal skills
Multi-task handling skill
Communication skill
Time management skill
Motivated and energetic
Strong written and verbal critical reasoning
Result oriented
Able to focus attention on detail