Senior Business Development Manager (Channel Partnerships)

Convera is seeking a commercially driven Senior Business Development Manager to generate net-new pipeline and win strategic channel partnerships across North America. This is a dedicated proactive new business development role, focused on creating and converting new opportunities rather than managing established partner portfolios. The near-term priority is workforce payments, with primary emphasis on payroll and pension and selected opportunities across travel and expense and global mobility. The role will target partners with recurring cross-border payment flows and a strong strategic fit with Convera’s network reach, compliance capabilities, foreign exchange expertise, local payout rails, and relationship-led service model. Key responsibilities - Net-new pipeline generation: Build a continuously growing, high-quality pipeline across payroll, pension, travel and expense, and global mobility partners, with primary focus on payroll and pension. - Territory strategy: Develop and execute a North American account and territory plan based on addressable whitespace, strategic fit, corridor opportunity, competitive position, and route to revenue. - Ideal partner targeting: Prioritise partners with a large customer book, recurring cross-border flows, attractive corridor mix, mature KYC practices, limited high-risk exposure, and influence over payables or receivables. - Prospecting and market development: Create opportunities through targeted outbound activity, executive networking, referrals, advisers, technology ecosystems, conferences, and coordinated marketing. - Consultative discovery: Understand the partner model, end-customer journey, payment flows, statutory-payment needs, FX economics, technical requirements, implementation dependencies, and commercial value. - Value proposition: Lead with Convera’s strengths in global network and currency coverage, compliance, FX expertise, local payout rails, hedging capabilities, and relationship management. - Complex sales leadership: Own opportunities from initial engagement through qualification, business-case development, solution design, commercial negotiation, contracting, and internal approval. - Anchor partnerships: Identify strategically important partners that can provide brand value, market credibility, learning, or co-development potential in addition to direct revenue. - Cross-functional orchestration: Mobilise Product, Solutions Consulting, Technology, Legal, Compliance, Pricing, Finance, Operations, Implementation, and Marketing to progress opportunities and resolve barriers. - Disciplined handover: Transition signed partners to the appropriate implementation, partner activation, and account-management teams with clear commercial commitments, success measures, and ownership. - Selective future-vertical development: Maintain informed coverage of marketplace and AP automation opportunities, but pursue selectively and in line with product and technology readiness. - Sales discipline: Maintain accurate CRM data, next steps, qualification, forecasting, risks, and commercial assumptions; use insight to improve conversion and sales velocity. Measures of success - Pipeline creation: Value, quality, coverage, and progression of net-new qualified pipeline. - New partner wins: Signed partnerships and contracted revenue potential in priority workforce-payment verticals. - Strategic fit: Proportion of pipeline aligned to the target partner profile, priority verticals, and North American growth agenda. - Commercial quality: Sustainable economics, FX capture opportunity, scalable operating model, and clear route to downstream customer adoption. - Execution: Forecast accuracy, stage progression, internal alignment, and clean handover after signature. What you bring - Experience: 7+ years in B2B business development or enterprise sales, ideally within payments, fintech, payroll, pension, HR technology, SaaS, or financial services. - Proactive new business development track record: Demonstrated success creating pipeline from the ground up and closing complex net-new business. - Channel sales: Experience selling through partnerships, platforms, intermediaries, or embedded distribution models, including an understanding of downstream customer economics. - Payments knowledge: Understanding of cross-border payments, mass payments, local payout rails, foreign exchange, hedging, compliance, and partner-led payment models. - Technical confidence: Ability to sell integrated and API-enabled solutions credibly while matching the solution to current product capability and implementation readiness. - Commercial acumen: Strong skills in qualification, opportunity sizing, business cases, pricing, negotiation, and multi-party deal structuring. - Executive influence: Confidence engaging senior commercial, product, technology, finance, treasury, compliance, and operations stakeholders. - Ways of working: High ownership, persistence, sound judgement, curiosity, and the ability to operate effectively in a remote, cross-functional environment. Preferred qualifications - An established network across North American payroll, pension, HR technology, workforce management, travel and expense, global mobility, or enterprise payments. - Experience with complex partner models involving end-customer onboarding, activation, revenue sharing, FX capture, or joint go-to-market activity. - Experience working across the United States and Canada. Role boundaries - The role is accountable for net-new partner acquisition and is distinct from the ongoing account management and development of established partner portfolios. - Post-signature end-customer activation, ongoing cross-sell, joint partner marketing, and operational issue management will be led by the designated activation and account-management owners, with the Senior Business Development Manager supporting an effective transition. - Aggressive pursuit of marketplace and AP automation partnerships is not the immediate core mandate and should remain selective until the required technology capabilities are ready. About Convera Convera is a global leader in commercial payments that powers international business by moving money with ease. We provide tech-led payment solutions to help more than 26,000 customers globally grow with confidence, from small businesses to CFOs and treasurers. As experts in foreign exchange, risk and compliance, with an unrivaled regulatory footprint, Convera’s financial network spans more than 140 currencies and 200 countries and territories. Our teams care deeply about the value we deliver to our customers, which makes Convera a rewarding place to work. This is an exciting time for our organization as we expand our team with growth-minded, results-oriented people who are looking to move fast in an innovative environment.  As a truly global company with employees in over 20 countries, we are passionate about diversity; we seek and celebrate people from different backgrounds, lifestyles, and unique points of view. We want to work with the best people and ensure we foster a culture of inclusion and belonging.   We offer an abundance of competitive perks and benefits including:  - Competitive salary - Opportunity to earn a bonus (dependent on performance) - Great career growth and development opportunities in a global organization  - Corporate benefits  There are plenty of amazing opportunities at Convera for talented, creative problem solvers who never settle for good enough and are looking to transform global B2B payments. Pay Transparency Statement Convera is committed to pay transparency and equity in accordance with applicable U.S. state and local laws. For this position, the expected base salary range is [$125,000 - $148,000] per year + commission, depending on factors such as experience, qualifications, and geographic location. We use a tiered geographic pay system to ensure fairness across regions. Candidates in high-cost areas may receive higher offers within the posted range. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package, which may include: - Health insurance (medical, dental, vision) - Retirement savings plan - Paid time off, holidays, and parental leave - Wellness programs and mental health resources Final compensation and benefits will be discussed during the hiring process and may vary based on individual circumstances and business needs.