Business Development Manager, Apple Pay

The Wallet team is seeking a Strategic Business Development Manager to handle account management as well as development and integration of new card issuers and acquirers onto the Apple Pay platform in Saudi Arabia. This role works cross-functionally with Technical Project Manager leads, Apple Pay Engineering, Operations, Privacy, Compliance, Legal, and Product Marketing, as well as with card issuers, payment regulators, payment networks, acquirers, merchants, integrators, credential managers, and software/hardware vendors to help define and deliver a wide variety of exciting Wallet solutions.

We're seeking a “hybrid” business development/product/project professional with sharp commercial skills, capable of working cross-functionally with the relevant internal teams to roll out Apple Pay and new Wallet services. The individual will lead all aspects of the partner relationship including early engagement, account and project management, new product and feature introductions, and commercial and contractual matters. The candidate will also be commercially astute in positioning complex technologies to senior business audiences. Experience in implementing mobile NFC projects, payment processing, electronic commerce, NFC ecosystem, acquiring/POS solutions, and various transit/access platforms is required. A working understanding of EMV processing, contactless and NFC payments, e-commerce, fraud detection and prevention, as well as general payments from an Issuer and Acquirer perspective are also necessary. The potential to thrive in a high-paced, start-up-like environment while enjoying being involved from the beginning to the finish of a new Apple Pay and Wallet project is a must-have quality. Organizational and project management skills are key.

This role is full-time and will be located in our Riyadh office, reporting into the London team. Local and international travel is required.

Description:

We require you to help sell a vision of the Wallet experience and consumer benefits to senior executives, successfully negotiate, close deals, and lead the tactical execution to quickly grow our business in a sustainable way. You will work closely with our strategic partners to help develop best practice Wallet deployments and ensure that they are our primary development partners for new Wallet features. Collaborate with Apple product and engineering teams to influence the product roadmap and provide feedback received from partners in the field. Provide regular communications to senior management on partnership strategy and results.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Deep expertise and experience in managing large, complex partnerships ideally in Saudi Arabia or the wider Middle East.
• A proven track record of building strong partnerships centered around innovation and product development, ideally in the Financial Services sector.
• Great communication, problem-solving, negotiating, influencing, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to analyze opportunities from many angles (both quantitative and qualitative), and drive appropriate performance tracking and analysis.
• Expertise building business cases around market opportunities and partnerships, including strategy development, market segmentation, competitive analysis, and financial analysis.
• Native proficiency in Arabic and English required; additional languages highly desirable.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Self-starter who works effectively in a fast-paced environment and is comfortable managing ambiguity.
• A deep understanding of product marketing, financial acumen, analytical rigor, and a passion for emerging mobile and web products.
• Degree education in a relevant field desirable, but candidates from all educational backgrounds are encouraged to apply.