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Basis Theory provides unbounded encryption and tokenization infrastructure for securing and using sensitive data. The company enables organizations to control payment data and work flexibly across processors, networks, and technology providers without vendor lock-in.
As VP of Partnerships, you will own and develop Basis Theory's payments ecosystem strategy. You will lead relationships across payment networks, processors, acquirers, technology providers, platforms, consultants, and other ecosystem participants. This is a strategic yet hands-on role requiring comfort discussing long-term strategy with senior executives while working directly with teams to execute. You will frequently represent Basis Theory independently in high-stakes conversations and have significant autonomy.
Key responsibilities include:
- Owning Basis Theory's partnership strategy and portfolio, identifying investment priorities and relationship opportunities
- Building and growing strategic relationships across the payments ecosystem, serving as primary leader for key partners
- Developing multi-level relationships within partner organizations, from executives to execution teams
- Identifying and turning relationships into outcomes: joint solutions, integrations, commercial opportunities, customer introductions, co-selling, and market expansion
- Collaborating with Product, Payments, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Success to connect needs with partner capabilities
- Bringing informed perspective to product and ecosystem strategy by understanding partner capabilities, roadmaps, and gaps
- Creating commercial opportunities through partnerships beyond lead generation, recognizing when value is revenue, capability, distribution, market influence, or intelligence
- Developing deep understanding of the payments landscape and serving as internal authority on ecosystem dynamics
- Representing Basis Theory externally at partner meetings, industry events, and strategic engagements
- Establishing operating cadence, accountability, and measurement for portfolio management
- Leading a small partnerships team initially and determining how the function should grow
- Partnering closely with the Chief Payments Officer as executive sponsor
Requirements:
- Significant experience in payments with strong understanding of how merchants, payment networks, processors, acquirers, platforms, and technology providers interact
- Experience building and owning complex strategic partnerships within payments or fintech ecosystem
- Demonstrated ability to navigate complex ecosystem participants (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, major PSPs)
- Ability to operate at multiple altitudes: develop multi-year strategy with executives, build internal alignment, and work with execution teams
- Strong product and technical fluency within payments (not necessarily the deepest expert, but able to engage credibly with technical teams)
- Commercial instincts and ability to recognize where partnerships create business value
- Executive presence and sound judgment to independently represent the company with senior stakeholders, navigate sensitive conversations, and make appropriate decisions
- Track record of turning relationships into measurable outcomes
- Hands-on operating style; comfort building strategy, making decisions, preparing meetings, working through details, and driving execution
- Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships and create value from them (existing ecosystem relationships valuable but not required)
- Comfort operating in fast-moving environment with autonomy, incomplete information, and expectation of building the function while running it
- Willingness to travel regularly for partner meetings and industry events (approximately once per month)
