Partnerships Lead

About Zed

Zed is building the first AI-native, licensed neobank in the Philippines designed to democratize access to premium financial services for young professionals in global markets. The current banking system is broken, often shutting out the world’s youngest and fastest-growing consumer classes—we’re here to fix it.

Our team is uniquely positioned to solve this. We are Stanford engineers and former YC founders who have spent our careers at the intersection of banking and hyper-growth startups like Square, Facebook, and Box. We’ve been here before, having previously built and exited Symple (YC W'17), a fast-growing B2B payments company.

We are backed by world-class investors, including Accel, Valar, Immad Akhund (Mercury), Dalton Caldwell (Y Combinator), and Kunal Shah (Cred).

The Role

Zed is a credit card built for young professionals who've been shut out of the traditional banking system — and we're growing fast enough that the right partnerships will define what comes next. We're hiring our first-ever Partnerships Lead to build that function from scratch. You'll build Zed's partnerships function from the ground up — defining which partnerships matter, across whatever tracks make sense for a modern credit card in the Philippines and beyond. That means scoping opportunities, building internal business cases, pitching partners, negotiating and closing deals, and coordinating with internal stakeholders to launch. There is no existing playbook — you'll write it. You'll report directly to our founders and operate as a solo function for now with the opportunity to build a team as the partnerships program scales.

What You’ll Do

• Map the full partnership landscape for a modern credit card in the Philippines — identify which tracks matter most and decide where to focus first

• Source and close deals across whatever partnership categories move the needle: cardholder benefits, payment infrastructure, merchant programs, acquisition channels, embedded financial services, and beyond

• Scope new opportunities, build business cases, and pitch initiatives internally before taking them to market

• Own the full deal lifecycle — from first outreach through negotiation and signed agreement

• Coordinate with engineering, operations, and product as a key stakeholder in implementation — keeping timelines visible and dependencies flagged

• Review partnership agreements for key commercial and compliance terms; flag issues to founders or legal before execution

• Track partnership performance post-launch and identify opportunities to deepen or expand relationships

• Build the frameworks, templates, and processes that will scale this function as Zed expands across APAC

What You Bring

• 5+ years in business development, partnerships, or a similar commercial role — fintech, payments, or consumer technology in the Philippines strongly preferred

• A track record of closing deals independently, from cold outreach through signed contract

• Existing relationships across PH travel, retail, payments, or employer ecosystems — this role moves faster with a warm network

• Experience driving 0–1 growth of a new product line, partnership program, or business function

• Strong project management instincts — you track details, own timelines, and keep cross-functional work moving without being chased

• Comfort reviewing commercial contracts and identifying what matters: term length, exclusivity, liability, termination rights

• Analytical thinking and the ability to build a business case, not just a pitch deck

• Proven ability to operate without a playbook — you've built something from scratch and know what that actually requires

• Clear, direct communicator in both Filipino and English — you can represent Zed credibly with a regional airline, a payments provider, or a major employer

We hire exceptional people from diverse backgrounds because different perspectives build better products.

If you’re excited about this role but don’t check every box, apply anyway. We value potential, ownership, and alignment with our values more than perfect résumés.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on legally protected characteristics. We provide reasonable accommodations throughout the hiring process.

Compensation includes salary, equity, and benefits. Final offers are based on role scope, location, and experience.