Senior Partnership Manager
Full Time
Role Purpose
This role is the commercial and relationship backbone of iiDENTIFii’s enterprise account portfolio. It is deliberately dual: you operate as a strategic relationship owner accountable for the health, retention, and commercial growth of iiDENTIFii’s most important client accounts while remaining hands-on in the day-to-day: running executive business reviews, managing renewal cycles, and staying close to what each client actually needs. You will lead accounts and build trust at the same time.
This is not a reactive support role. As Senior Partnershipt Manager, you are a proactive, commercially-minded owner who drives measurable revenue outcomes: renewals, expansions, upsells, and new product adoption across an assigned portfolio. You are the client’s internal champion at iiDENTIFii, and iiDENTIFii’s commercial face to the client.
Operating in a technically complex, compliance-heavy environment where clients are navigating FICA, POPIA, and evolving KYC/AML obligations, the Senior Partnership Manager must combine deep industry knowledge, strong executive presence, and a clear understanding of how biometric identity verification creates value in the banking and financial services sector. This role also plays a critical part in bridging client insight back into iiDENTIFii’s product and commercial strategy ensuring the voice of the customer shapes how the platform evolves.
Role Tasks and Responsibilities
Account Ownership & Client Relationship Management
Own and manage a portfolio of iiDENTIFii’s enterprise clients including tier-1 banks and FSPs as the primary relationship lead across all levels of the client organisation
Build deep, multi-level relationships across client organisations: from operational and implementation teams through to C-suite and procurement decision-makers
Develop and maintain structured Account Plans for each client, documenting relationship health, strategic objectives, risk factors, expansion opportunities, and agreed success metrics
Conduct regular executive business reviews (EBRs) and operational check-ins, ensuring clients are realising measurable value from iiDENTIFii’s platform and that commitments are consistently met
Monitor client health indicators adoption metrics, support volumes, NPS, contract milestones and intervene proactively before issues escalate
Serve as the internal advocate for the client: representing their priorities, escalating risks with urgency, and coordinating cross-functional responses when needed
Retention, Renewal & Commercial Growth
Own the full renewal cycle for assigned accounts: planning, negotiation, and execution, ensuring on-time renewals with strong retention rates
Identify, qualify, and close upsell and cross-sell opportunities across the iiDENTIFii product portfolio, including new use cases, volume expansions, and additional integrations
Drive new product adoption within existing accounts, working closely with product and solutions teams to align iiDENTIFii’s roadmap with client needs and timelines
Manage commercial conversations with confidence: pricing discussions, contract amendments, scope expansions, and multi-year deal structures
Maintain accurate pipeline and forecast data for the assigned portfolio in the CRM, providing reliable, decision-ready visibility to leadership
Contribute to net revenue retention (NRR) targets by maximising expansion revenue within the existing customer base and minimising churn risk
Strategic Account Planning & Executive Engagement
Develop and execute tailored account strategies for key accounts, aligned to both client business objectives and iiDENTIFii’s commercial goals
Engage at senior and executive levels within client organisations, positioning iiDENTIFii as a strategic long-term partner not just a vendor
Lead joint business planning sessions with key accounts, aligning on roadmaps, integration priorities, and mutual growth initiatives
Identify and navigate political dynamics, stakeholder changes, and competitive threats within client accounts before they become risks
Participate in client industry forums, events, and working groups to deepen relationships and build iiDENTIFii’s profile and credibility in the sector
Industry & Domain Expertise
Develop and maintain deep understanding of the South African regulatory landscape relevant to clients: FICA, POPIA, SARB directives, FSCA requirements, and NCA obligations
Stay current with trends in digital identity, biometric authentication, KYC/AML, and fraud prevention that affect iiDENTIFii’s client industries and shape buying decisions
Understand client integration architectures and how iiDENTIFii’s platform fits into their broader technology and compliance stack well enough to engage credibly without requiring deep engineering expertise
Use domain knowledge to position iiDENTIFii solutions with authority in client conversations, translating complex technical and regulatory concepts into clear commercial value
Act as an internal resource on South African FSP and enterprise client dynamics, sharing market intelligence with product, sales, and leadership teams to sharpen strategy
Client Onboarding & Implementation Support
Lead the commercial and relationship dimension of new client onboarding, ensuring a smooth, confidence-building transition from signed contract to live implementation
Coordinate internally across solutions engineering, product, operations, and support to ensure onboarding timelines and client commitments are met without exception
Define and agree success criteria with new clients during onboarding, establishing the foundation for ongoing account health measurement and future expansion conversations
Ensure clients receive adequate training, enablement, and documentation to adopt iiDENTIFii’s platform confidently and at scale
Voice of the Customer & Internal Collaboration
Systematically capture and structure client feedback, feature requests, and pain points feeding actionable, prioritised insights into product and engineering decision-making
Collaborate with the product team to ensure the iiDENTIFii roadmap reflects the real-world needs and priorities of the enterprise client base
Partner with marketing on case studies, client testimonials, reference programmes, and co-marketing initiatives that build iiDENTIFii’s market credibility
Work closely with the sales team to support expansion into new business units or entities within existing client organisations
Provide regular, data-driven portfolio reports to the Head of Enterprise Sales and leadership team, including health scores, renewal forecasts, and expansion pipeline without being prompted
AI-Augmented Ways of Working
Use AI tools as a standard, expected part of the role a core professional competency, not optional
Apply AI to accelerate account research, stakeholder mapping, meeting preparation, and client communication drafting
Use AI to synthesise client feedback, identify portfolio patterns, and surface risks or expansion signals earlier than traditional approaches allow
Leverage AI to produce high-quality account plans, EBR materials, and internal reports with speed and precision
Stay current with the evolving AI tooling landscape and proactively identify productivity opportunities relevant to client management
Living the iiDENTIFii Culture
Champion iiDENTIFii’s culture, values, and purpose in every client interaction and internal collaboration
Contribute to building a best-in-class client management function as iiDENTIFii scales
Foster a team environment defined by intellectual rigour, psychological safety, collaborative excellence, and a bias for action
Actively contribute to iiDENTIFii’s mission: powering innovators in remote biometric digital authentication, globally
Qualifications, Experience and Skills Needed
Experience
7+ years in client management, account management, or customer success in a financial services or fintech environment
Demonstrable track record of managing and growing a portfolio of enterprise accounts, including tier-1 banks or major FSPs in South Africa
Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder relationships at senior and executive levels, driving trust and commercial outcomes simultaneously
Experience owning commercial outcomes end-to-end: renewals, upsells, net revenue retention targets, and expansion pipeline
Exposure to the South African financial services ecosystem banking, insurance, lending, payments, or identity is strongly advantageous
Startup or scaleup experience preferred; comfort operating at pace with evolving processes and limited structure
Domain & Industry Knowledge
Strong understanding of the South African regulatory environment: FICA, POPIA, SARB, FSCA, NCA, and related compliance obligations that shape FSP buying behaviour
Familiarity with digital identity, KYC/AML, onboarding, and fraud prevention concepts and how they apply to financial services clients
Awareness of the South African banking landscape: Big Four (ABSA, Standard Bank, FNB, Nedbank), digital banks (TymeBank, Discovery Bank, Capitec), insurers, and government entities such as SASSA and DHA
Ability to engage credibly in technical product conversations understanding enough to be useful without requiring deep engineering knowledge
Commercial & Analytical Skills
Confidence in commercial negotiation, contract discussions, and pricing conversations with senior client stakeholders
Strong commercial instincts: able to identify expansion opportunities, recognise buying signals, and manage risk to revenue across a complex portfolio
Experience using CRM tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar) to manage pipeline, forecast accurately, and document account activity with discipline
Data-driven approach to account management: comfortable using metrics, health scores, and dashboards to track portfolio performance and present findings to leadership
Interpersonal & Communication Skills
Exceptional communicator written and verbal across all levels from operational contacts to C-suite decision-makers
Strong executive presence and the confidence to hold strategic, commercially consequential conversations with senior stakeholders
High emotional intelligence: able to read room dynamics, navigate conflict, and build trust in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
Ability to simplify complex technical and commercial concepts into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences
Ways of Working
Proactive and self-directed: does not wait to be told when a client relationship needs attention identifies and acts before issues surface
Highly organised with the ability to manage a large, complex portfolio without losing detail or momentum
Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, scaling startup environment with evolving processes and a high degree of autonomy
Collaborative across internal functions: works naturally with product, engineering, solutions, marketing, and leadership to deliver for clients
Receptive to feedback, commercially curious, and committed to continuous improvement in both craft and domain knowledge
Originally posted on Himalayas