Strategic Business Development Manager

Hello there. We're Zopa.
Early in 2023 Zopa Bank acquired DivideBuy, a market leading point of sale finance platform. Now part of Zopa Group, the offering will combine technology and fintech innovation to enable instant decisions and fully integrated consumer journeys with consumer protection, credit checks and safeguards of a regulated bank.

We're on a step-change growth trajectory. Alongside our best-in-class POS tech solution we have the scale, trust, and market-leading credit capabilities of one of the UK's top consumer lenders. We are uniquely positioned in the market with rapid growth and bold ambitions for the next three years where this role will be pivotal in spearheading our growth.

Join us as we embark on this new chapter, harnessing the strengths of both Zopa and DivideBuy to create cutting-edge financial solutions that truly benefit our customers.

We are seeking a Strategic Business Development Manager to lead the acquisition and expansion of high-value national partnerships, each generating over £50 million in GMV. This position is crucial in establishing Zopa's footprint in key verticals and driving strategic growth through complex, high-impact initiatives.

This role demands a leader capable of delivering value to our partnerships. You will set the sales rhythm and strategy, oversee specific verticals, and craft the go-to-market plans within each, ensuring successful launches and sustained relationships across all levels of the verticals.

Of course, you won't be doing this on your own. Collaboration is core to Zopa's culture, meaning you will be the vertical owner with support from other team members focusing on the small and mid-sized corporate market, alongside product, tech, marketing, and design teams.

This opportunity offers significant scope to accelerate your career within a fast-growing FinTech. If this challenge excites you, we would love to hear from you

A Day In The Life

• Set the strategic direction for your product verticals in partnership with the leadership team. For example, you might work with senior executives to devise new go-to-market strategies for retail finance products, balancing commercial objectives with long-term brand development.
• Identify, engage, and secure partnerships with major national merchants, managing the entire sales process from prospecting to contract negotiation. Envision reaching out to prominent high-street retailers or e-commerce platforms, developing relationships from initial contact to signing multi-year agreements.
• You'll craft tailored value propositions and commercial models, collaborating with internal teams to develop bespoke solutions. This may involve working with product and tech teams to create custom integration packages or designing flexible pricing models for different retail sectors.
• Represent Zopa at industry events, delivering talks at conferences or roundtable discussions, networking with decision-makers, and staying abreast of emerging trends. For instance, you might attend Retail Week Live or FinTech Connect, applying insights gathered to refine your vertical's strategy.
• You will work independently in the field, utilising data and market insights to shape vertical strategies and serve as a thought partner to senior stakeholders. On any day, you might analyse market reports to identify untapped opportunities, monitor competitor activity, or pilot a new customer journey in collaboration with a flagship retailer.

About You

• You have demonstrated success in national-level sales or partnerships, preferably within fintech, retail, or SaaS sectors. Perhaps you've negotiated with a leading grocery chain to implement a new payment system or coordinated the launch of a SaaS solution with a network of fashion retailers.
• Bring strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills to every engagement, whether structuring revenue share agreements or troubleshooting contract terms during deal closure.
• Can influence at C-suite level, both within Zopa and at partner organisations. For example, you're comfortable pitching business cases to CFOs, collaborating with CTOs on technical integrations, or driving alignment with marketing directors on joint campaigns.
• You're comfortable with ambiguity and excel at creating structure within evolving markets. This could involve launching a new product in a sector with shifting regulatory requirements or establishing scalable processes for a rapidly expanding partnership portfolio.
• Your experience includes managing long sales cycles, building consensus among diverse internal and external stakeholders, and delivering measurable results, such as increasing GMV by millions or unlocking new verticals for growth.

This role is remote based but will require travel to clients and to the London/Manchester office for meetings.

Flexible working? Yes please
At Zopa we value flexible ways of working. We understand the benefits of face-to-face collaboration and the importance of a good work-life balance. Our teams work in a hybrid manner, from our vibrant UK offices and the comfort of their own homes, at a frequency that suits the team and the work they do.

Not only that – you'll also have the option of working from abroad for up to 120 days a year* But no matter where you are, we'll make sure you've got everything you need to thrive, both in your work and home life, from day one.

• Subject to having the right to work in the country of choice

Diversity Statement
Zopa is proud to offer a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds leads to better products for our customers and a unique company culture for our people. We are made up of nearly 50 nationalities, have a DE&I forum made up of Zopians wanting to make a difference and we are proud of our culture where everyone can bring their full self to work. Our approach to DE&I is reflected in our hiring process so please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.