Partnerships Specialist

About the Role
In this role, you will own the end-to-end management of SME lending partnerships. This includes partner engagement, funnel tracking, MIS reporting, performance analysis, and operational follow-up. Serving as the main point of contact for partners, you will ensure that sales and business processes run smoothly. Your efforts will facilitate accurate performance tracking and convert partner and borrower feedback into actionable insights for business growth.

Responsibilities

• Partner Management & Communication: Act as the day-to-day point of contact for partners, holding regular check-ins and performance conversations to maintain strong relationships. Represent the partnership clearly and confidently to both external partners and internal stakeholders.
• End-to-End Process Ownership: Own the partnership sales and business processes from lead generation through application, approval, and disbursement, ensuring adherence to agreed timelines and standards, while proactively driving issues to resolution.
• Funnel & Performance Tracking: Maintain accurate and up-to-date partnership pipeline and activity trackers, providing clear visibility of leads, opportunities, applications, conversions, and ongoing initiatives. Own the accuracy and completeness of partnership data across Excel trackers and internal systems.
• MIS Reporting & Dashboards: Build and manage regular MIS reports and dashboards on partnership performance, covering metrics such as leads generated, applications, approvals, disbursements, conversion rates, and other agreed KPIs. Present insights to management and partners.
• Performance Analysis: Analyze partnership and SME funnel data to identify trends, drop-offs, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improving conversion, engagement, and overall partnership performance.
• SME Engagement & Feedback: Engage with SMEs to gather feedback on their experiences, understand pain points, and discover ways to enhance the lending journey. Consolidate feedback into actionable insights and recommendations.
• Partner Onboarding & Reviews: Lead the onboarding process for partners, ensuring all required documentation, processes, and trackers are completed and maintained. Prepare partner reviews, presentations, business cases, and performance updates.
• Operational Follow-up: Follow up with partners, SMEs, and internal teams on outstanding documentation, information, and operational requirements for partnership-generated customers.
• Security Cheque Control: Track and maintain records of security cheques collected from SME borrowers. Ensure accurate documentation, custody-status tracking, and reconciliation in accordance with internal processes, escalating any missing records or discrepancies promptly.
• Process Improvement & Automation: Identify opportunities to automate manual trackers and reporting processes. Collaborate with relevant teams to enhance efficiency, strengthen controls, and reduce operational risk.
• Partnership Initiatives: Support various ad-hoc partnership initiatives, campaigns, and projects as the SME lending business continues to grow.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Data Analytics, or a relevant discipline.
• 2-4 years of experience in managing sales or business processes, preferably in partnerships, sales operations, business operations, or lending operations within financial services.
• Hands-on experience in partner management, funnel and performance tracking, and MIS reporting.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including proficiency in formulas, pivot tables, data validation, and reconciliation; strong reporting and presentation skills; familiarity with CRM, workflow, or business intelligence tools is advantageous.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the confidence to engage regularly with partners and senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to own processes and outcomes from start to finish, exhibiting a proactive, self-driven approach to follow-up and problem-solving.
• Experience in SME lending, fintech, banking, credit, or another regulated financial services environment is preferred; understanding lending funnel metrics is advantageous.
• Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, organizational skills, and sound judgment in handling sensitive customer and financial information.