Strategic Partnerships Lead

About Column For companies building financial technology and transforming the financial services space, the biggest bottleneck to their growth and innovation is often the underlying banks and infrastructure stack they rely on. We have spent our careers founding and scaling companies like Plaid, Square, Meta, Blend, and Affirm, and have seen this problem firsthand — builders and developers needing to partner with traditional banks, and creating API and abstraction layers over the patchwork that is the bank, its core, and many other vendors. All of this results in a complex (and often expensive) banking supply chain involving a user, fintech, BaaS middleware provider, bank, core and the Federal Reserve. At Column, we set out to simplify and fix this. We are a bank and a software company built from the ground up, offering builders and developers technology-forward banking solutions that cut out the hundreds of vendors, middleware providers, and abstraction layers. This means a safer, more transparent, and less costly banking supply chain. Come build with us! The opportunity We're hiring a strategic deals person to own high-value relationship development and deal execution across Column's most important partnerships. You'll drive the full commercial cycle — from identifying and qualifying strategic accounts to structuring and closing agreements with companies building financial products on Column's API infrastructure. Working closely with leadership and the broader Business team, you'll develop a deep understanding of each prospect's product roadmap and articulate Column's value proposition and differentiation at every stage of the deal. Success looks like a portfolio of trusted, long-term partnerships and a consistent track record of closing complex, high-impact deals. We win on speed and expertise. If you move fast, love becoming an expert, and are able to build relationships and influence quickly, this opportunity might be for you. This role reports to the Head of Sales & Partnerships and is based in San Francisco or remote, with ~50% travel expected, always dependent on deal needs. What you’ll do: Deal Execution Run the full sales cycle: discovery, scoping, negotiation, and close across complex, multi-stakeholder organizations. Navigate procurement, compliance, legal, and technical stakeholders simultaneously; proactively identify and overcome blockers before they stall deals. Partner with Solutions Engineering, Legal, Risk, and Compliance to structure solutions that address novel customer use cases. Market & Product Expertise Develop deep fluency in Column's API suite and how it applies across financial services use cases; position yourself as a credible thought partner for prospects' Product and Compliance teams. Maintain a strong pulse on market dynamics, competitive positioning, and regulatory developments affecting Column's target customers. Pipeline Development Build and maintain account plans with clear milestones, stakeholder maps, and commercial targets. Source and qualify new opportunities through outbound prospecting, industry relationships, and market intelligence — you're building pipeline, not waiting for it. Team & Playbook Building Contribute to the development of Column's sales playbook — deal structures, qualification frameworks, and processes that the broader team can learn from and build on. Operate in accordance with safe and sound business practices and applicable regulatory requirements. What you’ll need to be successful: Minimum 5+ years (ideally 8+ years) in strategic partnerships, business development, strategic accounts sales, or a commercial-adjacent function, including investors or capital markets professionals who have spent meaningful time sourcing, evaluating, and closing complex deals with sophisticated counterparties. Proven ability to run structured, autonomous deal cycles from pipeline generation through close Demonstrated ability to navigate large, multi-stakeholder organizations: you know how to find the decision maker and move deals forward when the path isn't obvious Subject matter credibility in your space — prospects and partners seek out your perspective High agency and a builder's orientation: you're comfortable operating without a fully defined playbook and contribute to building one as you go. You take ownership and adapt on the fly. Competitive, curious, and coachable — you solicit feedback, iterate quickly, and hold yourself to a higher standard than anyone else would (nice to have) Direct experience selling into or partnering with financial services companies; familiarity with embedded finance, APIs, or regulated product environments strongly preferred A note on fit: This role is built for someone who enjoys betting on themselves. This isn't SaaS, a relationship management role or an inbound motion. If your sales motion has been straightforward, your pipeline has historically been handed to you, or you're looking to maintain accounts rather than b