Channel Partnerships Lead, Australia
Aspire
Sales & Business Development
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Location : Strictly Sydney / Melbourne only.
About Aspire:
Aspire is the leading all-in-one finance operating system for growing businesses. We are on a mission to reinvent business finance for a new generation of entrepreneurs and business owners, empowering startups and SMBs to realise their full potential
.Founded in 2018, Aspire has raised over USD 300M+ across equity and debt from world-class investors. In 2023, we successfully closed an oversubscribed USD 100 million Series C equity round led by Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Ventures with participation of Tencent, Paypal Ventures, LGT Capital Partners, Picus Capital and MassMutual Ventures. To power our solutions, we have partnered with some of the best companies in the world such as JP Morgan, Visa and Wise and helped more than 50,000 businesses using our suite of products
.Aspire has been awarded Best Employer of the Year and Startup of the year by Asia FinTech Awards, and also LinkedIn’s Top Startup in Singapore. In 2024, we also made it to CB Insights’ Top 100 Global Fintech List two years in a row
.You will be amazed by the energy and experience of our team! Aspire serves as an environment for you to innovate and drive change with our team of ex-entrepreneurs, ex-founders, and high-achievers with international and diverse backgrounds. Are you a top talent who is passionate about entrepreneurship? Join our rapidly growing team to make an impact in the Fintech space!
About the Team:
The Partnerships Team focuses on identifying, building, and managing long-term strategic partnerships to drive sustainable customer growth for Aspire. The team engages potential partners, ensures smooth onboarding, and cultivates enduring relationships. By providing tailored support and solutions, they empower businesses to maximize Aspire's benefits and achieve their strategic goals, enhancing Aspire's presence within the Australian SMB and startup ecosystem.
About the Role:
The Channel Partnerships Lead, Australia, will spearhead Aspire's expansion into the Australian market as GTM employee #1. This role's primary responsibility is to establish and manage strategic relationships across the larger start-up and SMB ecosystem including key service providers (eg. incorporation / corpsec agencies & accounting firms), accelerators, VCs, and founder communities / networks and position Aspire as the go-to financial operating solution in the market. The incumbent will report to the Australia Country Lead and will be an essential part of Aspire’s Australia GTM team.
Responsibilities:
Develop & Execute Australia Ecosystem Strategy: Formulate, design, implement, and manage Aspire's comprehensive partnership strategy.
Build & Nurture Key Partnerships: Identify, acquire and actively manage high-impact partnerships to position Aspire as financial operating solution of choice for startups and SMBs.
Drive Growth via Partners: Develop and implement innovative partner engagement initiatives (co-marketing, co-selling, joint events, integrations, referral programs).
Establish Aspire as a Thought Leader: Position Aspire as a recognized authority and indispensable partner within the SMB / startup landscape in Australia. Represent Aspire at significant industry events, conferences, and within partner communities.
Performance Measurement & Optimization: Define, track, analyze, and report on critical partnership performance metrics. Utilize data-driven insights to continuously refine partnership strategies and methodologies.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with Marketing, Sales, Product, and Customer Success teams to align partnership activities, exchange market intelligence, ascertain market needs, and ensure a seamless partner and customer experience.
Market Intelligence: Maintain comprehensive knowledge of the SMB & startup ecosystem, competitive landscape, key stakeholders, trends, and funding environment.
Minimum Requirements:
7-10 years of experience in partnerships, business development, Channel partnerships or ecosystem development within a banking, fintech, B2B SaaS, or major technology (Cloud/SaaS) context.
Proven expertise in establishing and managing partnerships within the Australian SMB / startup ecosystem, including a thorough understanding of key participants.
History of driving measurable business growth through strategic partnerships and ecosystem development.
Exceptional interpersonal, negotiation, and presentation capabilities, with the capacity to engage and influence senior stakeholders both internally and externally.
Exhibit a highly self-motivated, entrepreneurial mindset with a strong disposition towards action and results. Display comfort in working autonomously and assuming responsibility.
Possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to leverage data to inform decision-making and optimize performance.
Thrive within a dynamic, ambiguous startup environment.Hold a Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or a related field. An MBA is plus.
Why Aspire?
Become a part of a high-growth fintech leader that is revolutionizing business finance. The opportunity to build something significant in the world's preeminent startup market and shape the growth strategy as the first GTM hire in Australia, collaborate with passionate colleagues, and directly contribute to the success of numerous innovative companies is offered. We offer competitive remuneration, benefits, and a dynamic, collaborative corporate culture.