Senior Director - Business Development, Middle East and Africa

Circle (NYSE: CRCL) is one of the world’s leading internet financial platform companies, building the foundation of a more open, global economy through digital assets, payment applications, and programmable blockchain infrastructure. Circle’s platform includes the world’s largest regulated stablecoin network anchored by USDC, Circle Payments Network for global money movement, and Arc, an enterprise-grade blockchain designed to become the Economic OS for the internet. Enterprises, financial institutions, and developers use Circle to power trusted, internet-scale financial innovation. Learn more at circle.com.

What you’ll be part of:

Circle is committed to visibility and stability in everything we do. As we grow as an organization, we're expanding into some of the world's strongest jurisdictions. Speed and efficiency are motivators for our success and our employees live by our company values: High Integrity, Future Forward, Multistakeholder, Mindful, and Driven by Excellence. We have built a flexible work environment where new ideas are encouraged and everyone is a stakeholder.

What You'll Be Responsible For

Circle is seeking a highly motivated and accomplished Senior Director of Business Development & Partnerships to lead our expansion and partner ecosystem efforts across MEA. Based in Dubai, with extensive travel across the region, this is a dual-mandate role: you will be both a strategic dealmaker and a dedicated partner owner — identifying and closing high-value opportunities, then ensuring those partnerships are activated, performing, and growing over time.

You will play a pivotal role in shaping Circle's footprint in MEA by leading business negotiations, structuring transformative deals, and owning the ongoing success of strategic partnerships with financial institutions, fintechs, and PSPs. The ideal candidate thrives equally in winning new business and in the disciplined, relationship-driven work of making existing partnerships deliver results. Deep expertise in payments, fintech, and digital assets is essential, as is the ability to navigate complex regulatory environments across the continent.

What You'll Work On

Business Development

• Develop and execute Circle's business development strategy across Africa, identifying high-impact opportunities to drive adoption of our payment solutions.
• Lead negotiations and deal structuring for strategic partnerships with PSPs, fintechs, mobile money providers and payments businesses.
• Develop and validate commercial models for new business opportunities, including financial modelling and forecasting to support strategic decision-making. Apply modern analytics and AI-assisted modeling to improve scenario planning and deal evaluation.
• Build and execute go-to-market strategies that drive adoption of Circle's existing products and validate new ones, from initial conversations through to signed agreements.
• Provide market intelligence and feedback to Circle's leadership team to inform product and business strategy. Use a mix of traditional research and AI-augmented tools to synthesize market signals and competitive trends.

Partner Management

• Own the post-close relationship with strategic partners across MEA, serving as their primary point of contact within Circle.
• Develop and execute joint business plans with partners, setting clear performance milestones, KPIs, and growth targets.
• Drive partner activation and time-to-revenue, ensuring smooth onboarding and integration of Circle's products and services.
• Conduct regular business reviews with partners to assess performance, identify gaps, and unlock new growth opportunities within existing accounts.
• Serve as the internal advocate for partners, coordinating with product, compliance, legal, and marketing teams to resolve issues, surface partner needs, and prioritize the right support.
• Build and nurture a tiered partner ecosystem across MEA, identifying and developing high-potential partners for deeper, more strategic collaboration.
• Track and report on partner performance metrics using CRM and analytics tools, ensuring accurate pipeline management and accountability against targets. Leverage AI-augmented CRM features and analytics to improve forecasting, prioritization, and partner insights.

What You'll Bring to Circle

• 13+ years of experience in business development and/or partner management in financial services, fintech, or digital assets, with a strong track record across the region.
• Demonstrated ability to both close complex, high-value deals and manage and grow strategic partner relationships post-close.
• Deep understanding of MEA's financial ecosystem, including mobile money, banking infrastructure, cross-border payments, and emerging fintech trends.
• A strong network of industry relationships with leading financial institutions, fintechs, and enterprise partners across the region.
• Proven ability to develop joint business plans, manage partner performance, and drive measurable revenue outcomes through partnerships.
• Good understanding of the digital assets and cryptocurrency sector, including key players, products, and trends.
• Practical fluency with modern AI tools and workflows: experience leveraging generative AI and large language models for market research, pitch and contract drafting, data synthesis, and productivity; ability to craft effective prompts and validate model outputs.
• Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and analytics workflows relevant to deal evaluation and partner performance (e.g., predictive forecasting, cohort analysis, model-driven segmentation), and the ability to work with data teams to operationalize insights.
• Cross-cultural competence and ability to work effectively across cultures and geographies.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create and deliver presentations tailored to varying audiences.
• Business-level English required; Arabic or French is a plus.

Circle is on a mission to create an inclusive financial future, with transparency at our core. We consider a wide variety of elements when crafting our compensation ranges and total compensation packages.

Starting pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to: relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, and other business and organizational needs. Please note that compensation ranges may differ for candidates in other locations.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, or any other protected status required by the laws in the locations where we hire. Additionally, Circle participates in the E-Verify Program in certain locations, as required by law.

Should you require accommodations or assistance in our interview process because of a disability, please reach out to [email protected] for support. We respect your privacy and will connect with you separately from our interview process to accommodate your needs.

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