Vice President - Strategic Partnerships

Upgrade helps customers move in the right direction with affordable and responsible financial products. Since 2017, we’ve helped over 7.5 million customers access over $42 billion in consumer credit. With a relentless focus on improving our customers' financial well-being, we build products that put more money in their pocket and support their journey toward a better financial future. We’re backed by some of the most prominent technology investors and were most recently valued at $7.3B.

We’re consistently recognized for our collaborative and inclusive culture. Most recently, we were named one of the World’s Top Fintech Companies by CNBC, Best Places to Work by Built In, Best Places to Work by the San Francisco Business Times, America’s Greatest Workplaces by Newsweek, Best Startup Employer by Forbes, and Healthiest Employers by Phoenix Business Journal. 

We’re looking for new team members who get excited about designing and delivering new and better products. Come join us and help build a better financial future for millions of people.

About the Role:

We are looking for a strategic, commercially driven leader to join Upgrade as our VP, Strategic Partnerships, playing a pivotal role in expanding our personal lending business through high-impact enterprise partnerships.

In this role, you will lead the development of strategic white-label partnerships with financial institutions, fintechs, and major consumer-facing brands, enabling them to offer personal loans under their own brand, powered by Upgrade's lending platform. You will be responsible for identifying and engaging high-value partners, building relationships with senior decision-makers, and independently structuring and negotiating complex commercial agreements. With a strong understanding of partnership economics and P&L impact, you'll evaluate opportunities that drive meaningful revenue growth and long-term profitability for Upgrade's personal lending business.

Working closely with executive leadership and cross-functional teams across Finance, Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, and Risk, you'll help shape partnership strategies, navigate technical integrations, and bring new opportunities to market. This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership opportunity for someone who thrives on building executive relationships, negotiating strategic deals, and turning commercial opportunities into scalable businesses. You'll have significant autonomy to shape a growing partnership channel, with opportunities to collaborate directly with senior leadership and contribute to emerging AI-driven products and initiatives.

This is a remote-flexible position for candidates based in San Francisco, New York, or Delaware, and requires occasional travel for partner meetings.

What you’ll do:

Sourcing & Pipeline

• Build and manage a pipeline of prospective white-label partners. 
• Develop and prioritize a target list based on strategic fit, reach, and revenue potential.
• Represent Upgrade at industry events and in outbound outreach to build a network of decision-makers at prospective partners.
• Source potential partnerships to support Upgrade's emerging AI-driven product initiatives beyond personal loans

Deal Structuring & Negotiation

• Lead commercial negotiations for partnership agreements, including economics, exclusivity, SLAs, and branding terms.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, and Risk to structure deals that meet Upgrade's compliance and margin requirements.
• Own the business case and internal approval process for each partnership, from term sheet through signed contract.

Onboarding & Launch

• Own the end-to-end onboarding of signed partners — project-managing integration, compliance review, branding/marketing/UX approvals, and go-live.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for partners during implementation, coordinating Engineering, Product, Compliance, and Ops to hit launch dates.
• Build repeatable onboarding playbooks and SLAs to shorten time-to-launch as the partner roster grows.

What We Look For:

• 10+ years in strategic partnerships, business development, or a related deal-making role, with a track record of sourcing and closing complex commercial agreements.
• Experience in fintech, consumer lending, or financial services — comfortable with regulatory, compliance, and risk considerations 
• Demonstrated ability to manage a deal from first outreach through signed contract and through live launch.
• Strong cross-functional leadership: proven ability to align Legal, Compliance, Risk, Product, and Engineering around a partner launch timeline.
• Excellent negotiation and executive presence; comfortable representing Upgrade large enterprise partner leadership.

Nice to Have:

• Direct experience structuring white-label or embedded finance partnerships (co-branded cards, private-label lending, BaaS-style programs).
• An existing network of relationships at financial services companies or consumer-facing brands that could become Upgrade partners.
• Experience at a high-growth fintech or consumer lending company.
  

What We Offer You:

• Competitive salary & stock option plan
• Paid coverage of medical, dental and vision insurance
• Flexible PTO
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• Paid parental leave
• Health & wellness initiatives
  
  
  The base salary range for this position is $250k-$275k annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including the candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for an annual performance-based bonus as well as equity and other benefits as part of Upgrade’s total compensation package.

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Environmental & Working Conditions

Work is performed indoors in a fast-paced environment that requires the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet established workflows, schedules, and service expectations.

Employees regularly input, retrieve, and exchange information accurately using digital systems and applications to support operational and customer service objectives.

The role requires the ability to receive and exchange information with customers, peers, supervisors, and cross-functional partners through available communication channels, which may include meetings, email, phone, and digital collaboration tools, and may involve real-time, verbal, or in-person exchanges depending on business need.

Job duties may involve managing a high volume of inbound and/or outbound customer interactions and work activities using telecommunications and computer systems. The role requires the ability to read, analyze, and interpret information displayed on computer screens and remain in a working posture for extended periods, consistent with the demands of the position.

Work may be performed in a contact center, office, or remote environment, depending on business needs and the nature of the role. Onsite work environments may include shared workspaces, standard office lighting, and moderate background noise typical of customer service or operational settings.

Employees working remotely are responsible for maintaining a secure and productive workspace with reliable internet connectivity that supports company systems and safeguards the confidentiality of company and customer information.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state and local laws.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Upgrade does not accept unsolicited resumes from staffing agencies, search firms, or any third parties. Any resume submitted to any employee of Upgrade without a prior written agreement in place will be considered the property of Upgrade, and Upgrade will not be obligated to pay any referral or placement fee. Agencies must obtain advance written approval from Upgrade's Talent Acquisition department to submit resumes and only in conjunction with a valid, fully executed agreement.