Commercial Manager - Payments

Commercial Manager - Payments Job type: Remote Payments & Banking Infrastructure (PBI)ACE Money Transfer | Immediate StartReporting toHead of Payments & Banking InfrastructureTeamCommercial & Strategy — PBIDirect reportsCommercial Analyst (1)About Us: ACE Money Transfer is a UK-based multinational company headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom. ACE Money Transfer provides online remittance services to individuals in 29 countries across the UK, Europe, Canada, and Australia, enabling them to send money across borders in over 100 countries About the Role This is a senior individual contributor role sitting at the commercial heart of PBI. You will be the right hand to the Head of PBI — translating strategic vision into commercial plans, sourcing and negotiating with new payments partners, and owning the renegotiation pipeline across the existing partner stack. Your primary role is finding, structuring, and closing the right commercial arrangements that power ACE's payments stack. You will also attend strategic Quarterly Business Reviews and major partner reviews alongside the Head of PBI, providing senior commercial context and continuity — without crossing into day-to-day performance management. Furthermore, you will revise renegotiation windows and partner performance specifically around cost of sale and revenue link. You will be supported by a dedicated Commercial Analyst who feeds you data on FX trader performance, acquirer costs, open banking economics, and revenue leakage — leaving you free to focus on strategy, negotiation, and commercial decision-making.Key Responsibilities Strategy & Long-Term Planning Work directly with the Head of PBI to develop the annual commercial plan and contribute to the 3-year payments infrastructure roadmapTranslate strategic direction from the Head of PBI into structured, actionable plans with clear milestones and ownersProactively identify gaps in ACE's payments infrastructure by engaging cross-functionally with Partner Success, Partner Onboarding, Operations, Finance etc.Bring forward commercial solutions — not just problems — with implementation pathways and business logicOwn the commercial narrative for the PBI function, including contribution to the monthly CEO Brief and quarterly commercial reviews New Partner Sourcing & Negotiations Identify, approach, and commercially evaluate new payments partners — card acquirers, APM providers, open banking rails, FX counterparties, and banking partnersInvolvement in all commercial negotiations: from first contact and term negotiation through to handshake before handover to PO. Build and maintain a live pipeline of prospective partners with commercial assessments and prioritisation rationaleDevelop business cases for new partner additions including cost modelling, volume projections, and break-even analysis for Head of PBI sign-offEnsure all new commercial arrangements protect ACE's margins. Renegotiations & Portfolio Optimisation Own the renegotiation pipeline for existing partners — tracking contract renewal dates, rate review windows, and volume-based tier unlock opportunitiesUse analyst-supplied data on FX costs, acquirer pricing, AR trends, and revenue leakage to build renegotiation mandates and target rate improvementsPresent renegotiation outcomes and savings to the Head of PBI with clear before/after commercial analysisIdentify underperforming or overpriced partners and bring replacement or consolidation recommendations Strategic Partner Presence (Post Go-Live) Attend Quarterly Business Reviews and major partner strategy sessions alongside the Head of PBIProvide commercial context and continuity at the senior level without involvement in operational or day-to-day performance managementFeed strategic insights from partner conversations back into the annual plan and roadmap Commercial Reporting & Team Direction Manage and direct the Commercial Analyst — setting priorities, reviewing outputs, and ensuring data quality underpins all commercial decisionsMaintain the renegotiation pipeline tracker and new partner pipeline, keeping both current and accurately reportedOwn the commercial sections of the monthly CEO Brief and quarterly scorecardProvide clear, concise reporting to the Head of PBI on savings delivered, pipeline status, and strategic progressWhat We're Looking For Essential 3-5 years of experience in a commercial, partnerships, or business development role within payments, fintech, or financial servicesProven track record of leading commercial negotiations with card acquirers, payment processors, banks, or FX counterpartiesStrong understanding of payment economics — MDR structures, interchange, scheme fees, FX spreads, and open banking pricingExperience working cross-functionally with operations, technology, and compliance teams to structure and close commercial dealsAbility to build rigorous business cases and commercial models independently, without reliance on a finance teamExcellent written and verbal co