Business Development Representative - Partnerships

Role Overview 

The Business Development Representative (BDR) plays a critical role in driving revenue growth and ecosystem expansion across the higher education market in the United States and Canada. This role is focused on building and scaling off-campus merchant acceptance networks for campus OneCard programs, while also supporting the commercialization of a modern, API driven payments offering for TouchNet partners (a Global Payments company). 

You will work at the intersection of payments, campus commerce, and strategic partnerships, partnering with universities, merchants, and technology providers to expand the utility of campus-issued declining balance credentials and unlock new revenue streams for institutions. 

Key Responsibilities 

1. University Outreach & Ecosystem Expansion 

• Engage with TouchNet existing customer colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada to expand their campus commerce footprint. 

• Develop relationships with campus stakeholders including: 

• Treasury / Student Financial Services 

• Auxiliary Services / Campus Card Offices 

• IT and Digital Transformation leaders 

• Position the value of extending OneCard programs to off-campus merchants, enabling broader student engagement and institutional revenue. 

Campus OneCard systems are used for payments across dining, retail, services, and off-campus purchases, creating opportunities to expand usage and revenue-generating programs.  

2. Merchant Network Development (Off-Campus Acceptance) 

• Build and scale a network of local and regional merchants surrounding university campuses (restaurants, retail, services, housing, transportation, etc.). 

• Drive merchant adoption of closed-loop campus card payments, including declining balance programs. 

• Articulate the merchant value proposition: 

• Access to a high-frequency, loyal customer base (students, faculty, staff) 

• Increased transaction volume and ticket size from stored-value usage 

• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to onboard merchants efficiently into campus ecosystems. 

3. Declining Balance Card Enablement Strategy 

• Collaborate with universities to expand the use of declining balance (stored-value) accounts beyond traditional on-campus use cases. 

• Enable broader acceptance where funds are preloaded and spent across approved merchants, increasing utilization and reducing friction in spending. 

• Support program design that aligns with institutional goals: 

• Increased student engagement 

• Higher utilization rates 

• New revenue streams from transaction volume 

4. TouchNet Partner & Platform Expansion 

• Support the growth of the TouchNet partner ecosystem, which connects universities to a network of integrated service providers and payment solutions. 

• Identify and onboard new software, service, and commerce partners that enhance campus-wide payment and credential experiences. 

• Collaborate with product and partnerships teams to extend TouchNet’s value proposition across: 

• E-commerce 

• Point-of-sale (POS) 

• Campus services integrations 

5. Embedded Payments Offering 

• Contribute to the development and go-to-market strategy for payments solution tailored for TouchNet partners: 

• API-first, developer-friendly payment infrastructure 

• Embedded payments within partner applications 

• Scalable, flexible integrations across use cases 

Modern payment platforms are differentiated through flexible APIs and embedded commerce capabilities that enable businesses to integrate payments directly into their applications and scale efficiently. 

• Educate partners on how embedded payments can: 

• Unlock new revenue streams (payment monetization) 

• Simplify integration and reduce friction. 

• Improve user experience through seamless payment flows. 

6. Pipeline Development & Revenue Growth 

• Build, manage, and convert a robust pipeline of: 

• Universities 

• Merchants 

• Technology partners 

• Execute outbound prospecting, including: 

• Targeted campaigns 

• Industry event engagement 

• Strategic partnerships development 

• Collaborate closely with the Director of Business Development to align on: 

• Sales strategy 

• Market prioritization 

• Revenue targets 

7. Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Partner with internal teams across: 

• Product & Engineering (for integration and API development input) 

• Marketing (for GTM messaging and campaigns) 

• Implementation & Operations (for onboarding and execution) 

• Provide market feedback to inform product evolution, especially around: 

• Merchant enablement 

• Campus commerce innovation 

• Embedded payments capabilities 

Qualifications & Experience Required 

• 3–7+ years in business development, partnerships, or fintech/payments sales 

• 4-year higher education degree 

• Experience in one or more of the following: 

• Payment processing / merchant services 

• SaaS / embedded payments / APIs 

• Higher education or campus commerce ecosystems 

• Proven ability to: 

• Prospect and build pipeline. 

• Close strategic partnerships 

• Navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments. 

Preferred 

• Familiarity with: 

• Campus card / OneCard / credential-based ecosystems 

• TouchNet, Global Payments, or similar platforms 

• Experience working with: 

• Universities or public-sector institutions 

• ISVs or platform partners (developer ecosystems) 

• Strong understanding of: 

• Embedded finance / embedded payments 

• Marketplaces and platform-based business models