Head of Sales

Summary

The Head of Sales will lead the end-to-end revenue strategy and execution, driving aggressive growth across merchant acquisition (enterprise, mid-market, and SME segments).

In addition, the role will oversee strategic relationship management, ensuring strong retention, revenue expansion, and long-term value creation across key partners and merchants. This leader will own the full commercial lifecycle—from acquisition to growth and retention.

Key Responsibilities

Revenue Strategy & Growth

• Own and deliver the global sales and revenue growth strategy (GMV, revenue, margin).
  
• Drive both new business acquisition and existing portfolio growth (upsell, cross-sell, expansion).
  
• Identify and unlock new revenue streams including value-added services.
  

Merchant Sales – Acquisition & Growth

• Drive merchant acquisition across enterprise, mid-market, and SME segments.
  
• Lead complex enterprise deal cycles including RFPs, pricing, and contract negotiations.
  
• Ensure seamless transition from sales to onboarding to relationship management.
  
• Partner with RM team to identify growth opportunities within existing merchant portfolios.
  

Relationship Management & Account Growth

• Lead and scale a high-performing Relationship Management (RM) / Account Management team.
  
• Own merchant and partner retention, satisfaction, and lifetime value.
  
• Develop structured account management frameworks:
  
• Segmentation (strategic, key, long-tail accounts)
  
• Account plans and growth roadmaps
  
• Periodic business reviews (QBRs/MBRs)
  
• Drive net revenue retention through upsell, cross-sell, and volume growth.
  
• Build strong C-suite relationships with top merchants and partners.
  
• Act as executive sponsor for key accounts and intervene in escalations when necessary.
  
• Collaborate with Product and Operations teams to proactively address client needs and improve experience.
  

Sales & RM Leadership

• Build, lead, and scale integrated Sales and Relationship Management teams.
  
• Define clear roles across:
  
• New business
  
• Account growth & retention
  
• Set and track KPIs across acquisition and account management.
  
• Drive a high-performance culture with strong accountability, coaching, and continuous improvement.
  

Market Expansion & Localization

• Lead market entry strategies across new regions (regulatory, partnerships, merchant segments).
  
• Ensure relationship continuity and local account management capability in each market.
  
• Adapt engagement models to local cultural and business dynamics.
  

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner with Product to influence roadmap based on partner/merchant feedback.
  
• Work with Marketing on demand generation and customer lifecycle engagement.
  
• Align with Risk, Compliance, and Operations to ensure sustainable, compliant client relationships.
  

Data-Driven Commercial Management

• Own full funnel metrics: acquisition → activation → retention → expansion.
  
• Leverage CRM and analytics tools to track:
  
• Pipeline health
  
• Account performance
  
• Churn and retention trends
  
• Continuously refine GTM and account management strategies based on insights.
  

Key Requirements

Experience

• 7–10+ years in sales and/or account management leadership within payments, fintech, or financial services.
  
• Proven experience managing both:
  
• New business sales teams
  
• Relationship/account management teams
  
• Strong track record in driving net revenue retention and customer lifetime value.
  

Technical & Industry Expertise

• Deep understanding of:
  
• Payment ecosystems (acquiring, issuing, gateways, orchestration)
  
• Card schemes, Mobile money networks, APMs
  
• Enterprise sales and key account management in payments
  
• Experience in managing complex, long-term commercial relationships.
  

Leadership & Competencies

• Strong commercial and relationship-building acumen.
  
• Exceptional stakeholder and executive relationship management skills.
  
• Ability to balance short-term revenue wins with long-term client value.
  
• High ownership mindset with strong execution discipline.
  
• High integrity and alignment with compliance-driven environments.