H-1B Visa Senior Director Strategic Partnerships Jobs
Senior Director Strategic Partnerships roles qualify for H-1B visa sponsorship as specialty occupations requiring a bachelor's degree or higher in business, strategy, or a related field. These positions sit at the executive layer, which means employers filing your H-1B must document the role's specialized requirements carefully to satisfy USCIS adjudication standards.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
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, Los Angeles, 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.
INTRODUCTION
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, Los Angeles, 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.
See all 1,769+ H-1B Visa Senior Director Strategic Partnerships Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Senior Director Strategic Partnerships
Align your credentials to specialty occupation standards
USCIS scrutinizes senior director roles because broad titles can blur specialty occupation boundaries. Frame your degree and experience around a specific discipline like business development, corporate strategy, or technology partnerships to strengthen the theoretical and practical nexus the H-1B requires.
Target employers with cap-exempt filing history
Universities, nonprofits affiliated with higher education, and qualifying research organizations are cap-exempt, letting you bypass the lottery entirely. Strategic partnerships roles exist at these institutions, and a cap-exempt filing means your start date isn't tied to the October 1 fiscal year cycle.
Check prevailing wage levels before negotiating offers
Your employer's Labor Condition Application must certify a wage at or above the DOL prevailing wage for your role and location. Pull the wage level for your SOC code using the OFLC Wage Search before finalizing your offer letter so there's no mismatch at the LCA filing stage.
Use Migrate Mate to identify verified H-1B sponsors
Search for Senior Director Strategic Partnerships openings on Migrate Mate, which surfaces employers with documented H-1B LCA filing history for partnership and business development roles, so you're targeting companies that have already committed to sponsoring this job category.
Prepare for RFEs on dual-use executive titles
Senior director roles sometimes receive Requests for Evidence because USCIS questions whether a managerial title genuinely requires specialized theoretical knowledge. Have your employer document the role's specialized functions in the I-129 support letter with specific deliverables, not just responsibilities.
Coordinate your I-129 timeline around partnership deal cycles
Premium processing reduces USCIS adjudication to 15 business days, which matters when your onboarding is tied to a partnership launch or fiscal quarter. Confirm with your employer whether they'll elect premium processing before signing an offer with a fixed start date.
H-1B Visa Senior Director Strategic Partnerships: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Senior Director Strategic Partnerships role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Yes, if the position requires at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related field such as business, strategy, finance, or a technical discipline tied to the partnerships the role manages. The employer must document in the I-129 petition that the specific duties, not just the title, require specialized theoretical knowledge. Generic executive titles without that documented nexus are the primary reason USCIS issues RFEs for senior director H-1B petitions.
How do I find employers who actively sponsor H-1B visas for strategic partnerships roles?
Search on Migrate Mate, which indexes employers based on their DOL Labor Condition Application filing history for business development and partnerships job categories. This filters out companies that post roles without any track record of H-1B sponsorship, saving you from advancing through lengthy interview processes at employers who won't file. LCA disclosure data is public and updated quarterly by the DOL.
Can I switch employers mid-H-1B if I get a better strategic partnerships offer?
Yes. H-1B portability under AC21 lets you start working for a new employer as soon as they file an H-1B transfer petition, without waiting for approval, as long as your current H-1B has been approved for at least 180 days. The new employer files a new I-129, and your status remains valid during adjudication. Your total authorized period doesn't reset, so confirm how much time remains on your six-year cap.
What happens to my H-1B status if my employer restructures and my strategic partnerships role is eliminated?
You have a 60-day grace period from your last day of employment to find a new sponsoring employer, change status, or depart the U.S. During that window your status isn't in violation, but you can't work. A new employer can file an H-1B transfer to activate portability and extend your authorized stay. USCIS doesn't extend the 60-day grace period, so beginning your search before a layoff, if possible, is practical.
Does the H-1B lottery affect senior director roles differently than individual contributor roles?
The standard lottery rules apply regardless of seniority: 65,000 slots under the regular cap plus 20,000 reserved for U.S. master's degree holders. However, senior director roles are more commonly found at large multinational employers and tech companies, many of which have the resources to explore cap-exempt pathways, O-1A extraordinary ability petitions, or EB-1C multinational manager green card tracks that sidestep the lottery entirely.