Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
Vice president of strategic partnerships jobs in California sit at the intersection of tech, media, and enterprise sales, with major employers concentrated in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Companies like Salesforce, Google, Adobe, and Snap actively hire for this role and have established visa sponsorship programs for qualified international candidates.
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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.
Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Job Roles in California
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Search Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Jobs in CaliforniaVice President of Strategic Partnerships Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for vice presidents of strategic partnerships in California?
Enterprise technology and cloud companies lead sponsorship for this role in California. Salesforce, Google, Oracle, Adobe, and Cisco have consistent H-1B visa filing histories for senior partnership and business development positions. Media and entertainment companies in Los Angeles, including NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery, also sponsor at the VP level. Sponsorship at this seniority is typically tied to candidates with a directly related bachelor's or advanced degree.
Which visa types realistically fit vice president of strategic partnerships roles in California?
The H-1B is the most common path, as VP of strategic partnerships qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring a bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field. The employer files a Labor Condition Application, then an I-129 petition with USCIS. Candidates already on H-1B status can transfer to a new employer once the new petition is filed. F-1 students may use OPT to work in this role if it relates to their field of study. EB-2 or EB-3 green card sponsorship is also available for long-term hires.
Which cities in California have the most vice president of strategic partnerships sponsorship jobs?
San Francisco and the broader Bay Area account for the largest share of VP-level partnership roles in California, driven by the concentration of SaaS, fintech, and enterprise software companies. San Jose and Santa Clara add significant volume through semiconductor and cloud infrastructure employers. Los Angeles is the second major hub, particularly in media tech, streaming, and digital advertising. San Diego has a smaller but active cluster tied to biotech and defense technology partnerships.
How to find vice president of strategic partnerships visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate lists California employers with verified visa sponsorship histories for senior business development and strategic partnerships roles. You can search by city or company to identify organizations that have actively sponsored H-1B positions at the VP level. This is more reliable than a general job search because the listings are filtered to employers with documented sponsorship activity, saving time when targeting roles where sponsorship is a firm requirement.
Are there state-specific factors that affect VP of strategic partnerships sponsorship in California?
California's large concentration of publicly traded technology companies means many VP-level hires go through structured talent acquisition processes that include immigration support. The state's proximity to Asia-Pacific markets makes international candidates with regional partnership experience particularly attractive to Bay Area employers. California also has a dense network of university-affiliated innovation hubs, meaning candidates coming through accelerators or research partnerships at Stanford, UC Berkeley, or Caltech sometimes enter VP pipelines through those connections.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored vice president of strategic partnerships jobs in California?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.