About VGS
VGS is the world's leader in payment tokenization, trusted by the most innovative AI and Fortune 500 companies, merchants, banks, and fintechs to power modern payments and agentic commerce.
We tokenize over 9 billion tokens and process more than 10 billion monthly interactions, touching a third of all e-commerce. That scale isn't incidental. It's why leading companies embed our universal token vault and credential management platform directly into their stack, taming the complexity of payment data so they can move faster.
We’re helping businesses unlock new possibilities in an industry that never stops moving. And that takes exceptional people.
About the Role
The Director, Strategic Partnerships – Payments & Product will lead the expansion of VGS's strategic partner ecosystem - building relationships with card networks, investors, cloud providers, and emerging payments infrastructure players that directly shape our product strategy and platform capabilities.
This role blends external partner engagement with internal product collaboration. You’ll help shape our product roadmap by bringing ecosystem insights and partnership-led opportunities to life - whether through expanding our card network services, accelerating agentic tokens, or other innovative initiatives.
What You'll Do
Lead and develop a team of Strategic Partnerships professionals, including direct reports, setting clear priorities, coaching performance, and building the team’s capabilities as VGS’s partnership portfolio and strategic mandate expand.
Own and grow a portfolio of VGS’s most strategic partnerships across payments and commerce technology, including card networks, investors, cloud and infrastructure providers, AI platforms, wallets, processors, and other ecosystem partners.
Develop and execute partnership strategies that advance VGS’s company and product priorities, identifying where external partners can accelerate growth, strengthen product differentiation, or open new markets and distribution channels.
Lead complex, product-oriented partnerships that require deep coordination across Product, Engineering, Legal, Sales, and Executive Leadership, translating strategic opportunities into executable commercial and technical plans.
Source, evaluate, prioritize, and develop new strategic partnerships, with a focus on opportunities that can materially influence VGS’s product roadmap, competitive positioning, or long-term growth.
Lead negotiations for strategic commercial and product agreements, including defining partnership structures, economics, go-to-market models, technical commitments, and mutual success criteria.
Drive partnerships from initial strategy and business case through negotiation, launch, commercialization, and ongoing relationship management.
Build senior-level relationships with partner executives and serve as a trusted strategic counterpart, identifying opportunities to expand the partnership and proactively addressing risks or areas of misalignment.
Establish clear goals, operating rhythms, and success metrics for key partnerships, holding both VGS and partners accountable for execution and measurable outcomes.
Act as the voice of strategic partners within VGS, bringing external market insights, partner priorities, and ecosystem developments into product and company decision-making.
Influence VGS’s broader corporate and product strategy by developing a point of view on the evolution of tokenization, payments infrastructure, agentic commerce, AI, and next-generation commerce technologies.
Identify emerging ecosystem shifts and translate them into actionable recommendations for VGS, including potential new products, partnerships, distribution models, and strategic initiatives.
Represent VGS externally with senior leaders across the payments and technology ecosystem, strengthening VGS’s position as a strategic infrastructure partner for the next generation of commerce.
What You Bring
10+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, fintech BD, product strategy, or payments consulting
Understanding of the payments ecosystem—issuers, processors, card networks, wallets, and commerce platforms
Ability to connect technical product functionality with partner and market needs
Demonstrated success managing complex partnerships and cross-functional projects
Comfortable in ambiguous, fast-paced environments with shifting priorities and emerging technologies
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a strategic mindset and a bias toward execution
Nice to Have:
Experience with tokenization, payment processing, cryptology, or security products
BA/BS degree
A knack for out-of-the-box thinking that thrives in a fast-paced startup environment
Experience working closely with product or engineering teams in a platform company or fintech infrastructure provider, especially in an innovative and fast paced startup environment
Familiarity with tokenization, payment flows, reconciliation processes, or data compliance frameworks
Technical literacy (e.g., comfortable discussing APIs, SDKs, and integration workflows)
What We Look For In Every Teammate
We're looking for passionate professionals who take pride in their craft and want to help grow a team tackling some of the most critical problems in payments. People who thrive here are curious by nature, unafraid of hard problems, and motivated by the chance to build something that matters at scale.
If you're driven to make a meaningful impact, work at the leading edge of payment technology, and grow your career alongside a team that values ownership, collaboration, and continuous learning, you'll feel right at home at VGS.
How We Work
At VGS, we embrace a remote-first philosophy because we believe flexibility leads to great work and a healthy work-life balance. That said, if you live within 30 miles of one of our office locations, you'll be on a hybrid schedule with some in-person time, because we know there's real value in coming together.
We're not about being in the office every day. We are about connection, collaboration, and the energy that comes from a great brainstorm, a team lunch, or celebrating a big win in person.
Our Benefits
Financial and retirement
Competitive salary
401 (k) with a 4% match and immediate vesting (applies to US only)
Early equity
Internet Stipend
Learning Stipend
Office set-up stipend (applies to US only)
Health and Wellness
Insurance (medical, dental, and vision)
HSA/FSA Options
Life and disability insurance
Pet insurance
Vacation and time off
Flexible PTO
Paid national holidays
Global parental leave program
Professional Development
Promote from within
Lunch and learns
Team events and summits
Office life and perks
Remote and hybrid opportunities
Flexible working hours
Weekly office lunches
Employee discount platform
Equal Opportunity
We consider all applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, marital status, physical or mental disability, or other protected classes under all applicable local, state, and federal laws and ordinances (AA/EOE/W/M/Vet/Disabled).
Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for this position in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Where We're Hiring
We are currently hiring in the following locations: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Ontario (Canada), Alberta (Canada), and British Columbia (Canada).
A Note on Our Hiring Process