Merchants Strategy Manager

Description

Summary: Coverflex is seeking a Merchants Strategy Manager to build and scale merchant and partnership strategy, driving spend and capturing value from the platform. Highlights: 1. Opportunity to build repeatable partnership and merchant motions from scratch 2. Focus on strategic distribution partnerships and monetizing merchant spend 3. High-impact role driving growth and monetization for Coverflex **Coverflex** ------------- **Work changed. Pay didn’t.** Coverflex exists to make compensation work for everyone. Pay is still rigid, fragmented, and hard to feel. We turn compensation into choice — one platform, one card, one app — for benefits, meal allowance, insurance and more. Our platform is simple for HR and meaningful for employees. We provide choice, smarter compensation tools and empowerment. **️ TL;DR (The Essentials)** ---------------------------- **Role:** Merchants Strategy Manager **Seniority Level:** Manager **Type:** Individual Contributor **Languages:** English (main) / Portuguese, Spanish or Italian (strong plus) **Main Tools:** HubSpot, Excel/Google Sheets, Slides/Notion, AI tools **Location:** Remote (Europe) **Contract Type:** Permanent **Compensation:** * **Base Salary:** €50,000 \- €75,000 * **Bonus / Commissions:** OTE 70/30 * **Equity:** Yes – Stock Options under our Equity Incentive Plan * **Benefits:** you can check them below (at the end of the page) **Your Impact** --------------- You’ll build and scale Coverflex’s merchant and partnerships strategy — unlocking new distribution channels and increasing the value captured from every euro spent on the platform. Your mission is to **drive more spend through Coverflex and capture more value from that spend**, turning merchants and partnerships into a repeatable growth and monetization engine. You’ll know you’re successful when, after 90 days, you’ve: * Closed and started ramping strategic distribution partnerships * Built a clear strategy and roadmap to monetize merchant spend * Established strong cross\-functional alignment to execute partnerships How we’ll measure success: **Main KPI 1:** Number and quality of strategic partnerships **Main KPI 2:** ARR and ARPU impact generated through partnerships **Main KPI 3:** Incremental revenue from merchants **Main KPI 4:** Employee experience signals (e.g. NPS / feedback) **Reality Check – What Makes This Role Hard** --------------------------------------------- Let’s be real — this is a **0 1, high\-ambiguity role** with real execution pressure. Here’s what makes it challenging: * You’re building **repeatable partnership and merchant motions from scratch** * Success depends on **multiple teams moving in sync** (Product, Sales, Marketing, local markets) * Deals are **complex and custom**, requiring strong commercial structuring and negotiation * Sales cycles are **long and uneven**, especially with strategic partners * You’ll operate across **multiple markets**, each with different dynamics and constraints * Measuring impact requires **clear attribution, discipline, and reporting rigor** **You** ------- ### **Must\-haves** * 6\+ years in **Strategy, Partnerships, or Corporate Development** * Proven track record sourcing, structuring, negotiating, and closing partnerships end\-to\-end * Strong ability to design **commercial models** (rev\-share, commissions, incentives) * Strategic operator: able to translate strategy into execution plans and measurable KPIs * Experience working cross\-functionally with **Product, Marketing, and Sales** * Experience launching partnerships post\-signature (enablement, GTM, optimization) * Strong written and verbal communication (exec\-ready materials) * Fluent in English ### **Nice\-to\-have** * Experience in high\-growth B2B SaaS, fintech, or HR tech * Experience building **merchant networks or marketplace dynamics** * Experience working across multiple European markets * Experience in remote, distributed teams **Your DNA** ------------ * **Builder mindset:** you create from zero and turn ideas into repeatable systems. * **Commercial thinker:** you understand how value is created, shared, and scaled. * **Ownership:** you take full responsibility from sourcing to execution. * **Comfort with ambiguity:** you move forward without perfect clarity. * **Cross\-functional leader:** you align teams without formal authority. * **Execution\-focused:** you don’t stop at strategy, you deliver outcomes. You’ll probably find this frustrating if… * You prefer strategy over hands\-on execution * You need clear structure and stable priorities to perform * You avoid risk or experimentation * You struggle to operate across multiple stakeholders and markets * You’re uncomfortable owning outcomes end\-to\-end **Manager \& Team** ------------------- ### **Meet Your Manager** **Hiring Manager:** Quentin Demeestère — VP Strategy \& Corporate Development **Location:** Italy **LinkedIn Profile:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/quentindemeestere/ **Profile Snapshot:** * **Energy:** Calm, thorough, and composed under pressure * **Communication:** Clear, structured, and concise * **Feedback Style:** Frequent, specific, and respectful **How to work with me \- in the Manager's own words:** “Low\-ego and collaborative. I care about impact and achieving ambitious goals with meaning. I’m available, transparent, and supportive — I provide context, remove roadblocks, and expect strong ownership. Once we have clarity and trust, I give full autonomy and expect people to drive outcomes. I stay close enough to help, without micromanaging.” ### **Your Team** **You’ll work day\-to\-day with:** * You’ll be the **first hire** in this team, so you'll be working with your direct manager **Key Stakeholders:** * Sales * Local Partnerships * Product * Customer Success **Access \& Belonging (Equal Opportunity)** ------------------------------------------- We hire for **impact and potential, not pedigree.** We welcome applications from people with non\-linear careers, career breaks, caregiving gaps, and those changing fields. No discrimination on the basis of **age, disability, gender identity/expression, marital or family status, pregnancy, neurodivergence, race/ethnicity, religion/belief, gender, sexual orientation**, or any other protected ground. **Assessment fairness:** We anchor on *evidence of outcomes* (what you shipped, moved, or influenced). We actively de\-bias by using structured rubrics, multiple assessors, and blind screening most of the time (we won’t know your name, gender, or personal info until the interview stage). **Application Clarity** ----------------------- No cover letter required. Apply with your **LinkedIn** or **CV** **in English.** You may be asked a few short, relevant questions. **Total candidate time investment:** \~2\.30/3 hours end\-to\-end. **Hiring Stages (What to Expect, Why \& How Long)** --------------------------------------------------- **1\. CV / LinkedIn Screen** — *Signal check vs must\-haves* * Done by People \+ Hiring Manager. * You’ll hear from us within **7 business days.** **2\. Hiring Manager Interview** \- *Deep dive into your work • 30 min* Structured around outcomes, decisions, and collaboration. **3\. Business Case** \- *Let's peak into this role's challenges* *• 60 min* With Quentin Demeestère and Ólafur Pálsson (CRO). Exercises that represent potential challenges this role would have and how you'd approach them. **4\. People Interview** *\- Allow us to know you better! • 60 min* With People. Stress\-free virtual coffee, focused on getting to know you as a person. We talk about culture, beliefs, and purpose. **5\. Final Conversation (CEO)** — Values, strategy, and your growth • 30 min **AI \& Hiring Tools Transparency** ----------------------------------- We use a few tools to reduce bias and improve documentation, not to make hiring decisions. Teamtailor anonymisation: profiles are reviewed without relying on names/personal identifiers. Meeting recorder (e.g., Talka.ai): may be used to capture interviews so we can focus on the conversation. ChatGPT: may be used to turn interview notes/transcripts into clear, structured summaries. Important: every application is reviewed by a human, and no decision or rejection is made by AI. If recording is used, we’ll be transparent and (where required) ask for consent. **️ Speed \& Communication** ---------------------------- * **Decision:** within **4 weeks** of your application. * **Updates:** weekly if the process runs longer. * **Scheduling:** interviews between 10:00–16:00 CET (flexible across Europe).