Director, Data Acquisition & Partnerships

About the role

As the Director of Data Acquisition & Partnerships, you will lead the strategic acquisition and management of data relationships with financial institutions, banks, and key data providers. Your work will ensure the organization has access to secure, high-quality, and compliant financial data to fuel product innovation and drive sustainable business growth.

This role is the primary liaison negotiator between external data partners and internal stakeholders - including Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, and Information Security - ensuring seamless collaboration across all data acquisition initiatives. You will also serve as Yodlee's U.S./North African subject-matter expert on Open Banking, shaping strategic direction and execution.

What you'll do

• Develop and execute the data partnership strategy with a focus on banks, credit unions, wealth managers, core processors, and Open Finance infrastructure providers.
•   Identify, negotiate, and manage high-value data licensing agreements and executive-level relationships.
•   Own the commercial economics of data access — negotiate and manage data-access fee schedules, per-event and authentication billing structures, and the overall cost curve of connectivity.
• Ensure all partnerships are fully compliant with regulatory standards such as GLBA, GDPR, CCPA, and CFPB Section 1033 (the U.S. Open Banking / personal-financial-data rule).
• Work cross-functionally with Legal to evaluate contractual and regulatory implications, enabling informed business decisions that balance commercial opportunities with legal and operational risk.
• Translate Open Banking and Open Finance strategies into actionable roadmaps aligned with local regulatory and market needs.
• Monitor CFPB Section 1033 rulemaking and broader open-banking regulatory developments, and translate them into partner terms, data-access strategy, and product requirements.
• Drive adoption of Open Banking standards by contributing to industry working groups and influencing data-sharing frameworks, including active participation in FDX (Financial Data Exchange) task forces and equivalent regional standards bodies.
• Represent the company externally at industry forums and standards summits (e.g., FDX events, Money20/20, Open Banking Expo) as a speaker, working-group contributor, and relationship-builder.
• Partner with Product and Engineering teams to align data acquisition priorities with roadmap and technical feasibility.
• Oversee Open Banking integration quality, mitigate risks, and manage relationship dynamics with financial institutions to ensure delivery success.
• Lead Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) and ensure strong data governance across product changes.
• Track KPIs — including connectivity coverage, API/OAuth migration rate vs. credential-based access, and connection longevity/success rates — and provide regular executive updates on Open Banking progress and partnership outcomes.
• Coordinate compliance submissions and reporting for Open Banking regulatory requirements.
• Mentor and educate internal teams on Open Banking trends, technical standards, and strategic opportunities.
• Serve as an internal evangelist and external representative for the company's data access initiatives.
• Conduct business reviews with key stakeholders and strategic partners.
• Lead and manage media announcements around data partnerships and connectivity.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in data partnerships, business development, or vendor management in fintech or financial services.
• 5+ years in financial services or banking; fintech experience strongly preferred.
• Deep knowledge of banking data ecosystems, privacy laws, and Open Banking regulatory frameworks.
• Working knowledge of CFPB Section 1033 and its implications for data access, consent, and partner agreements.
• Proven track record negotiating complex data agreements and managing strategic partnerships.
• Hands-on experience with Open Banking architecture, including OAuth 2.0, API gateways, financial data APIs, and tokenized authentication.
• Demonstrated leadership in Open Banking initiatives or contributions to industry best practices and regulatory engagement, including participation in standards bodies such as FDX.
• Experience driving cross-functional initiatives involving Product, Compliance, IT, Legal, and Go-to-Market teams.

Professional Competencies

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to distill complex topics for executive and cross-functional audiences.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking with the ability to connect technical and business dots.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
• Highly adaptable, detail-oriented, and able to thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Proactive and self-motivated, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills, with a proven ability to manage multiple high-impact initiatives.
• Demonstrated leadership in team development, performance management, and cross-cultural collaboration.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity, managing competing priorities, and building scalable systems to support long-term growth.