The OpportunityAs the Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships - Financial Institutions you will establish, lead, and scale Root's Financial Institutions vertical as a core pillar of our Business Development strategy alongside Automotive and Independent Agents. Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President of Business Development, this individual creates a scalable growth engine capable of generating significant, long-term enterprise value through strategic partnerships across banks, credit unions, FinTechs, digital banks, payment providers, and the broader financial services ecosystem. Owning the complete partnership lifecycle, from market strategy and executive engagement through commercial negotiations, implementation, executive governance, and long-term expansion, you will turn financial services into one of Root's largest distribution channels while driving meaningful revenue and profitability.
Salary Range: $183,600 - $229,500 (Eligible for competitive bonus and equity offering)
Root is a "work where it works best" company. Meaning we will support you working in whatever location that works best for you across the US. We will continue to have our headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.
How You Will Make an Impact- Serves as the executive leader responsible for Root's Financial Institutions vertical through long-term strategies and multi-year business plans.
- Build and manage a robust pipeline of enterprise partnership while leading complex C-suite negotiations and structuring innovative commercial models utilizing Root's embedded insurance capabilities.
- Develop trusted executive relationships across national and regional banks, credit unions, digital banks, FinTechs, and payments infrastructure companies.
- Represent Root throughout the financial services industry by speaking at conferences, participating in executive forums, and acting as an embedded insurance thought leader.
- Partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Marketing, Analytics, and Operations to prioritize product investments, ensure seamless partner implementations, and align strategic roadmaps.
- Drive annual growth objectives across new writings, premium, revenue, and profitability while building accurate performance forecasts, for senior leadership.
What You Will Need to Succeed- 12+ years of executive business development, strategic partnerships, enterprise sales, or financial services experience with preferred experience in Banking, FinTech, Embedded Finance, Embedded Insurance, or InsurTech.
- Demonstrated capability building and scaling new business verticals, distribution channels, or enterprise partnerships with Fortune 1000 organizations.
- Deep executive network and active relationships across banks, credit unions, FinTechs, payment providers, and financial technology companies.
- Strong financial and commercial acumen with demonstrated experience structuring complex partnership agreements and building business cases.
- Technical familiarity with APIs, embedded technologies, SaaS platforms, or digital financial products.
- Exceptional executive communication, negotiation, and presentation skills to effectively influence C-suite stakeholders.
- Hands-on experience launching embedded financial products, SaaS solutions, or strategic programs in regulated ecosystems.
- Ability to travel approximately 30% of the time or as needed to support partner relationships.
As part of Root's interview process, we kindly ask that all candidates be on camera for virtual interviews. This helps us create a more personal and engaging experience for both you and our interviewers. Being on camera is a standard requirement for our process and part of how we assess fit and communication style, so we do require it to move forward with any applicant's candidacy. If you have any concerns, feel free to let us know once you are contacted. We're happy to talk it through.
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