Associate Director

We at Setu are looking for those who share our core belief - "Every Day is Game Day". We bring our best selves to work each day to realize our mission of enriching the world through the power of digital commerce and financial services. Setu is an acquired entity of Pine Labs, one of the fastest growing fintech companies in India and rapidly expanding its footprint in Asia, UAE, and the US. At Pine Labs, we're looking for those who share our core belief—'Every Day is Game Day'. We bring our best selves to work each day to realize our mission of enriching the world through the power of digital commerce and financial services. Importance of the role We are looking for a skilled Associate Director for UPI Merchant Acquisition to lead and enhance our efforts in acquiring merchants for our UPI acquiring platform at Setu. The ideal candidate will possess comprehensive expertise in UPI acquiring, significant connections in the merchant ecosystem, and proven people management skills to mentor and guide a team towards achieving strategic goals.
At Setu, we believe that every company can become a fintech company. Any tech-enabled business which wants to offer or build financial products will consume Setu APIs. In an early stage fintech company like Setu, the leader of the alliance and account aggregator function plays a critical role in the success of the business. You will be responsible for driving the company's strategic partnerships and alliances, which can have a significant impact on revenue and market share. In brief, you will play a critical role in driving revenue, increasing market share, expanding the customer base, fostering innovation, and saving on costs.
This role is special since it will give you a deep look into the business objectives and technical architecture of multiple companies in leading a customer obsessed business that delights our customers and aids in their innovation. The learning potential is immense What will you do at Setu? You will work on the UPI Setu product and establish partnerships with merchants and channel partners to grow volumes on the product.
In this role, you'll spend your time— Develop and execute targeted strategies to acquire new merchants for our UPI acquiring platform.
Leverage existing connections and relationships within the merchant ecosystem to drive partnerships and growth.
Conduct in-depth market analysis to identify opportunities & white spaces to increase share of transactions and merchant engagement
Collaborate with cross-functional teams (product, marketing, and operations) to ensure a seamless onboarding experience for merchants.
Track, report, and analyze acquisition metrics to inform strategy and performance improvement.
Provide exceptional support to merchants, addressing concerns and ensuring high satisfaction and retention.
Lead and mentor a team of professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment. Who is the right fit for this role? To excel in this role you will need—
Empathy: We operate with a profoundly consultative approach. Asking relevant questions to understand customers' needs and motivations is critical. Making them feel heard can make all the difference between a transactional relationship and a true long-term partnership.
Strong organisational skills: As part of the role, you will need to be on top of multiple threads between different internal and external stakeholders. You will do well if you have a robust personal organisational system to keep track of all the moving parts.
Strong written and oral communication skills with a keen analytical mind: You should be able to turn around a deck or a summary document in tight timelines with minimal oversight. You will also need to break-down complex scenarios (market-sizing for a new product, diagnosing blockers on a partnership) to make recommendations.
Familiarity with CRM systems, such as Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Trello—a craftsman must know their tools.
A burning desire to learn and develop deep fintech expertise. Selling API infrastructure is a lot harder (and more rewarding) than selling cashbacks. You will need to know about—
How financial products work: You're aware of how financial products are sold to large enterprises.
Architecture of legacy systems: To break new ground and close partnerships, you must first understand where existing systems are broken.
Hands-on experience in solution-based sales and a deep understanding of APIs. Why Setu? We will spare no efforts to ensure that Setu empowers you to do the most important and impactful work of your career—
Opportunity to work closely with the founding team who built and scaled public infrastructure such as UPI, GST, Aadhaar, etc.
We care deeply about your growth. So we work hard to provide you with—
A fully stocked library and unlimited book budget.
Tickets to conferences and industry events.
Learning sessions where we invite both team members and external experts to teach you something new.
Learning and development allowance that gives access to subscriptions, courses, certifications, music classes, and much more. Grow, learn, and improve with Setu
Kick-ass benefits including comprehensive health insurance for you and your family, personal accident and term life insurance, access to mental health counsellors, extraordinary coffee, and a beautiful office with lots of solid wood and natural light.
We work hard to make sure our team is diverse and varied. We interview and hire purely on merit, skill, and competence—everything else is irrelevant. Qualifications: Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or a related field; MBA preferred.
Experience: 7-12 years of proven experience in merchant acquisition or business development, specifically within the UPI and payments industry.
Skills: Strong understanding of UPI acquiring, digital payments, and the broader fintech landscape.
Extensive network of connections within the merchant community and industry stakeholders.
Excellent negotiation and relationship-building skills.
Proficient in data analysis, performance measurement, and strategic planning.
Strong teamwork and independent working abilities in a fast-paced environment.
Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels
Strong people management skills with experience in leading, coaching, and developing teams Our core DNA Our culture code—How We Move, defines the behaviours we expect from our people. When you display any of the six culture code elements, you demonstrate 'Every Day is Game Day'. The six elements of our culture code—
Take the shot: You decide fast and deliver right.
Sign your work like an artist: You master what you do and take pride in it.
Be the sherpa: You lead your crew on every expedition.
Be the CEO of what you do: You own it and make things happen.
Care with tough love: You empower others with trust, respect, and openness.
Own tomorrow: You innovate for the customer and beyond. Join us if you want to be part of a company that's building infrastructure that will directly impact financial inclusion and improve millions of lives. No cashbacks, no growth-hacks, no gimmicks. Just an audacious mission, and an obsession with craftsmanship in code.

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