Senior Director Business Development MEA

Circle is a financial technology company at the epicenter of the emerging internet of money, where value can finally travel like other digital data — globally, nearly instantly and less expensively than legacy settlement systems. This ground-breaking new internet layer opens up previously unimaginable possibilities for payments, commerce and markets that can help raise global economic prosperity and enhance inclusion. Our infrastructure – including USDC, a blockchain-based dollar – helps businesses, institutions and developers harness these breakthroughs and capitalize on this major turning point in the evolution of money and technology.

What You’ll Be Part Of

Circle is committed to visibility and stability in everything we do. As we grow as an organization, were expanding into some of the worlds strongest jurisdictions. Speed and efficiency are motivators for our success and our employees live by our company values: High Integrity, Future Forward, Multistakeholder, Mindful, and Driven by Excellence. We have built a flexible and diverse work environment where new ideas are encouraged and everyone is a stakeholder.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Circle is seeking a highly motivated and accomplished Senior Director of Business Development to lead our commercial expansion efforts across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Based in Dubai, with frequent travel across the region, this role requires a strategic dealmaker with deep experience in payments, fintech, and digital assets.

You will play a pivotal role in shaping Circle’s presence and revenue growth across MEA by identifying and closing high-impact commercial partnerships across banks, fintechs, payment providers, and enterprises. This is a high-visibility role where you’ll lead deal origination, negotiation, and execution, while collaborating with internal cross-functional teams to ensure Circle’s platform is deeply embedded in regional financial ecosystems.

The ideal candidate has a strong track record of building and scaling commercial pipelines, closing large deals, and driving adoption of infrastructure products across emerging and established financial markets. This person thrives in fast-paced environments, has deep industry relationships, and is passionate about delivering real-world use cases powered by USDC and Circle’s product suite.

What Youll Work On

• Drive Circle’s business development strategy in MEA, prioritizing and executing on new partnership opportunities that support commercial OKRs and regional growth targets.
• Lead strategic deal execution, including commercial negotiations and partnership structuring, with a focus on banks, neobanks, fintechs, wallets, PSPs, and cross-border remittance providers.
• Develop and manage a robust pipeline of prospective partners, leveraging your network and market insight to proactively source and close high-value opportunities.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams (Legal, Product, Marketing, Compliance, Engineering) to support partner onboarding, product integrations, and go-to-market launches.
• Develop and refine go-to-market strategies that align with Circle’s priorities, drive adoption of core products (e.g. Circle Mint, Wallets, Programmable Wallets, CPN), and deepen customer engagement.
• Build trusted relationships with C-level executives and decision-makers in the private and public sector to elevate Circle’s brand and value proposition in MEA.
• Stay informed on competitive dynamics and fintech trends in the region to inform market prioritization and business development tactics.
• Maintain best-in-class Salesforce hygiene, reporting on deal progress, pipeline health, and performance metrics.
• Collaborate with marketing and partner marketing teams on co-branded campaigns and growth activations in support of key partnerships.
  
  

• 13+ years of business development experience in payments, fintech, or financial infrastructure, with strong exposure to emerging markets and digital innovation.
• Proven track record of closing complex, multi-million-dollar commercial deals and establishing long-term strategic partnerships.
• Strong commercial acumen and entrepreneurial drive, with the ability to balance strategic vision and hands-on execution.
• A deep network of executive-level relationships across banks, fintechs, wallets, PSPs, and payment infrastructure providers in MEA.
• Understanding of blockchain-based payments, stablecoins, and tokenized finance, or strong desire to rapidly upskill.
• Prior experience operating in fast-paced, high-growth environments, ideally at a scaling tech, fintech, or crypto company.
• Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills, especially across diverse regional cultures.
• High level of autonomy and ability to work independently while collaborating cross-functionally within a global organization.