Senior Director Solution Consulting

Job description

About Planet Planet is a global provider of integrated technology and payments solutions for retail and hospitality customers. We create great experiences for the millions of people who use our payments, software, and tax-free solutions every minute of every day. Planet empowers its customers to deliver great customer experiences by combining payments and software in ways that drive greater loyalty, increase revenue and save time. Founded over 35 years ago and with our headquarters in London, today we have more than 2,500 employees located across six continents serving our customers in more than 120 markets. Role Overview The successful candidate will join our existing Solution Consulting leadership team and will be responsible for leading the FI Solution Consulting team , with a particular focus on our acquirer and gateway partners . This role is accountable for shaping and driving solution strategy in support of Planet’s acquiring, gateway and value-added services propositions, including DCC , MCP and integrated payment gateway solutions . The individual will lead a team of solution consultants, ensuring that partner and customer requirements are clearly understood, well documented and effectively driven through internal teams to support delivery and commercial success. In addition to leading the team, the successful candidate will remain hands-on in selected strategic opportunities and partner engagements, directly performing solution consultancy activity with key partners and working closely with commercial teams to support growth. The Senior Director, Solution Consultancy will be responsible for: Leading and managing the FI Solution Consultancy team , providing direction, structure, coaching and development to build a high-performing regional function Owning the solution consultancy strategy and engagement model for acquirer partners , gateway partners and other strategic payment ecosystem relationships across the region Supporting the growth of Planet’s acquiring and gateway propositions by shaping partner-ready solution approaches for DCC , MCP and integrated gateway services Working closely with commercial teams to support partner growth, new business development, strategic account expansion and solution positioning Acting as a senior solution lead for selected strategic partner engagements, directly supporting discovery, solution design, requirement definition and commercial discussions Ensuring partner, customer and internal business requirements are clearly captured, properly documented and driven through the appropriate internal functions Translating commercial opportunities into clear, structured and actionable solution requirements for Product, Technology, Delivery, Operations and other stakeholders Building trusted relationships with senior external stakeholders across acquirers, gateway partners, processors and other payment ecosystem participants globally Maintaining a strong understanding of Planet products, services and technical capabilities in order to articulate value propositions clearly and credibly Ensuring solution consultancy outputs are delivered to a high standard, including requirements documentation, solution overviews, partner proposals, gap analysis and internal handover materials Driving alignment between commercial, product and delivery teams to ensure that partner opportunities are well-qualified and strategically prioritised Supporting the governance and consistency of the Solution Consultancy function, including standards, templates, documentation quality and internal ways of working Identifying opportunities to improve processes, tools and engagement models across the function to drive efficiency, quality and better partner outcomes Acting as a senior escalation point for complex partner discussions, solution challenges and cross-functional alignment issues Supporting ad hoc strategic initiatives and cross-functional projects as required What you will do Lead a team of solution consultants working across multiple partner types, territories and opportunity streams Bring deep expertise in payments, acquiring and gateway partnerships to shape credible, scalable and commercially strong solution proposals Partner closely with commercial leaders to support sales strategy, account growth and partner relationship development Provide leadership and clarity for complex opportunities where multiple stakeholders, products and technical dependencies must be aligned Balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution by directly supporting selected high-value or high-complexity partner engagements Ensure requirements are not only documented clearly, but are also tracked, understood and driven through the organisation to conclusion Represent the Solution Consultancy team internally with senior stakeholders and externally with key strategic partners Mentor, coach and develop the team to strengthen capability, consistency and confidence across the function Who you are: A senior leader with a strong track record of managing and developing high-performing teams Highly experienced in working with acquiring partners , gateway partners and broader payment ecosystem stakeholders across multiple markets Commercially minded and technically credible, able to bridge customer need, partner expectation and internal capability Comfortable operating strategically while also remaining hands-on where required A strong communicator who can create alignment across commercial, product, delivery and technical teams Someone who is structured, proactive and capable of driving momentum in complex environments A natural relationship builder with the seniority and credibility to engage external partners and internal stakeholders with confidence Comfortable with complexity, pace and accountability What you will need to bring to Planet Significant experience in solution consultancy , payments consulting , pre-sales , partner solutions or a related leadership role within the payments industry Strong experience working with global acquirer partners , gateway partners and related payment service providers Proven experience leading and developing teams in a fast-paced, commercially focused environment Deep knowledge of acquiring, payment gateways and value-added services such as DCC and MCP Strong understanding of integrated payment solutions and the broader payments ecosystem Demonstrable experience gathering, documenting and driving requirements across complex business and technical environments Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align both internal teams and external partners Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex solution concepts clearly Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving capability Ability to work across multiple initiatives simultaneously while maintaining quality and attention to detail Leadership, mentoring and coaching capability Willingness to travel where required UK-based / EMEA-based with hybrid working Why Planet: Planet is an equal opportunity employer where diversity is valued, and all employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need. Come and grow your career in the most exciting, fast paced technology market, with a business that delivers feel-good connected commerce. We would love to hear from you – Apply now. At Planet, we embrace a hybrid work model, with three days a week in the office. Reasonable accommodations may be made in order to allow for an individual to perform the essential functions of this role successfully.