Director of Partnerships

Kiavi is one of the nation’s largest private lenders to residential real estate investors (REIs). We harness the power of data & technology to offer our customers a simpler, more reliable, and faster way to access the capital they need to scale their businesses. 

Formerly known as LendingHome, we’re committed to helping REIs revitalize the approximately $25 trillion worth of aged U.S. housing stock to provide move-in ready homes and rental housing for millions of Americans across the country.

Combining our technology and industry expertise, Kiavi has grown to a team of over 400 and has won many awards over the years including Forbes Fintech 50, Finovate Awards, Best Digital Mortgage Platform, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and many more. 

• Loans Funded: $28 billion in loans funded
• Homes financed: 100,000+ projects funded for our customers across the country
• Geography: 45 states + D.C. where we lend to REIs so they can revitalize neighborhoods
• Employees: Over 450 employees with competitive benefits and perks

This position can be based remotely in any of our approved hiring regions. Our hybrid distributed workforce philosophy allows us to find the best talent in the country and build diverse teams, while allowing our colleagues to work from the location that works best for them. 

The Role

The Director of Partnerships is a critical growth driver for the business. Reporting to the Head of Marketing, this role is focused on creating Kiavi’s overall partnership strategy and framework, including developing, managing, and scaling partnerships that (in)directly generate qualified leads, new referrals, and loan submissions across all of Kiavi’s existing product lines.

This role requires a deep understanding of the real estate investment ecosystem and can build programs with a clear ROI, compliance oversight, and technical feasibility. You will be responsible for turning a top-level strategy into a scalable, high-performing lead generation partnership program. This is an opportunity to build Kiavi’s partnerships program from the ground up, creating a high-velocity growth channel that scales Kiavi’s customer acquisition efforts.  

Key Responsibilities

Partnership Strategy & Execution

• Strategy and Framework: Create and establish the overall partnership strategy and framework for partner identification, sourcing, selection, business models, etc. 
• Strategic Sourcing: Define the target partner profile and aggressively pursue high-value relationships with entities that have direct access to Kiavi’s target customers (REIs), including lenders with adjacent loan products, PropTech platforms, property marketplaces, real estate investor education companies, brokerage networks, and other complimentary FinTechs. 
• Full-Cycle Management: Own the entire partnership lifecycle from initial outreach and negotiation to contract signing, technical integration, launch, and performance optimization.
• KPI Ownership: Manage the partnership channel against strict performance metrics, including Lead Volume, Lead-to-Submit Conversion Rate, Funded Loan Volume (ROI), and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). Regularly present performance insights and forecasts to the Head of Marketing and executive leadership.
• Partnership Roadmap: Develop a clear execution roadmap for new and existing partnerships, detailing expected lead flow, resource requirements, and go-to-market plans.

Cross-Functional Leadership and Compliance

• Compliance & Risk Alignment: Work closely with the Compliance, Risk, and Legal teams to ensure all partnership agreements, marketing disclosures, and lead generation mechanics adhere to regulatory requirements and minimize credit or legal risk.
• Tech Integration: Collaborate with Technology and Data Science teams to define and implement necessary API integrations, data sharing protocols, and tracking mechanisms to ensure seamless lead transfer, accurate reporting, and efficient borrower experience.
• Sales Enablement: Partner with Sales/Account Management to develop smooth lead handoff processes, create training materials for partner referral teams, and ensure high conversion rates for referred leads.
• Marketing Alignment: Work with Marketing to ensure partners are equipped with the latest product knowledge, compelling positioning, and effective sales enablement materia