Pricing Manager

Overview

You manage pricing strategy and deal economics for Equals Money's commercial team. This means setting pricing guidelines by customer segment, approving discount requests that fall outside standard parameters, analyzing margin impact of different deal structures, and ensuring Sales doesn't give away the store to hit quota. You're part finance, part strategy, part cop.

Role Snapshot

Company Context

Stage: Growth stage (390 employees)

Size: 390 employees

Growth: Building pricing function suggests they're moving from ad-hoc pricing to structured frameworks

Market Position: Competing in commoditized space (payments, FX, cards) where pricing discipline matters for unit economics

GTM Reality

Pricing Complexity:

• Multi-currency accounts have FX spread pricing (basis points on transactions)
• Corporate cards have monthly fees + transaction fees
• International payments have transfer fees + FX markup
• Platform access may have SaaS-style monthly fees
• Volume discounts, commitment terms, and competitive match requests add complexity

Your Challenge: Reps will push for aggressive pricing to win deals. You need to maintain margins while not losing to cheaper competitors.

Competitive Landscape

Main Competitors: Traditional banks (cheap FX but terrible UX), Revolut Business (aggressive pricing), Airwallex, other fintech platforms

Pricing Pressure: This is a price-sensitive market. Large customers will shop multiple vendors and negotiate hard. You're balancing win rates vs profitability.

Win Themes: Better rates than banks, but you're not the cheapest fintech. You win on product breadth and service quality, not lowest price.

What You'll Actually Do

Time Breakdown

Deal Review/Approvals (40%) | Pricing Analysis (25%) | Framework Development (20%) | Cross-functional Strategy (15%)

Key Activities

• Deal Approvals: Review discount requests from AEs. They'll ask for 20% off to close an enterprise deal. You need to assess: Is this customer worth the margin hit? Does the deal size justify it? Will this set bad precedent? You'll approve some, push back on others, and negotiate alternatives (longer commitment terms for better pricing).
• Pricing Analysis: Pull data on win rates by discount level, average deal size by segment, margin by product mix. Build reports showing: Are we losing deals on price or product fit? Which customer segments have best margins? Where are we leaving money on the table?
• Framework Development: Build pricing guidelines by segment (SMB vs mid-market vs enterprise), document approval workflows, create deal review rubrics. Goal is to move from "every deal is custom" to "most deals fit standard tiers."
• Competitive Intelligence: Track competitor pricing changes. When Revolut drops their FX spread or a bank launches a new corporate card, you need to assess impact and recommend whether to match.
• Cross-functional Strategy: Work with Product on packaging (bundling accounts + cards + payments vs à la carte), with Finance on margin targets, with Sales on objection handling for pricing conversations.

The Honest Reality

What's Hard

• Sales Pressure: AEs will claim every deal needs an exception to close. "This customer is strategic," "Competitor quoted lower," "They'll expand next year." You're the bad guy saying no.
• Incomplete Data: You'll make pricing decisions without perfect information. Competitor pricing is often hearsay from prospects. Customer lifetime value projections are guesses.
• Margin vs Growth Tension: Leadership wants aggressive growth but also profitability. You're caught in the middle—Sales wants approvals, Finance wants margins preserved.
• Complex Product Math: Pricing impact isn't simple. A customer using more FX but fewer card transactions has different margin profile than card-heavy users. You need to model various scenarios.
• Market Dynamics: FX spreads fluctuate, competitor pricing changes, large customers demand quarterly price reviews. Your frameworks get outdated.
• Slow Adoption: Reps ignore your frameworks and ask for exceptions anyway because "this deal is different." Enforcement requires leadership backing.

What Success Looks Like

• Margin erosion slows or reverses quarter-over-quarter
• Discount approval process shifts from ad-hoc Slack messages to structured workflow
• Win rates remain stable while average deal margins improve
• AEs start using your pricing framework without asking for approval on standard deals
• Finance leadership trusts your pricing recommendations

Who You're Supporting

Internal Stakeholders:

• Sales Team: Need pricing guidance and fast approval turnarounds
• Sales Leadership: Want to hit revenue targets without destroying margins
• Finance/FP&A: Need margin preservation and accurate revenue forecasting
• Product: Need pricing input on packaging and new feature launches
• Customer Success: Need pricing flexibility for at-risk renewals

What They Care About:

• Sales: "Can I close this deal at this price?"
• Finance: "Are we protecting margins?"
• Product: "How do we price this new feature?"
• Leadership: "Are we pricing optimally for the market?"

Requirements

• 3-5 years in pricing strategy, deal desk, revenue operations, or FP&A
• Strong analytical skills - Excel/SQL for margin analysis and pricing modeling
• Understanding of B2B SaaS or fintech pricing models
• Experience with discount approval workflows and deal governance
• Financial acumen - understanding of margin, CAC payback, LTV calculations
• Negotiation/influencing skills - you'll push back on aggressive discount requests
• Fintech or payments experience helpful for understanding FX spreads, transaction economics
• Comfort with ambiguity - you'll build frameworks with incomplete data