Strategic Partnerships Director

What We're Looking For

We are seeking a Strategic Partnerships Director to drive company growth by cultivating and managing relationships with key partners, including systems integrators (SIs), technology vendors, and enterprise organizations. This individual will play a critical role in navigating complex organizations, structuring high-value agreements, and enabling partner ecosystems to amplify Lightning AI’s market presence.

This role demands a highly motivated and skilled professional adept in negotiating and structuring contracts, understanding complex organizations to navigate and connect with the right teams, crafting compelling partnership value propositions, and evangelizing our products within partner ecosystems to secure mindshare and drive sales.

You will be joining the Sales Team and report to our COO. This is a hybrid role based in Palo Alto, CA or New York City, New York with in-office requirements of 2 days per week. The salary range for this role is $144,000-$200,000. Open to more senior candidates for this role and would adjust salary accordingly. 

What You’ll Do

• Identify, evaluate, and establish relationships with strategic partners such as systems integrators, cloud providers, and technology vendors.
• Negotiate and structure revenue-sharing agreements, joint go-to-market (GTM) strategies, and co-selling initiatives with partners and system integrators
• Collaborate with partner sales teams to align on partnership strategies and objectives. Equip sales teams with the necessary knowledge, tools, and materials to effectively sell in conjunction with our partners. Drive joint sales initiatives to achieve sales targets.
• Develop and execute partner enablement plans to foster engagement and drive measurable outcomes including compelling joint value proposition and 'better together' stories
• Build and deliver presentations and enablement materials tailored to partner needs, showcasing joint offerings and GTM strategies.
• Work closely with product management, marketing, and other relevant departments to ensure partnerships are leveraged comprehensively across product development, go-to-market strategies, and other business activities
• Continuously monitor the competitive landscape and partnership ecosystems to identify trends, opportunities, and threats. Provide strategic insights to senior management to inform business planning and strategy
• Navigate and build relationships within complex organizations, identifying key stakeholders and decision-makers
• Collaborate cross-functionally to align Lightning AI’s solutions with partner objectives, ensuring long-term alignment and success
• Evangelize Lightning AI’s solutions within partner organizations, driving adoption, mindshare, and joint sales efforts.
• Act as the primary point of contact for partner organizations, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration.
• Monitor and measure partnership success, delivering regular updates on key metrics and outcomes to stakeholders.
• Maintain a deep understanding of partner ecosystems and industry trends to identify new opportunities.
  
  

What You’ll Need

• 7-10+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or product marketing within SaaS, AI/ML, or technology sectors.
• Proven ability to structure, negotiate, and execute complex contracts, including revenue-sharing agreements with SIs and technology vendors.
• Strong business judgment and strategic thinking skills to identify and capitalize on mutually beneficial opportunities.
• Excellent presentation skills with the ability to craft compelling narratives and value-driven presentations for diverse audiences.
• Familiarity with systems integrators, technology vendors, and partner ecosystems. Experience navigating complex organizations is a must.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to engage and align with cross-functional teams and external partners.
• Comfortable working in ambiguity with a proactive, results-oriented approach to problem-solving and opportunity creation.
• Experience with CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce) and the ability to track and report on partnership performance metrics.