Back to jobs
New

Partner Manager, AI Native Ecosystems

Americas Remote

About Customer.io

Over 9,000 companies — from scrappy startups to global brands — use our platform to send billions of emails, push notifications, in-app messages, and SMS every day. Customer.io powers automated communication that people actually want to receive. We help teams send smarter, more relevant messages using real-time behavioral data.

About the role

Hi, my name is Marc, VP of Global Partnerships at Customer.io. A new wave of AI SaaS builders - Lovable, Vercel, Cursor, Bolt, and others - is becoming the default starting point for how software gets built, and each one is standing up its own marketplace or integration directory to connect what people build inside them to real backend services.

I'm hiring a Partner Manager, AI Native Ecosystems to make Customer.io the obvious, pre-integrated messaging and engagement layer for everything built on these platforms. This role sits at the intersection of business development and technical integration work: part of the job is identifying and recruiting the right platforms and negotiating partnership terms; the other part is working hands-on with our Product team to scope and ship the actual integration required to get listed and featured.

AI builder platforms are becoming a new front door for software creation - and a new distribution channel for infrastructure providers. Getting Customer.io natively integrated and well-positioned across this ecosystem now, while the partner programs and technical standards are still forming, is a land-grab opportunity. This role owns that land-grab end to end.

What we value

  • Bias to Action: comfortable building the process, not just executing an existing one - these marketplaces and their rules are new and changing monthly.
  • Cross-Functional Fluency: equally credible in a deal negotiation and a technical scoping conversation with engineers.
  • Ownership: drives a relationship from first contact through signed agreement through shipped integration, without waiting to be handed the next step.
  • Resourcefulness: comfortable operating without a dominant brand - you're earning the meeting, not getting it by default.

What you’ll do

  • Immediate priority: optimize our existing Claude and ChatGPT integrations, including MCP discoverability and GEO (making sure Customer.io shows up when AI tools recommend a messaging/engagement platform).
  • Identify and prioritize which AI builder platforms (Vercel, Cursor, Lovable, Bolt, Google, AWS, and others) are worth partnering with, working with Engineering, Design, and Product to assess technical feasibility and distribution potential, including CLI and MCP connector priorities.
  • Own the full partner relationship lifecycle - outbound, negotiation, and ongoing management - from first contact through signed agreement through shipped integration.
  • Negotiate commercial terms (revenue share, co-marketing, marketplace listing requirements) directly with partner and BD counterparts.
  • Translate each marketplace's technical requirements into a spec and work hands-on with our engineering team to scope and ship the integration - you don't need to write the integration yourself, but you need to be fluent enough to unblock it.
  • Get Customer.io listed, verified, and ideally featured in each platform's marketplace or directory, and manage the relationship as review guidelines and requirements evolve.
  • Track installs, activations, and pipeline sourced from each marketplace; report on which partnerships are driving real usage versus which need renegotiation or deprioritization.
  • Build the playbook as you go - there's no existing process for this at Customer.io yet, and part of the job is creating repeatable criteria (target criteria, technical requirements checklist, deal template) so new platforms can be evaluated and onboarded quickly.

What we're looking for

  • 5-7 years in business development, partnerships, or platform/ecosystem roles, ideally with a developer tools, API-first, or marketplace-driven product. If you're a bit outside that range but have shipped something into a marketplace or app store, we still want to hear from you.
  • A track record of getting a product listed and adopted inside another platform's ecosystem - app stores, marketplaces, or integration directories (e.g., Shopify App Store, Salesforce AppExchange, Zapier, Segment Connections, or comparable).
  • Real technical fluency: you can read API and webhook documentation, understand OAuth and auth scopes, are comfortable discussing CLI tooling, and hold your own in a scoping conversation with engineers.
  • Strong deal-making instincts - comfortable structuring revenue share, co-marketing, and referral agreements, and negotiating directly with partner and BD counterparts.
  • Bias to action in an undefined category - these marketplaces and their rules are new and changing monthly, and this role is as much about building the process as executing it.
  • An understanding of self-serve, product-led growth motions - the platforms you'll be partnering with cater primarily to small business end-customers rather than enterprise buyers, so you should be comfortable positioning Customer.io for that audience.
  • Based in North America.
  • Excellent cross-functional operator - you'll work closely with product, engineering, marketing, and legal to get each partnership over the line.

Compensation & Benefits

We believe in transparency. This role offers a total on-target earnings (OTE) of $166,250-$200,000 USD (or equivalent in local currency), on an 80/20 base/variable split, subject to market rate adjustment.

We know our people are what make us great, and we’re committed to taking great care of them. Our inclusive benefits package supports your well-being and growth, including 100% coverage of medical, dental, vision, mental health, and supplemental insurance premiums for you and your family. We also offer 16 weeks paid parental leave, unlimited PTO, stipends for remote work and wellness, a professional development budget, and more.

See full benefits here →

Our Process

No gotchas, no trick questions - just a clear, human process designed to help both of us make an informed decision.

  • 30-minute video call with a Recruiter
  • 30-minute video call with the Hiring Manager
  • Two 30-minute 1:1 conversations with cross-functional team members
  • Project-based case review
  • Final conversation with a senior stakeholder

All final candidates will be asked to complete a background check and employment verifications as part of our pre-employment process.

Customer.io recognizes the stifling impact of systemic injustice on diverse communities. We commit to using our influence to increase inclusion and equity within the tech industry. We strive to build an inclusive team culture, implement bias-free hiring practices, and develop community partnerships to expand our global impact.

Zoom is the only video conference platform that we use, virtual interviews will be conducted using the video capability (i.e., not via the chat), and offers will be extended in writing on official Customer.io letterhead. Please be vigilant in all of your job search activity, and if you have any questions please contact jobs@customer.io.

Join us!

Check out our careers page for more information about why you should come work with us! We believe in empathy, transparency, responsibility, and, yes, a little awkwardness. If you’re excited by what you read — apply now.

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Customer.io? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...

If you have not, please answer N/A

Select...
Select...
Select...
Which types of partners have you personally sourced, negotiated, or managed? (Select all that apply) *
Select...
Which cross-functional teams do you work with on a regular (weekly+) basis? (Select all that apply) *
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Customer.io’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 07/31/2029

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

We use Greenhouse's AI-powered Talent Matching tool to help assess your application against the role's requirements. AI informs but does not replace human decision-making in our hiring process. For details on how this works and your rights, including opting out, select "Learn more" below.

Learn more