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Strategic Partnerships Director

Palo Alto, California, United States

Who We Are

Lightning AI is the company reimagining the way AI is built. After creating and releasing PyTorch Lightning in 2019, Lightning AI was launched to reshape the development of artificial intelligence products for commercial and academic use.

We are on a mission to simplify AI development, making it accessible to everyone—from solo researchers to large enterprises. By removing the complexity of building and deploying AI tools, we empower innovators to focus on solving real-world problems. Our platform is built to scale with the latest AI advancements while staying intuitive and adaptable, so you can bring your ideas to life.

We have offices in New York City, Palo Alto, and London and are backed by investors such as Coatue, Index Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Firstminute.

Our Values

  • Move Fast: We act with speed and precision, breaking down big challenges into achievable steps.

  • Focus: We complete one goal at a time with care, collaborating as a team to deliver features with precision.

  • Balance: Sustained performance comes from rest and recovery. We ensure a healthy work-life balance to keep you at your best.

  • Craftsmanship: Innovation through excellence. Every detail matters, and we take pride in mastering our craft.

  • Minimal: Simplicity drives our innovation. We eliminate complexity through discipline and focus on what truly matters.

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.

Benefits and Perks

We offer competitive base salaries and stock options with a 25% one year cliff and monthly vesting thereafter. For our international employees, we work with Velocity Global to pay you in your local currency and provide equitable benefits across the globe.

In the US, we offer:

  • Medical, dental and vision
  • Life and AD&D insurance 
  • Flexible paid time off plus 1 week of winter closure
  • Generous paid family leave benefits
  • $500 monthly meal reimbursement, including groceries & food delivery services
  • $1,000 home office stipend
  • $1,000 annual learning & development stipend 
  • 100% Citibike membership (NYC only)
  • $45/month gym membership 
  • Additional various medical and mental health services

At Lightning AI, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe that diverse teams drive innovation and create better products. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We are dedicated to building a culture where everyone can thrive and contribute to their fullest potential.

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