About the Role

As Head of Global Partnerships, you'll own the strategy and execution of HappyRobot's global partner ecosystem. You'll build the next layer of distribution beyond our current forward-deployed engineering model, creating repeatable partnerships that can drive revenue at scale. This is a player-coach role: you'll set the global strategy while staying deeply involved in sourcing, developing, negotiating, and closing strategic partnerships. In your first two quarters, you'll be expected to establish 1-2 high-value partnerships, with a focus on system integrators, hyperscalers, and ISVs or vertical partners.

As the partnership motion matures, you'll build and lead a regional team across EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, adapting the strategy to different markets and partner ecosystems. You'll work closely with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Marketing to turn partnerships into durable distribution channels, embedded offerings, and joint go-to-market opportunities. We're looking for someone who can move seamlessly between executive-level strategy and hands-on execution, with a track record of building repeatable partner motions in startups, scale-ups, or large technology companies.

What You'll Do

• Define and execute HappyRobot's global partnerships strategy across system integrators, hyperscalers, ISVs, and strategic vertical partners.
• Personally source, develop, negotiate, and close high-value partnerships that create scalable revenue and distribution.
• Build repeatable partner motions, including joint GTM, embedded offerings, and partner-led sales channels.
• Develop executive relationships with strategic partners and serve as a senior external ambassador for HappyRobot.
• Partner closely with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Marketing to turn partnerships into measurable business outcomes.
• Build and lead regional partnerships teams across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM as the ecosystem scales.
• Establish partnership goals, operating cadence, and KPIs, with clear accountability for pipeline and revenue.

What You'll Bring

• 10+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, alliances, or ecosystem development, with a track record of building repeatable partner motions.
• Experience personally taking partnerships from strategy and relationship-building through negotiation, agreement, and execution.
• Strong network and experience working with system integrators, hyperscalers, ISVs, or enterprise technology partners.
• Proven ability to operate as a player-coach: setting strategy while staying close to the details and doing the work.
• Strong commercial judgment, executive presence, and negotiation skills.
• Experience building partnerships at a startup, scale-up, or major technology company with measurable revenue impact.
• Global experience navigating complex markets, stakeholders, and regional partner ecosystems.

Nice to Have

• Experience in AI, SaaS, enterprise software, automation, or developer platforms.
• Experience at companies such as ServiceNow, Palantir, Microsoft, AWS, Google, Salesforce, or Sierra.
• Experience with embedded/OEM partnerships or joint go-to-market models.
• Experience building or scaling a global partnerships organization.

Why join us?

• Join a world-class team of engineers and builders.
• Backed by top investors including a16z, Y Combinator, Base10, Prysm Capital and Eurazeo.
• Have ownership and autonomy of projects and are encouraged to ship.
• Comprehensive Benefits including healthcare, dental, vision coverage.
• Competitive salary + equity in a high-growth startup.

Our Operating Principles

Extreme Ownership

We take full responsibility for our work, outcomes, and team success. No excuses, no blame-shifting - if something needs fixing, we own it and make it better. This means stepping up, even when it's not "your job." If a ball is dropped, we pick it up. If a customer is unhappy, we fix it. If a process is broken, we redesign it. We don't wait for someone else to solve it - we lead with accountability and expect the same from those around us.

Craftsmanship

Putting care and intention into every task, striving for excellence, and taking deep ownership of the quality and outcome of your work. Craftsmanship means never settling for "just fine." We sweat the details because details compound. Whether it's a product feature, an internal doc, or a sales call - we treat it as a reflection of our standards. We aim to deliver jaw-dropping customer experiences by being curious, meticulous, and proud of what we build - even when nobody's watching.

We are "majos"Be friendly & have fun with your coworkers. Always be genuine & honest, but kind. "Majo" is our way of saying: be a good human. Be approachable, helpful, and warm. We're building something ambitious, and it's easier (and more fun) when we enjoy the ride together. We give feedback with kindness, challenge each other with respect, and celebrate wins together without ego.

Urgency with FocusCreate the highest impact in the shortest amount of time. Move fast, but in the right direction. We operate with speed because time is our most limited resource. But speed without focus is chaos. We prioritize ruthlessly, act decisively, and stay aligned. We aim for high leverage: the biggest results from the simplest, smartest actions. We're running a high-speed marathon - not a sprint with no strategy.

Talent Density and MeritocracyHire only people who can raise the average; 'exceptional performance is the passing grade.' Ability trumps seniority. We believe the best teams are built on talent density - every hire should raise the bar. We reward contribution, not titles or tenure. We give ownership to those who earn it, and we all hold each other to a high standard. A-players want to work with other A-players - that's how we win.

First-Principles ThinkingStrip a problem to physics-level facts, ignore industry dogma, rebuild the solution from scratch. We don't copy-paste solutions. We go back to basics, ask why things are the way they are, and rebuild from the ground up if needed. This mindset pushes us to innovate, challenge stale assumptions, and move faster than incumbents. It's how we build what others think is impossible.