7+ years in partnerships, channel sales, or business development at a B2B software company
3+ years experience in recruiting and launching new partners (SIs, consultancies, or agencies)
Experience in building partner-sourced pipelines from zero or near-zero
Strong negotiation skills for partnership agreements and revenue outcomes
Technical knowledge of APIs, LLMs, and the contact center/telephony ecosystem
Ability to operate independently and thrive in uncertainty
Experience with enterprise co-selling and direct sales engagement
Responsibilities
Map the solutions partner landscape and prioritize target partners
Launch outreach and initiate discovery conversations with potential partners
Negotiate agreements and refine partner pitches
Develop an activation playbook in collaboration with Sales and Solutions Engineering
Establish tracking for partner-sourced pipelines in CRM
Sign the first cohort of solutions partners and initiate their activation plans
Represent Vapi at industry events to enhance brand recognition
Benefits
Competitive salary with strong equity ownership
Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, and vision
Quarterly team off-sites to foster team bonding
Flexible time off policy allowing employees to take needed breaks
Additional perks including catered meals, transportation support, gym access, and a $10k annual learning and development budget
Full Job Description
Why We're Hiring This Role:
Enterprises increasingly deploy voice AI through solutions partners - systems integrators, AI consultancies, and CX agencies - and we're building that ecosystem from the ground up
We need a founding senior IC to recruit, sign, and activate net-new solutions partners and turn them into a repeatable pipeline channel
Partners extend our reach into enterprise accounts we couldn't win alone - they bring the client relationships, industry depth, and delivery capacity to take Vapi into complex and regulated environments
This role owns partner-sourced pipeline - the channel that will define how enterprises adopt Vapi at scale
You'll have a direct line to leadership and the rare chance to define the playbook, program, and economics of a channel from day one
What You'll Do:
30 Day: Learn and map
Go deep on Vapi's product, platform, and enterprise motion; meet Sales, Solutions Engineering, Marketing, and leadership to understand where partners fit
Map the solutions partner landscape - global and boutique SIs, AI-native consultancies, and CX specialists - and build a prioritized target list
Launch first outreach and open discovery conversations with high-priority prospective partners
Shadow customer and partner calls and review recent won/lost enterprise deals to see where partners accelerate or unlock revenue
Audit existing partner relationships and inbound partner interest to surface quick wins
60 Day: Build the engine
Move first partners into active negotiation; sharpen the partner pitch, value proposition, and agreement structure
Build the activation playbook with Sales and Solutions Engineering - enablement path, co-sell process, and lighthouse deal identification
Stand up deal registration and attribution in the CRM so partner-sourced pipeline is tracked from day one
Define the ideal partner profile and qualification criteria so recruitment stays focused on partners who can both source and deliver
Draft the first version of partner economics with leadership - referral incentives, co-sell motion, and services attach
90 Day: First signings
Sign the first cohort of solutions partners and kick off structured activation plans with each
Drive first partner-sourced opportunities into pipeline through co-selling with our sales team
Report early channel metrics to leadership and refine the recruitment playbook based on what's working
Establish an onboarding cadence for each signed partner: kickoff, enablement milestones, and a first-deal target
Build a co-sell rhythm with our AEs - account mapping sessions and clear rules of engagement
Ongoing: Own the channel
Own and grow a quarterly partner-sourced pipeline
Continuously recruit new partners while driving existing ones to their first - and next - sourced deals
Deepen partner delivery capability with Agent Engineering through training and certification on Vapi
Shape the partner program as it matures - tiers, incentives, deal registration, and the economics that make Vapi the platform partners bet their practice on
Bring partner and end-client feedback to Product and champion the roadmap needs that unlock partner-led deals
Maintain a healthy partner recruitment funnel with clear stage conversion so the channel compounds quarter over quarter
Represent Vapi at industry events and across the CCaaS/AI ecosystem to build our reputation as the platform partners build on
Who You Are:
7+ years in partnerships, channel sales, or business development at a B2B software company, with 3+ years recruiting and launching new partners (SIs, consultancies, or agencies)
You've built partner-sourced pipeline from zero or near-zero - founding work, not managing a mature book
Commercially sharp: comfortable negotiating partnership agreements, structuring incentives, and holding partners accountable to revenue outcomes
Technical enough to credibly discuss APIs, LLMs, and contact center/telephony ecosystems
A self-directed operator who thrives in ambiguity - you build the playbook, then run it
Fluent in enterprise co-sell - you know how to make a partner deal land inside a direct sales org, from account mapping to rules of engagement
Bonus: existing relationships with AI consultancies, CX-focused SIs, or hyperscaler ecosystem partners (Microsoft, AWS, Google), or prior experience in voice AI or CCaaS
How We Work:
Build something worthy of love - Craft matters. We aim to build products and experiences customers genuinely love, not just tolerate.
Commit and follow through - We finish what we start and build trust by being people others can count on.
Why not today? - We value urgency and momentum. The fastest path to customer value usually wins.
Seek raw input - We go directly to customers, data, and teammates instead of relying on summaries or assumptions.
It's our problem - We operate as one team. We share credit, own mistakes together, and support each other when things get hard.
Be direct and kind - We give feedback clearly, respectfully, and without delay.
Why Vapi:
Generational impact: Build the human interface for every business
Ownership culture: Many of us are previous founders
Kind team: The founders, Jordan and Nikhil, are Canadians
Tier-1 Investors: YC, KP seed, Bessemer Series A
What We Offer:
Real stake: We offer a competitive salary and excellent equity ownership
Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision plans
Team love: We love hanging out, and we do quarterly off-sites
Flexible time off: take what you need
More: catered meals, transportation, gym, and a $10k annual L&D budget
