Head Of Partnerships - NAMER ( NYC Or Seattle Or SF)

Aivar Innovations Inc. is looking for a Head of Partners to build in North America lead our partnerships function from the ground up. As an AWS Advanced Partner and AI-native services company, Aivar's growth is deeply tied to our partner ecosystem — AWS field teams, Anthropic, OpenAI, GSIs, ISVs, and channel partners who can accelerate enterprise deals and expand our market presence. About the Role This is a strategic, high-impact role: you will own the full partner motion across co-sell, enablement, program participation, and ecosystem development across our three hyperscaler and foundation model alliances. You will report directly to the COO and work cross-functionally with Sales, Delivery, and Marketing to make partnerships a core revenue lever. Responsibilities AWS Alliance & Co-Sell Leadership Own and execute Aivar's AWS co-sell strategy, driving joint pipeline and revenue across Convogent, Velogent, and Kubogent accelerator platforms. Embed with AWS field teams — PDMs, PSAs, and regional sales leadership — to build joint account plans, territory strategies, and coordinated deal motions alongside Aivar's Sales team. Identify and advance high-impact co-sell opportunities through AWS programs including ISV Accelerate, AWS Marketplace, AWS Generative AI Competency, and relevant funding initiatives. Manage and optimize pipeline within the AWS ACE portal, ensuring co-sell eligibility and seamless coordination with AWS sellers. Lead executive business reviews, strategic account mapping sessions, and regular cadence meetings to maintain alignment and accelerate opportunity progression. Anthropic & OpenAI Alliance Management Own and develop Aivar's strategic relationships with Anthropic and OpenAI, positioning Aivar as a preferred implementation and delivery partner for enterprise customers deploying Claude and GPT-based solutions. Engage with Anthropic's and OpenAI's partner and go-to-market teams to identify co-sell opportunities, joint account plays, and referral motions that align with Aivar's accelerator platforms. Drive Aivar's participation in Anthropic and OpenAI partner programs, including co-marketing opportunities, solution showcases, and early access to new model capabilities. Translate Anthropic and OpenAI model capabilities into Aivar-specific delivery differentiators — helping customers understand how Aivar's accelerators (particularly Convogent and Velogent) leverage frontier AI to deliver production-grade outcomes. Stay ahead of roadmap developments at Anthropic and OpenAI, feeding insights back into Aivar's product, delivery, and sales teams to maintain competitive positioning. Build and activate a partner network spanning GSIs, boutique consultancies, and ISVs that can design and execute go-to-market plays with Aivar across fintech, healthcare, and technology verticals. Develop triangulated deal plays involving AWS, Anthropic or OpenAI, channel partners, and Aivar — driving multi-partner pipeline creation and compressing enterprise deal cycles. Lead Aivar's presence at flagship partner events including AWS re:Invent, AWS Summits, Anthropic and OpenAI partner events, and industry-specific conferences. New Partner Identification & Ecosystem Expansion Proactively identify, evaluate, and onboard new strategic partners — including GSIs, boutique consultancies, MSSPs, ISVs, and regional SIs — that can accelerate Aivar's market reach across fintech, healthcare, and technology verticals. Develop and maintain a structured partner pipeline — tracking prospective partners from initial outreach through contract execution — with clear criteria for fit, revenue potential, and strategic alignment with Aivar's accelerator platforms. Design and execute expansion strategies for existing partners — deepening engagement, increasing co-sell activity, and unlocking new verticals or geographies within current relationships. Conduct ongoing competitive and market landscape analysis to identify whitespace opportunities and emerging partner categories that align with Aivar's growth trajectory. Pricing Negotiation & Commercial Strategy Lead commercial negotiations with partners — including reseller agreements, referral arrangements, co-sell terms, and Marketplace pricing structures — ensuring deals are structured to protect Aivar's margins while incentivising partner commitment. Define and maintain partner pricing frameworks, discount structures, and commercial incentive models across VAR, MSSP, SI, and hyperscaler relationship types — balancing competitiveness with profitability. Collaborate with Finance and Legal to structure partner agreements, ensure contractual compliance, and manage renewals and renegotiations as relationships evolve. Develop pricing strategy for joint solution bundles and co-sell motions, working with Sales and Delivery to ensure partner-influenced deals are commercially sound and scalable. Partner Enablement & Program Activation Translate Aivar's technical and business value — across Convogent, Velogent, and Kubogent — into engagement plays and repeatable co-sell motions aligned to AWS, Anthropic, and OpenAI partner frameworks. Enable AWS sellers, Anthropic and OpenAI partner teams, and channel partners with clear positioning, enterprise customer use cases, and competitive messaging tailored to complex AI and cloud transformation scenarios. Drive Aivar's progression within the AWS Partner Network and foundation model partner programs, including competency attainment, Marketplace growth, and program tier advancement. Own measurable co-sell sourced and influenced pipeline across all three alliance relationships — AWS, Anthropic, and OpenAI — with clear revenue targets. Track, forecast, and report on key metrics including partner-originated opportunities, Marketplace transactions, influenced ARR, and program participation across alliances. Identify performance gaps by alliance, region, and account segment, designing targeted engagement plans to accelerate growth. Cross-Functional & Executive Alignment Build and maintain trusted relationships across AWS, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Aivar leadership, operating credibly at both the field and executive levels. Collaborate internally with Sales, Marketing, Delivery, and About You 15+ years of partner sales, alliances, or channel leadership experience within SaaS, cloud infrastructure, or AI-native services. Proven success managing hyperscaler alliances, particularly AWS, with deep familiarity with ISV Accelerate, ACE, and AWS Marketplace mechanics. Experience engaging with AI foundation model providers — Anthropic, OpenAI, or equivalent — in a partner, alliance, or GTM capacity is a strong differentiator. Demonstrated track record of building a partnerships function, not just inheriting one — comfortable with ambiguity and a builder's mindset. Ability to manage multiple high-stakes alliance relationships simultaneously without losing depth or momentum on any one. Strong technical acumen — able to understand and credibly position AI and cloud-native platforms, including LLM-based solutions, to both technical and business audiences. Experience working with or selling into fintech, healthcare, or enterprise technology verticals is a strong plus. Exceptional relationship builder who can operate at the C-suite and field levels simultaneously. Data-driven and metrics-oriented, with the ability to translate partner activity into board-level pipeline reporting. Collaborative, low-ego, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where priorities evolve quickly. Proven ability to identify, recruit, and onboard new partners — including experience building partner evaluation frameworks, conducting outreach, and managing the full partner lifecycle from prospecting to activation. Strong commercial acumen with hands-on experience in pricing negotiation, partner agreement structuring, discount framework design, and deal commercials across reseller, co-sell, and Marketplace arrangements. Pay range and compensation package Meaningful equity. You're early enough that the upside is real.. Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience and role fitment. Base Salary: 180,000 - 228,000 USD annually On Target Earnings: 300,000 - 380,760 USD annually Additional ESOP of 30,000 - 68,000 USD annually Aivar Innovations is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, marital status, caste, or any other protected characteristic. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace for everyone, in full compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. #J-18808-Ljbffr Aivar Innovations