Strategic Partnerships Manager

Profound is the marketing platform for the AI era. As people increasingly turn to ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini to decide what to buy, we give brands the intelligence to see how AI represents them and the Agents to act on it. Today, ~13% of the Fortune 500, plus companies like Ramp, Figma, Chime, Calendly, and DocuSign, use Profound to turn AI Search from a black box into a measurable growth channel. Backed by Lightspeed, Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, and Khosla Ventures at a $1B valuation, we're a lean, fast-moving team across NYC, SF, Buenos Aires, and London, shipping at a relentless pace and defining a new category at the biggest shift in marketing in 25 years. If you want to do the best work of your career at the frontier of AI, come build it with us. As our Strategic Partnerships Manager, you will build and scale strategic relationships that accelerate Profound’s position as the definitive platform for AI search optimization. You will identify, negotiate, and activate partnerships across the AI ecosystem and complementary B2B tools that enhance our product capabilities and expand our market reach. This role sits at the intersection of product and business development. You will own the full partnership lifecycle while working cross-functionally to ensure deep integrations and joint go-to-market initiatives deliver measurable value for Profound and our partners. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Identify, prioritize, and execute strategic partnerships across product partnerships with AI platforms and marketing technology or B2B software companies - Build channel and ecosystem partnerships including international resellers, co-sellers, and VC or PE networks - Develop data partnerships with platforms providing high-value proprietary datasets, ensuring alignment with Profound’s product roadmap and growth objectives - Perform outreach, evaluation, negotiation, and closing of partnership agreements - Structure win-win deals that balance commercial terms, technical integration requirements, and strategic value creation - Work closely with Product, Engineering, Analytics, Marketing, and Sales to drive partnerships and integrations from concept through launch - Bridge technical gaps, resolve data conflicts, and ensure smooth execution against partnership commitments - Serve as the point of contact for strategic partners, run regular QBRs, track partnership performance metrics, and proactively identify expansion opportunities - Collaborate with stakeholders on joint marketing initiatives, co-selling motions, and customer enablement programs - Partner internally on partnership announcements, case studies, and thought leadership content - Build and maintain landscape maps of the AI ecosystem and stay ahead of platform changes, emerging technologies, and competitive dynamics WHO YOU ARE - Experience with strategic partnerships, business development, or product partnerships in technology or SaaS, with demonstrated success driving revenue and product value through strategic relationships - Deep understanding of the AI landscape, including experience with LLM providers, AI platforms, search technologies, and the broader AI application layer - Independent, original thinker with high standards, a bias for action, and the ability to collaborate effectively within organizational constraints - Proven deal-making skills with a track record of negotiating complex partnership agreements involving commercial terms, data licensing, technical integrations, and joint go-to-market commitments - Exceptional communicator who can build executive-level relationships, lead strategic discussions with C-suite stakeholders, and represent Profound credibly in the AI ecosystem - Existing relationships within AI platform companies, search engines, or data providers - Experience in analytics, marketing technology, or SaaS platforms serving enterprise customers - Background in a high-growth startup environment - Understanding of SEO, content marketing, or brand management LOCATION