---
type: JobPosting
title: Head of Partnerships
company: Runpod
companyWebsite: "https://runpod.io"
category: growth-marketing
seniority: DIRECTOR
contractType: FULL_TIME
remote: ONSITE
location: San Francisco, CA
salaryMin: 220000
salaryMax: 300000
salaryCurrency: USD
market: USA
postedAt: 2026-06-18
applyUrl: "https://grnh.se/7o7tdzp08us?source=LinkedIn"
canonical: "https://www.growthtalent.org/empleos/growth-marketing/runpod/head-of-partnerships-runpod"
---

# Head of Partnerships

**Runpod** · San Francisco, CA

<!--rich-->{"tags":["AI Infrastructure","Partnerships","VP-Level","On-site","$220K-$300K","B2B SaaS"],"challenge":"Runpod is the platform 500K+ developers use to build and run custom AI systems at scale, hitting $120M ARR. You'll be the first head of partnerships, tasked with turning organic traction into a systematic growth engine across referral partners, cloud marketplaces, and system integrators.","objectives3m":["Map the partnership ecosystem across AI/ML tooling, platforms, and consulting to identify 15-20 high-potential referral partners for outreach","Establish baseline partnerships with AWS, Azure, and GCP marketplace teams; secure initial co-sell agreements with at least one per platform","Recruit and qualify 8-10 system integrators (GSIs and boutique AI consultancies) as pilot partners with signed LOIs","Define partnership tier structure, commercial terms, and co-marketing playbook; align cross-functionally with Sales, Product, and DevRel"],"objectives6m":["Launch referral engine with 25+ active referral partners, tracking lead volume, conversion rates, and closed revenue per partner","Close co-sell arrangements with 2+ major cloud marketplace partners, achieving co-listed status and joint GTM campaigns","Build 5 joint solution programs with SI partners, each bundling Runpod infrastructure into end-to-end AI solutions; track pipeline value","Generate $2M+ in partnership-sourced pipeline and close $500K+ in partnership-influenced revenue"],"kpis":[{"metric":"Partnership-Sourced Pipeline","description":"Total ARR value of opportunities sourced from partnerships, tracked by partner cohort and motion type."},{"metric":"Partner Activation Rate","description":"Percentage of recruited partners actively generating leads or revenue within 60 days of onboarding."},{"metric":"Marketplace Co-Sell Momentum","description":"Number of joint customer wins and co-listed offerings across AWS, Azure, and GCP; revenue influenced."},{"metric":"SI Solution Velocity","description":"Number of joint solutions launched, pipeline value per SI program, and time-to-first-customer win."},{"metric":"Partner Retention & NRR","description":"Percentage of partners renewing, repeat referral volume, and revenue growth per partner year-over-year."}],"tools":["AWS Marketplace","Azure Marketplace","GCP Marketplace","Salesforce or similar CRM","Slack","Figma or Notion for partnership playbooks"],"team":{"manager":"Likely CEO or Chief Revenue Officer (not specified; to be clarified during interview)","current":"First dedicated partnerships hire; will collaborate with Sales, Product, DevRel, and Marketing teams","hiring":"New role, building the function from scratch"},"compensation":{"salary":"$220K-$300K base","variable":null,"equity":"Stock options (amount TBD based on seniority and experience)","remote":"On-site in San Francisco, CA; company is remote-first but this role is on-site"},"benefits":["Meaningful equity stake in a fast-growing, venture-backed AI infrastructure company","Remote-first, globally distributed team culture","Opportunity to build and scale a new function from the ground up","Access to 500K+ developer community and $120M+ ARR platform"],"company":{"about":"Runpod is the foundational platform for developers to build and run custom AI systems that scale. Founded in 2022, the platform serves 500K+ developers globally with $120M ARR, enabling teams to move from experimentation to production across cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments.","founded":2022,"headcount":null,"funding":null,"customers":"500,000+ developers; enterprise teams building custom AI systems","culture":"Remote-first, globally distributed; execution-focused startup with infrastructure-scale ambitions"},"forYouIf":["You've built 5+ strategic partnerships from scratch and closed $1M+ in partnership-influenced revenue","You understand AI/ML infrastructure, developer tools, and the cloud marketplace ecosystem deeply","You thrive in ambiguity and can move fast-this is a founder-like role with no playbook yet","You're equally comfortable in strategy meetings and on the phone recruiting partners; player-coach mentality is non-negotiable","You've negotiated complex commercial deals and managed multi-year strategic relationships with GSIs, VARs, or cloud platforms"],"wontWorkIf":["You need a playbook and established processes-you're building this from zero","You've only done transaction-based BD or sales; strategic, long-term partnership building isn't your strength","You're not comfortable with San Francisco on-site requirement or can't relocate within 30-60 days","You lack hands-on partner recruitment and deal-closing experience; this is not a people-management-only role"],"interviewProcess":[{"step":"Initial Screen","detail":"Phone call with recruiter or hiring manager to confirm AI/ML domain expertise and partnership track record (30 min)"},{"step":"Deep Dive on Partnerships","detail":"Conversation with CEO or CRO to discuss specific partnership case studies, how you'd approach the three pillars (referral, marketplace, SI), and strategic vision (60 min)"},{"step":"Cross-Functional Alignment","detail":"Meetings with Sales, Product, and DevRel leads to assess collaboration fit and understand current go-to-market motion (60 min total)"},{"step":"Partner Strategy Exercise","detail":"Take-home or live whiteboarding: map out first 90 days of partner recruitment and ecosystem strategy (async or in-meeting)"},{"step":"Background Check & Reference Calls","detail":"Standard background check plus references from prior partnership or channel roles"}]}

[Apply →](https://grnh.se/7o7tdzp08us?source=LinkedIn)

---

Canonical: https://www.growthtalent.org/empleos/growth-marketing/runpod/head-of-partnerships-runpod