Head of Strategic Partnerships

EBAS is partnering with a high-growth AI-native startup that recently raised a Series A to build its Strategic Partnerships function. The company is shaping how the world's leading AI labs, cloud providers, and enterprise software companies collaborate to bring agentic AI into production. You'll work directly with the CEO, owning executive relationships with some of the biggest names in technology. This is a rare opportunity to join early, build partnerships that define an emerging market, and have a direct impact on the company's long-term strategy. Location: New York or Remote Why This Role Exists Our client is building the foundational Work Model for enterprise software, and the companies that matter most in this shift, the leading AI labs and foundation-model companies, the largest cloud and technology platforms, and enterprise software leaders, are exactly the players our client needs deep, executive-level relationships with. This role owns those relationships. You will be the company's face to the ecosystem: building the strategic alliances, integrations, and partnerships that make the company central to how the largest players think about agentic work This is a senior, relationship-driven, deal-structuring role—not channel sales. It is about being in the room with strategy and product teams at the companies defining this market, understanding what they are trying to accomplish, and turning those conversations into durable, well-structured partnerships that strengthen the company's position over time. What You'll Own Strategic Alliances: Build and own relationships with leading AI labs and foundation model companies, the largest cloud and technology platforms, and enterprise software leaders. Become the trusted senior counterpart to their strategy, product, and corporate teams. Ecosystem Positioning: Help make the company central to how the ecosystem thinks about agentic work through integrations, co-innovation, joint roadmaps, and co-marketing with the industry's most important players. Complex Deal Structuring: Own the full lifecycle of strategic partnerships—from the first conversation through alignment, negotiation, structuring, and signed agreement. These are complex, non-standard, multi-party deals that require creativity and strong commercial judgment. Executive Relationships: Cultivate and maintain C-level and senior corporate strategy relationships across the organizations shaping the AI market. Become the person they call—and the person who can get the company into the right room. Ecosystem Strategy: Help define how the company fits into the broader technology landscape by identifying the right platforms to integrate with, the highest-value alliances to pursue, and where to invest relationship capital for long-term success. Cross-Functional Partnership: Work directly with the CEO, Product, and Engineering teams to ensure partnerships align with company strategy and deliver on shared commitments. What We're Looking For 10+ years of experience spanning Strategic Partnerships, Corporate Development, Business Development, Investment Banking, or similar strategic roles within technology. Proven experience structuring and closing multiple complex, high-stakes strategic transactions from end to end. Deep, current relationships with leading AI labs, foundation model companies, major cloud providers, technology platforms, and enterprise software leaders at the executive and corporate strategy level. Equally comfortable leading product and strategy discussions as negotiating commercial agreements and term sheets. Exceptional executive presence and judgment. Senior leaders at the world's largest technology companies trust your perspective. A strategic builder's mindset with the ability to think several moves ahead and create long-term competitive advantage. Comfortable operating in ambiguity while representing a fast-moving company to some of the most sophisticated organizations in technology. What This Role Is Actually Like You will work directly with the CEO. This is a small number of very high-leverage relationships, not a volume game and not a quota. Success is measured in the strategic position you create for X5, and in relationships that are durable, structured, and real. It is for someone who has sat across the table from the biggest companies in technology and knows how to turn a first conversation into something that lasts.