Head of Strategic Partnerships

Backstory (Formerly People.ai) is hiring a Head of Strategic Partnerships to build and scale our partner channel from the ground up.

This role focuses on developing early relationships with a small set of high-impact partners such as Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. The goal is to identify where meaningful opportunities exist and convert those relationships into a partner-sourced pipeline through active co-sell motion.

This is a builder role that requires strong judgment, direct engagement with partner sellers, and the ability to create traction from an early starting point.

Over time, this role will evolve into building an AI-first partner engine that drives pipeline through leverage, automation, and repeatable systems.

Responsibilities

Own and develop early relationships across a focused set of strategic partners
Identify where to invest to generate partner-driven introductions quickly
Build direct relationships with partner field sellers and account teams
Translate Backstory’s product into a clear and compelling value proposition for partner sellers
Convert early engagement into active co-sell motion and pipeline
Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Product, and Marketing to support and enable the motion
Build toward an AI-first, scalable partner channel through automation and leverage

Requirements

Experience building partnerships and co-sell motion from the ground up
Strong understanding of enterprise ecosystems such as Microsoft, Salesforce, and ServiceNow
Ability to influence partner AEs and drive meaningful engagement
Strong judgment and ability to prioritize in ambiguous environments
Clear and compelling communicator who can position value effectively
High energy and comfort operating in early-stage environments
AI-first mindset with a focus on leverage, automation, and scalable impact

What Success Looks Like

90 days: Clear and prioritized partnership plan with defined actions, dependencies, and early traction
6 months: At least one partner in active co-sell motion with real opportunities
12 months: Early signs of AI-driven leverage across partner workflows
18 months: Approximately 20% of new logo pipeline sourced from partners

$280,000 - $330,000 a year

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Backstory is backed by Y Combinator and Silicon Valley’s top investors, including ICONIQ Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Akkadian Ventures, and Mubadala Capital. Backstory is listed in the top 20 percent of Inc 5000 companies, is a regular leader in our key categories on G2, and is on the Forbes list of America’s Best Startup Employers. For more information, please visit www.Backstory.ai.

Regular employees may be eligible for commissions or bonus programs (target included in OTE), equity, and benefits. The range is subject to change. Backstory takes into wide range of factors when determining an individual’s pay. These factors can include, skill set, training and experience, licensure and certifications, and location and metropolitan area.

Head of Strategic Partnerships

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