Business Developer, AI & Technology Partnerships

SonarSource; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K Plan

Healthcare coverage

EAP / Health Savings Accounts

Life and disability insurance

Pet Insurance

Time Off: 28 PTO days

Job summary

SonarSource is seeking a Principal, Distribution Tech Partnerships to lead strategic partnerships with distribution technology partners. You will shape engagement models, negotiate licenses, and drive GTM initiatives that integrate Sonar’s code quality and security products with partner offerings.

You will build strong executive-level relationships, coordinate with product, engineering, and legal teams, and manage end-to-end deal closures in a fast-paced, evolving tech landscape.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in business development or strategic partnerships, preferably in cybersecurity or code security.
• Experience leading complex deal negotiations with legal teams and term sheets.
• Ability to engage with partners at a technical level within the code development ecosystem.
• Proven track record defining, negotiating, and closing OEM/resell partnerships.
• MBA or advanced technical degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end partnership lifecycle with technology resell or OEM partners.
• Define engagement models, draft term sheets, negotiate distribution agreements.
• Drive integration and GTM plans with internal teams and partners.
• Identify and prioritize strategic partnership opportunities via market analysis.
• Build, nurture, and manage relationships with senior leaders across partner companies.
• Conduct quarterly reviews with Sonar’s Sales and Channel Partner organizations.

Skills

Communication

Presentation

Negotiation

Relationship-building

Business development

Strategic alliances

Tech partnerships

Cybersecurity

Cross-functional teams

MBA

Education

MBA

MSCS / MSEE

Job description

• We are seeking a highly strategic and experienced Business Development professional to join Sonar as the Principal, Distribution Tech Partnerships
• Reporting directly to the VP of AI and Tech Partnerships, you will spearhead Sonar’s efforts in this critical domain, building deep, impactful relationships and forging partnerships with technology partners who are positioned to resell or OEM Sonar’s products
• Initial target partners include IBM, Cisco, Dell, ServiceNow, Palo Alto Networks, Salesforce.com, SAP, and Oracle
• Your primary goal will be to establish integration and GTM partnerships that combine Sonar’s code quality and code security products with a partner’s related products in order to create innovative solutions that can be marketed to developer and/or engineering management teams within the partner’s established and targeted customer bases
• This involves defining partnership structures, negotiating licensing and collaboration agreements, and developing joint go-to-market plans
• Strategy Development & Execution: Drive the execution of Sonar’s partnership strategy specifically with the identified distribution technology partners, aligning closely with overall company growth objectives
• Opportunity Identification & Analysis: Identify, evaluate, and prioritize strategic partnership opportunities. Conduct market analyses of the distribution technology partner landscape, and track their efforts to include home grown or partner-based code quality and security solutions within their first party solutions
• Relationship Building & Management: Build, nurture, and manage strong, long-term relationships with key technical, product, and business leaders at the target companies. Conduct quarterly reviews in conjunction with Sonar’s Sales and Channel Partner organizations
• Deal Negotiation & Execution: Lead the end-to-end partnership lifecycle with selected technology resell or OEM partners. Define engagement models, draft term sheets, negotiate complex distribution agreements, align key internal stakeholders, and drive integration and GTM deals to closure
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with internal Sonar teams (Product Management, Engineering, Research, Legal, Marketing, Sales, Finance) to align on deal terms and construct plans for integration development, sales team enablement, sales team alignment, and transaction execution

Benefits

• 401K Plan: Sonar US matches up to 4% of gross salary
• 90% healthcare premium coverage for employees, 60% for dependents
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program) Health Savings Accounts (HSA, FSA, DCFSA). Supplemental coverage is offered by EE’s expense
• Life and disability insurances fully paid by Sonar. Sonar covers 100% of Telemedicine for FTE whom are covered by Sonar medical
• Pet Insurance
• Hospital Indemnity, Accident, Critical Illness
• Time Off: 25 PTO days plus additional days based on seniority and circumstances
• Commuting: Public transport reimbursement of 60% for annual subscription
• Free parking space
• Pension: Sonar UK contributes 50% of the total costs, which amounts to 5% of your gross salary for saving. Employees contribute the other 5%
• Flexibility to work from home 2 days a week on Wednesdays and Fridays
• Health Insurance: Sonar covers 100% of the employee premiums for medical, dental, and EAP (Employee Assistance Program) plans through BUPA
• Time Off: 28 PTO days, plus additional days based on seniority and circumstances
• Commuting: we will reimburse 60% towards the cost of an annual public transport pass

Qualifications

Exceptional communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills, with experience influencing stakeholders at various levels, including senior executives10+ years of experience in business development, strategic alliances, technology partnerships, or related fields, preferably within the cybersecurity or code security marketsParticular experience leading complex deal negotiations, including interpreting legal documents and working collaboratively with legal counsel on terms related to co-marketing, co-sell, resale, and OEM business modelsDemonstrated ability to engage effectively with partners at a technical level, particularly with a strong foundational knowledge of the human and agentic code development ecosystemAbility to thrive, lead initiatives, and execute in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving, and often ambiguous technological landscapeProven experience leading (or significantly contributing to) cross-functional teams, including those with Product Management and Engineering, to orchestrate and implement complex partnershipsProven track record of successfully defining, negotiating, closing, and managing high-impact, technology-centric partnerships, particularly those with OEM and/or resell GTM motionsMBA or advanced technical degree (e.g., MSCS, MSEE) preferred