Founding Partnerships Lead — Contract-to-Hire

Kindred; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Kindred in San Francisco is seeking a Founding Partnerships leader to define and build a partnerships function, owning the inbound pipeline and crafting a repeatable outbound strategy.

You will source, pitch, negotiate, and close deals end-to-end, structure terms for high-trust partnerships, and shape the Circles strategy. This 6-month contract-to-hire engagement targets at least 2 signed partnerships.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or growth roles in consumer marketplaces or communities.
• Experience building and scaling a partnerships function from the ground up.
• Proven track record sourcing, negotiating, and closing partnerships that drive supply/demand growth on a two-sided marketplace.
• Ability to structure deals around desired behaviors and outcomes.
• Strong external-facing negotiation and executive-facing communication skills.
• Comfort operating with ambiguity and building from scratch in a lean, high-ownership role.
• Sharp prioritization skills to focus on highest-leverage partners.
• Willingness to commit to a focused, full-time 6-month engagement with potential extension.

Responsibilities

• Own and close inbound partnership pipeline and drive signature deals with large, pre-established member bases.
• Build outbound partnership strategy, define priority verticals, and codify repeatable pitch materials.
• Design deals with high-trust constructs to unlock marketplace liquidity and growth.
• Lead full-cycle deal execution: source, pitch, negotiate, close, and manage through launch and performance.
• Shape Circles strategy and leverage to drive acquisition and activation goals.
• Create a scalable partnerships playbook with reusable frameworks and outreach sequences by vertical.
• Report on pipeline health and performance to Growth leadership and the broader team.
• Define cross-functional operating model to embed partnerships across Circles GTM, Lifecycle Marketing, Product, and Legal.

Skills

Partnerships leadership

Business development

Deal negotiation

Strategic execution

Job description

Kindred in San Francisco is seeking a Founding Partnerships leader to define and build a partnerships function, owning the inbound pipeline and crafting a repeatable outbound strategy.

You will source, pitch, negotiate, and close deals end-to-end, structure terms for high-trust partnerships, and shape the Circles strategy. This 6-month contract-to-hire engagement targets at least 2 signed partnerships.