Head of Corporate Development

Cohere; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lunch stipend

Health and dental benefits

RRSP matching / Pension

Parental leave

Vacation & enrichment benefits

Home office stipend

Job summary

Cohere is expanding its leadership team in corporate development to drive strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and high-impact business development across regulated markets. You will shape the ecosystem through alliances, channel partnerships, and government engagements while prioritizing sovereign AI deployment and compliance.

Based in San Francisco or remotely, you will partner with product, engineering, legal, and finance to structure, diligence, and integrate deals that accelerate Cohere’s

Qualifications

• 12+ years in corporate development, strategic partnerships, or investment banking at a technology company.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and execute acquisitions or investments in complementary technologies that strengthen our core platform, especially in compute infrastructure and regulatory tools.
• Lead due diligence with cross-functional teams to ensure integration feasibility and strategic alignment.
• Manage post-merger integration to maximize value and revenue synergies.
• Support entry into new verticals and geographies through targeted collaborations with industry leaders and government partners.
• Develop market entry strategies addressing regulatory requirements and sovereignty concerns in key international markets.
• Create partnership frameworks enabling rapid scaling in high-growth sectors.
• Partner with sales and marketing to create joint GTM strategies that drive adoption and revenue growth.
• Ensure deals align with technical capabilities, ethical AI standards, and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Strategic partnerships

Corporate development

M&A experience

Regulatory partnerships

Financial modeling

Deal negotiation

Cross-functional leadership

Government partnerships

AI industry knowledge

Job description

Who are we?

Cohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems.

We’re training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that.

We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft.

We are a global technology company headquartered in Toronto with key offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul. Join us!

As Cohere scales its enterprise AI platform and accelerates its position as a leader in sovereign AI solutions, we need a strategic Corporate Development leader to drive high-impact partnerships, M&A, and long-term business development. This role will focus on expanding Cohere’s ecosystem through strategic alliances, channel relationships, and targeted acquisitions that support our growth in regulated industries, government sectors, and global markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate and execute acquisitions or investments in complementary technologies that strengthen our core platform, particularly in compute infrastructure, specialized AI capabilities, and regulatory compliance tools

• Lead due diligence processes with cross-functional teams to ensure technical integration feasibility and strategic alignment

• Manage post-merger integration to maximize value realization and revenue synergies

Market Expansion

• Support entry into new verticals and geographies through targeted collaborations with industry leaders and government partners

• Develop market entry strategies that address regulatory requirements and sovereignty concerns in key international markets

• Create partnership frameworks that enable rapid scaling in high-growth sectors

• Partner with sales and marketing teams to create joint GTM strategies that drive adoption and revenue growth

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with product, engineering, and legal teams to ensure deals align with technical capabilities, ethical AI standards, and regulatory requirements

• Collaborate with finance to develop robust financial models and valuation frameworks for partnership and M&A opportunities

• Work with government relations and policy teams to navigate complex regulatory landscapes and secure strategic government partnerships

Strategic Partnerships

• Identify and negotiate transformative alliances with key players in our ecosystem, including telcos (e.g., Bell), hardware infrastructure providers (e.g., BUZZ HPC), cloud platforms, and government entities to accelerate Cohere’s go-to-market and sovereign AI deployment capabilities

• Develop partnerships that enable on-premise and edge deployment solutions for customers requiring data sovereignty and regulatory compliance

• Leverage relationships with enterprise software vendors and data platforms to enhance North’s enterprise-grade AI offerings

Qualifications

• 12+ years in corporate development, strategic partnerships, or investment banking at a technology company, with proven experience in AI, SaaS, or enterprise software

• Demonstrated success in closing partnerships and M&A deals that drove significant revenue growth or strategic market access

• Experience with sovereign AI deployments, regulatory compliance (CTA, export controls), and government partnerships

Skills

• Strong negotiation and deal-structuring ability with experience in complex, multi-stakeholder agreements

• Extensive network in AI/enterprise tech ecosystems, including telcos, hardware providers, and government entities

• Analytical rigor with expertise in financial modeling, market sizing, and valuation analysis

• Cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management skills

• Deep understanding of current AI regulatory landscape and compliance requirements

Track Record

• Experience executing M&A transactions that successfully integrated complementary technologies and accelerated growth

• History of building and scaling strategic partnerships that delivered measurable revenue impact and market expansion

• Proven ability to navigate complex regulatory environments and secure government/enterprise partnerships

Why Join Cohere?

• Impact: Shape Cohere’s growth trajectory through high-impact deals that position us as the leader in sovereign enterprise AI

• Autonomy: Build Corporate Development from the ground up in a company with a clear vision and strong market momentum

• Culture: Collaborative, innovative environment focused on responsible AI development and deployment

• Growth: Opportunity to work at the intersection of cutting-edge AI technology, strategic partnerships, and global market expansion

Full-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:

• A weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent in your local currency for lunch.

• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health.

• RRSP matching, 401K, Pension Scheme.

• 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months, for either parent.

• Annual enrichment benefits:

  Arts & culture, fitness/wellness, quality time, and a workspace improvement credit.

  Education & learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching.

• 6 weeks of paid vacation (30 working days!)

• Budget for traveling to other offices if you are remote, plus an annual company offsite.

How and Where We Work:

• Cohere is remote-friendly, but we also have offices in Toronto, London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul with more opening soon.

• For those in the office: a daily lunch program, plenty of snacks, and regular community and social events.

• For those not near an office: a co-working benefit so you can work alongside others in your city.

• Everyone receives a $500 home office stipend to set up your workspace properly.

If any of the above doesn’t line up exactly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply.

We strive to create an inclusive work environment for all; we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.

We may use AI-enabled tools to screen and assess applicants against the criteria for this position. This helps our recruiters identify potentially qualified candidates, but it doesn't limit the applications our recruiters may review or consider.