Head of Partnerships

Cline; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) plan

Equity options

Job summary

A technology company in San Francisco is seeking a Head of Partnerships to develop and lead their partnership strategy. This role requires 7-10+ years of experience in business development, particularly in SaaS or AI. Responsibilities include identifying strategic alliances, collaborating with teams for co-marketing initiatives, and building a high-performing partnerships team. The position offers an annualized OTE of $250,000 – $300,000+ and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or strategic alliances, ideally in SaaS or AI.
• Proven track record of sourcing and managing strategic partnerships.
• Strong understanding of the AI / ML ecosystem.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead our partnership strategy for technology and distribution.
• Identify and negotiate strategic alliances with partners.
• Collaborate with teams to create co-go-to-market initiatives.

Skills

Partnership management

Business development

Negotiation skills

Strategic thinking

Relationship management

Storytelling skills

Job description

Head of Partnerships – Cline

With over 3.2M+ installs and 50k+ GitHub stars, Cline is the leading open‑source AI coding agent trusted by the world’s largest engineering organizations and individual developers alike. Cline is model, provider, and IDE agnostic, meeting engineers wherever they work while keeping code on your infrastructure. It combines cutting‑edge capability with enterprise‑grade security, using existing provider contracts directly with zero markup. Cline has raised $32M in combined Series A and Seed funding led by Emergence Capital and Pace Capital, with participation from 1984 Ventures, Essence VC, and Cox Exponential.

What We Are Looking For

We’re looking for a Head of Partnerships who can identify, build, and scale high‑impact relationships across technology, enterprise, and go‑to‑market channels. This role combines strategy, business development, and execution—ideal for someone who thrives in ambiguity, loves building from zero to one, and wants to shape how AI products reach the world.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead our partnership strategy—including ecosystem, technology, distribution, and channel partnerships.
• Identify and negotiate strategic alliances with AI platforms, infrastructure providers, developer communities, and enterprise partners.
• Collaborate with product, sales, and marketing teams to create co‑go‑to‑market initiatives that drive adoption and revenue.
• Build relationships with VCs, accelerators, and key industry players to expand awareness and influence.
• Evaluate and manage integration and co‑marketing opportunities that enhance product reach and stickiness.
• Establish metrics to measure partnership performance and impact on growth.
• Represent the company externally—at conferences, events, and with key stakeholders.
• Build and lead a small but high‑performing partnerships team as the company scales.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or strategic alliances, ideally in SaaS, developer tools, or AI.
• Proven track record of sourcing, structuring, and managing strategic partnerships that drive measurable business results.
• Strong understanding of the AI / ML ecosystem—including APIs, infrastructure, cloud, and developer workflows.
• Excellent negotiation, relationship management, and storytelling skills.
• Comfort operating in a fast‑paced, startup environment where you wear many hats.
• Strategic thinker with an ability to execute and deliver outcomes autonomously.
• Experience collaborating cross‑functionally with product, engineering, and marketing teams.

Compensation

The annualized OTE (On Target Earnings) range for this position is $250,000 – $300,000+ with a pay mix of 70/30 (base/commission). Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Equity: In addition to the base salary, equity may be part of the total compensation package.

Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents; includes a 401(k) plan.

Seniority Level

• Not Applicable

Employment Type

• Full‑time

Job Function

• Business Development and Sales

Industries

• Hospitals and Health Care
• Wellness and Fitness Services
• Technology, Information and Internet

Location: San Francisco, CA

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