Head of Systems Integrators

Socket.dev; United States; On-site; USD 330,000 - 380,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in a fast-growing startup

Competitive salary

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Fireworks AI is seeking a strategic partnerships leader to originate and structure commercial agreements with Tier-1 System Integrators (SIs). You will define multi-practice value propositions and build partner capabilities while managing relationships with internal teams.

The ideal candidate will have 8-10 years of experience in technology, superior relationship-building skills, and a proven track record of closing innovative agreements. This role offers a competitive salary between $330,000 and $380,000 USD, equity opportunities, and excellent benefits.

Qualifications

• 8-10 years across top-tier consulting, enterprise technology or AI/ML vendor roles.
• Track record closing non-standard strategic agreements: MoUs, framework deals.
• ML stack fluency sufficient to design and assess technical enablement.

Responsibilities

• Source and close first-of-a-kind commercial agreements with Tier-1 SIs.
• Design operating model: project flow to partners, support tiers.
• Run direct interface desk for partner delivery teams and Fireworks engineers.

Skills

Consulting experience

Non-standard strategic agreements

ML stack fluency

GSI experience

Education

8-10 years in technology or AI/ML roles

Job description

About Us:

At Fireworks, we’re building the future of generative AI infrastructure. Our platform delivers the highest-quality models with the fastest and most scalable inference in the industry. We’ve been independently benchmarked as the leader in LLM inference speed and are driving cutting‑edge innovation through projects like our own function calling and multimodal models. Fireworks is a Series C company valued at $4 billion and backed by top investors including Benchmark, Sequoia, Lightspeed, Index, and Evantic. We’re an ambitious, collaborative team of builders, founded by veterans of Meta PyTorch and Google Vertex AI.

The Role:

SIs are Fireworks’ highest‑leverage GTM channel and this function does not exist yet. The person in this role originates and structures the deals, builds the partners, makes them technically capable, and embeds Fireworks into how they sell. The weight is upstream: strategy and origination, not day‑to‑day partner management.

What You Will Own:

Originate and Structure

• Source and close first‑of‑a‑kind commercial agreements with Tier‑1 SIs – framework deals, global MoUs, joint offering structures – where no playbook exists
• Define the multi‑practice value proposition; align SI executive and line‑of‑business leadership on why Fireworks and how joint delivery creates margin for both sides
• Navigate matrixed GSI org structures to secure internal mandates for dedicated practices or CoEs, aligning competing service lines on governance and delivery standards
• Define co‑delivery swimlanes and market ownership to prevent channel conflict and protect delivery quality as the partner ecosystem scales

Recruit and Develop

• Identify and recruit Tier‑1 SI partners with credible AI practices, client access in target verticals, and appetite to build a Fireworks capability
• Build conviction at every level – make the commercial and technical case from alliance desk to equity partner
• Connect Fireworks engineers, sales, and product to their counterparts at the partner; establish functional working relationships, not just an alliance desk
• Guide partners through standing up a Fireworks service offering: capability definition, staffing model, pricing, and GTM positioning

Enable

• Design and own FDE certification: inference, fine‑tuning pipelines, production deployment – with a track covering SFT, RLHF, and model adaptation
• Build the operating model: how projects flow to partners, support tiers, escalation to the Fireworks technical bench, and commercial attribution
• Run the direct interface desk – standing technical bridge between partner delivery teams and Fireworks engineers for in‑flight engagements
• Own model update continuity: when Fireworks ships, re‑certify partners before delivery is disrupted

Embed

• Place Fireworks in SI practice playbooks and internal solution frameworks – the default inference layer when their AI practices architect for clients
• Produce joint innovation content with named Fireworks placement: reference architectures, solution briefs, and thought leadership under partner credentials
• Develop case studies with specific, attributable outcomes – latency, cost reduction, model quality – with named clients where possible
• Build at practice lead and delivery principal level across all active SI partners, not just alliance managers

Who You Are:

What matters is that you are a practitioner – close enough to how SIs work to know where the leverage is and where the friction lives.

You are technical enough to earn credibility with FDEs and ML engineers – you understand what SFT and RL mean in production and can design enablement that builds those capabilities in others. GSI experience is a strong plus, not a requirement. What is required: you have closed non‑standard strategic agreements before, and you build things that do not exist yet.

What You Bring:

• 8‑10 years across top‑tier consulting, enterprise technology or AI/ML vendor roles, or senior SI alliance leadership – with direct exposure to how GSIs structure, sell, and deliver
• Track record closing non‑standard strategic agreements: MoUs, framework deals, joint offering structures with major GSIs or consulting firms
• Working knowledge of how GSIs operate – practice formation, CoE funding, delivery authority, internal service line competition – from the inside or from working alongside them closely
• ML stack fluency sufficient to design and assess technical enablement: fine‑tuning, inference, deployment pipelines
• Demonstrated 0‑to‑1 program or function builds; not inherited playbooks
• Operates at C‑suite and equity partner level; measures success by pipeline originated and practice maturity, not activity

Bonus:

• Time inside the AI practice of a leading GSI or MBB firm
• Hands‑on post‑training experience: SFT, RL, or RLHF in delivery or program management
• Existing relationships at practice lead or delivery principal level within major consulting or SI AI practices

Total compensation for this role also includes meaningful equity in a fast‑growing startup, along with a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Base salary is determined by a range of factors including individual qualifications, experience, skills, interview performance, market data, and work location. The listed salary range is intended as a guideline and may be adjusted.

On Target Earnings (Plus Equity)

$330,000 — $380,000 USD

Why Fireworks AI?

• Solve Hard Problems: Tackle challenges at the forefront of AI infrastructure, from low‑latency inference to scalable model serving.
• Build What’s Next: Work with bleeding‑edge technology that impacts how businesses and developers harness AI globally.
• Ownership & Impact: Join a fast‑growing, passionate team where your work directly shapes the future of AI—no bureaucracy, just results.
• Learn from the Best: Collaborate with world‑class engineers and AI researchers who thrive on curiosity and innovation.

Fireworks AI is an equal‑opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all innovators.