Partnerships & Growth Manager

Inference.ai; Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Inference.ai in the Bay Area is seeking a Field Marketing & Partnerships Lead to own community building, events, partnerships, and growth. This role is about being a natural connector—loving meetings, bringing communities together, attending events, and turning relationships into opportunities.

You'll represent Inference.ai across the Bay Area startup and AI ecosystem, build relationships with founders and partners, organize events, and help turn our growing network into a strong pipeline of

Qualifications

• 0–4 years of professional experience, with approximately 2+ years preferred.
• Experience organizing events, communities, clubs, conferences, or gatherings.
• Strong interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for meeting new people.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships over time.
• Sales-oriented mindset and ability to turn conversations into business opportunities.
• Excellent organization and follow-through, with proactive follow-up.
• Genuine enthusiasm for AI and startups; deep technical expertise not required.
• Willingness to attend events in the Bay Area, including some evenings.
• Ability to work full-time in the Bay Area.
• Experience in YC, founder/startup ecosystem, venture capital, university entrepreneurship communities, or building your own company is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Own and grow Inference.ai's presence within the Bay Area AI and startup community.
• Plan and execute dinners, meetups, happy hours, founder events, conferences, and other community experiences.
• Attend relevant AI, startup, VC, and founder events and build relationships on behalf of Inference.ai.
• Develop relationships with founders, AI companies, investors, accelerators, universities, and ecosystem partners.
• Identify potential customers and partnership opportunities through events and your network.
• Build and manage communities that keep founders and partners engaged with Inference.ai.
• Partner with sales and leadership to turn relationships into qualified opportunities.
• Develop creative partnerships, sponsorships, and co-hosted events with other organizations.
• Represent Inference.ai externally and become a recognizable face of the company in the community.
• Track relationships, follow up consistently, and help move opportunities through the pipeline.

Job description

Inference.ai is building an AI infrastructure ecosystem that helps companies access and scale the compute they need to build the next generation of AI products. We work with AI startups, founders, infrastructure providers, and technology partners across the ecosystem.

We're looking for someone who can help make Inference.ai a recognizable and well-connected presence within the Bay Area AI community.

About the Role

We're hiring a Field Marketing & Partnerships Lead to own community building, events, partnerships, and relationship-driven growth for Inference.ai.

This isn't a traditional desk-based marketing role. We're looking for a natural connector—someone who loves meeting people, bringing communities together, attending events, and turning relationships into meaningful business opportunities.

You'll represent Inference.ai across the Bay Area startup and AI ecosystem, build relationships with founders and potential partners, organize events and gatherings, and help turn our growing network into a strong pipeline of partnerships and customers.

While this is a field marketing and community-focused position, it is ultimately a growth and sales-oriented role. Success means not only building a great community, but translating those relationships into real opportunities for the business.

Compensation: $80,000–$150,000 annually, depending on experience

What You'll Do

• Own and grow Inference.ai's presence within the Bay Area AI and startup community
• Plan and execute dinners, meetups, happy hours, founder events, conferences, and other community experiences
• Attend relevant AI, startup, VC, and founder events and actively build relationships on behalf of Inference.ai
• Develop relationships with founders, AI companies, investors, accelerators, universities, and ecosystem partners
• Identify potential customers and partnership opportunities through events and your network
• Build and manage communities that keep founders and partners engaged with Inference.ai
• Partner closely with our sales and leadership teams to turn relationships into qualified opportunities
• Develop creative partnerships, sponsorships, and co-hosted events with other organizations
• Represent Inference.ai externally and become a recognizable face of the company within the community
• Track relationships, follow up consistently, and help move opportunities through the pipeline

Who We're Looking For

We're less concerned about a specific degree or traditional career path and more interested in someone who is exceptionally social, resourceful, organized, and connected.

You might have been the person who ran your university's largest club, organized major social events, built a founder community, hosted popular Luma events, worked at a startup or accelerator, or simply became the person everyone seemed to know.

Ideally, you have:

• 0–4 years of professional experience, with approximately 2+ years preferred
• A track record of organizing successful events, communities, clubs, conferences, or other gatherings
• Strong interpersonal skills and genuine enthusiasm for meeting new people
• The ability to build relationships quickly and maintain them over time
• A sales-oriented mindset and comfort turning conversations into business opportunities
• Strong organization and follow-through—you don't just meet people; you remember to follow up
• Genuine enthusiasm for AI and startups; deep technical expertise is not required
• Willingness to regularly attend events throughout the Bay Area, including some evenings
• Ability to work full-time in the Bay Area
• Experience within YC, the founder/startup ecosystem, venture capital, university entrepreneurship communities, or building your own company is a strong plus. A strong existing founder network is also valuable, but not required.

What Success Looks Like

You'll become a super-connector for Inference.ai: someone founders, partners, and AI builders know and trust. You'll consistently bring the right people together, create events people actually want to attend, expand our network, and turn those relationships into partnerships, customers, and measurable growth for the company.