Strategic Partner Development Lead, Suncatcher

Google LLC; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 203,000; Full time

Job summary

Google LLC in California hires a Strategic Partner Development Lead for Suncatcher to open doors with potential partners, lead exploratory discussions and evaluate/develop business opportunities. You will lead cross-functional teams, provide thought leadership and mentor managers and associates in collaboration with Product, Engineering, and Legal groups.

As a part of Google's Global Partnerships team, you will drive complex, bespoke agreements involving IP considerations in regulated

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 7 years of experience in a partner-facing role at a technology company or start-up.
• Experience in agreement negotiation, partner management or product management in the satellite or technology development environment
• Experience building internal and external senior-level relationships.

Responsibilities

• Manage overall agreement flow and own the end-to-end execution process from initial scoping and partner identification to final agreement signing using Google's internal systems.
• Scope, draft, and close key Suncatcher agreements, covering component supply, equipment purchases, IP licensing, trusted tester setups, and vendor staffing.

Skills

Strategic partnerships

Cross-functional leadership

Negotiation

Relationship management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Strategic Partner Development Lead, Suncatcher

Share Strategic Partner Development Lead, Suncatcher

Google San Francisco, CA, USA ; Mountain View, CA, USA ; +1 more

X

This role may also be located in our Playa Vista, CA campus.

Applicants in the County of Los Angeles: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Applicants in San Francisco: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: San Francisco, CA, USA; Mountain View, CA, USA; Los Angeles, CA, USA.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 7 years of experience in a partner-facing role at a technology company or start-up.
• Experience in agreement negotiation, partner management or product management in the satellite or technology development environment
• Experience building internal and external senior-level relationships.

Preferred qualifications:

• Proven experience collaborating with frontier technology partners, supply chain vendors, and academic research institutions.
• Ability to balance big-picture strategic thinking with highly detailed, tactical execution.
• Strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills to navigate ambiguity and lead cross-functional initiatives.
• A background in technology development or entrepreneurship, ideally supported by education or experience in science, engineering, or AI/ML.
• Background in space systems development, satellite manufacturing, aerospace, or optical communications.

About the job

As a Strategic Partner Development Manager, you'll open doors with potential partners, lead exploratory discussions and evaluate/develop business opportunities. You will lead cross-functional teams, provide thought leadership and serve as a mentor to managers and associates. You are comfortable escalating and presenting business development strategies and key issues to senior management. You'll work closely with Google Product, Engineering, Legal and Sales teams on new product initiatives and key strategic relationships that support our online advertising business.

As a part of the Global Research and Tech and Society Partnerships team, you will drive hundreds of partnerships required to support a vast array of initiatives impacting almost every Google Product Area. These deals are highly negotiated, bespoke agreements involving complex IP considerations in highly regulated environments. You will engage strategically, spending significant time upfront to understand the technology and develop thoughtful partnership strategies before executing.

As a part of Project Suncatcher, Google's moonshot initiative embedded across Google Tech and Society and the AI Infrastructure organization to scale machine learning compute by developing space-based, solar-powered data centers, you will deploy Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) hardware into low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations interconnected via high-speed optical links. The project aims to harness abundant solar energy and overcome terrestrial power and thermal scaling limits. In this role, you will help shape the external aerospace and technology ecosystem critical to executing this goal.

This role may involve working with technical information that is export-controlled. Non-US persons would require an export license to do so (US citizens, lawful permanent residents, and certain protected individuals are considered "US persons" under applicable law).

The Global Partnerships organization is responsible for exploring new opportunities with Google's partners. Google's Global Partnerships team works with a wide range of partners to bring the best of Google to power their business. Google's Global Partnerships team supports Google's own Product teams with essential partnerships to help Google’s user experiences in advertising, Search, Assistant, Maps, Travel, Shopping, Payments and more. Teams create product-enabling partnerships, go-to-market strategies and incubate business growth for a variety of products. Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $140000 - $203000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

• Manage overall agreement flow and own the end-to-end execution process from initial scoping and partner identification to final agreement signing using Google's internal systems.
• Scope, draft, and close key Suncatcher agreements, covering component supply, equipment purchases, IP licensing, trusted tester setups, and vendor staffing.
• Build and maintain strong business partnerships to secure favorable pricing, optimal parts availability, and reliable service delivery.
• Coordinate across internal divisions to synchronize Suncatcher initiatives with Google's broader supply chain and procurement efforts.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Product Management, Legal, and Finance to review contracts, align on strategic goals, and mitigate risk points.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of the users we serve, creating a culture of belonging, and providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), expecting or parents-to-be, criminal histories consistent with legal requirements, or any other basis protected by law. See also Google's EEO Policy , Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal , Belonging at Google , and How we hire .

Google is a global company and, in order to facilitate efficient collaboration and communication globally, English proficiency is a requirement for all roles unless stated otherwise in the job posting.

Equity is granted exclusively and discretionarily by Alphabet Inc. on the basis of an agreement concluded between you and Alphabet Inc. Alphabet Inc. is your sole contractual partner with respect to equity grants. GSU grants are not guaranteed, are discretionary, are subject to approval by the Alphabet Inc. board of directors or its delegate, the terms of the relevant Alphabet Inc. stock plan, and your grant agreement. They have no impact on statutory payments. Current or past grants do not confer an acquired right.