VP, Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Growth

Qnetic; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Qnetic is seeking a VP of Partnerships and Commercial Strategy to lead the global partner and ecosystem strategy for long-duration flywheel energy storage. You will own the end-to-end partner motion—from voice-of-customer discovery through pilot frameworks, commercial agreements, and scalable deployments.

You will collaborate with product, engineering, finance, legal, operations, and marketing to translate market pull into executable programs and scalable revenue, driving pilots and a repeatable

Qualifications

• 10+ years in energy storage, grid infrastructure, utility BD, strategic partnerships, or commercial strategy.
• Proven ability to convert pilots into scaled deployments.
• Strong understanding of utility procurement processes and interconnection, safety, and operationalization requirements.
• Experience in structuring commercial agreements, including milestones, performance acceptance, data rights, and risk allocation.
• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with engineering, product, finance, legal, and operations in high-ambiguity environments.
• Executive presence, strong writing skills, and the ability to build trust with senior utility and developer stakeholders.
• Global partnering experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define partner segmentation and prioritization byusecase, geography, and partner archetype.
• Build andmaintaina partnership pipeline with clear qualification criteria, stage definitions, and executive reporting.
• Identifyand operationalize ecosystem partnersrequiredto scale deployments, including EPCs, controls integrators, and service partners.
• Build senior relationships with utilities and public power to capture requirements, decision criteria, andbuyingmotivations.
• Develop partnerships with targeted developers and IPPs to enable multi-site replication andscaledprocurement.
• Create executable partnering frameworks and agreements that translate into early sales and builds sales pipeline
• Translate VOC into use case definitions, performance targets, and test plans that align with utility procurement expectations.
• Structure utility-hosted pilots and demonstrations, including success criteria, operating responsibilities, data rights, and conversion pathways.
• Manage relationships with national labs, research organizations, and industry bodies that accelerate credibility and bankability.
• Ensure learnings feed back into product requirements, warranty roadmap, service strategy, and commercialization materials.
• Drive internal alignment on what can be committed externally, ensuring commitments are deliverable on schedule and within budget.
• Lead negotiations for strategic partnerships and pilot agreements, coordinating legal and executive stakeholders as needed.

Skills

Energy storage

Grid infrastructure

Utility BD

Strategic partnerships

Commercial strategy

Executive presence

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional leadership

Negotiation & deals

Global partnering

Job description

Qnetic is seeking a VP of Partnerships and Commercial Strategy to lead the global partner and ecosystem strategy for long-duration flywheel energy storage. You will own the end-to-end partner motion—from voice-of-customer discovery through pilot frameworks, commercial agreements, and scalable deployments.

You will collaborate with product, engineering, finance, legal, operations, and marketing to translate market pull into executable programs and scalable revenue, driving pilots and a repeatable