Partnerships Manager

About the team Adaptive ML is a frontier AI startup building a Reinforcement Learning Operations (RLOps) platform that enables enterprises to specialize and deploy LLMs into production with measurable impact. We provide the core infrastructure to tune, evaluate, and serve specialized models at scale — pioneering task-specific LLM development and running production-ready workflows that serve millions of requests while optimizing for both cost and performance across distributed systems Our tightly-knit team was previously involved in the creation of state-of-the-art open-access large language models. We raised a $20M seed led by Index Ventures and ICONIQ in early 2024, and we're already in production with customers including Manulife, AT&T, Deloitte, across travel and financial services — with much more to be announced so on.This role sits within our Commercial Staff org, partnering closely with go-to-market and technical teams to scale how Adaptive ML reaches and delivers value to enterprise customers through strategic partners. About The Role As a Sales Partnerships Manager, you will lead Adaptive ML's strategic partnerships motion with a primary focus on the world's leading Systems Integrators — building deep, durable relationships with firms like Deloitte, Accenture, and KPMG that turn into multi-million dollar joint customer outcomes for enterprise GenAI. You will take a handful of existing strategic relationships and build a repeatable, scalable approach to sourcing, structuring, launching, and growing SI partnerships from an early-stage starting point. You will work in tight collaboration with our CRO, account teams, and Sales Engineers to define joint value propositions, run partner motions end-to-end, and bring partners into active customer pursuits. Success in this role looks like a growing set of high-leverage SI partners, partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline, and durable joint GTM plans that translate into multi-million dollar outcomes. Location and work mode: Remote within the US or Canada, with the option to work from our NYC, Boston, or Toronto offices. Roughly monthly travel for partner and customer engagements. Your responsibilities Own the full SI partnerships lifecycle, from target identification and outreach through negotiation, launch, and ongoing GTM execution. Rapidly expand Adaptive ML's SI portfolio, building on a handful of existing relationships to establish a scaled motion with Tier 1 Global Systems Integrators (Deloitte, Accenture, KPMG, PwC, EY, IBM, NTT Data) and high-quality boutique consultancies. Develop and execute an SI partnerships strategy, including segmentation, prioritization, and partner-specific plans rooted in firm-level knowledge of how each SI operates. Structure and close complex, multi-million dollar partnership agreements, balancing commercial terms, technical requirements, and long-term strategic value. Partner closely with Sales Engineers to align technical workflows, integration expectations, and partner enablement for enterprise GenAI deployments. Build joint GTM plans with SI partners and internal sales teams, including co-selling plays, training, marketing collaboration, and account mapping at the firm level. Track partnership health and outcomes, including pipeline contribution, active co-sell engagement, and post-launch expansion opportunities. Operate effectively in a fast-moving Series A environment, bringing strong ownership, pace, and pragmatic decision-making. Your (ideal) background This list is meant to describe the role, not to be a checklist. If you do not match every item but believe you can excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. Must-haves 7+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or strategic sales roles focused on enterprise outcomes. Deep, named relationships with major Systems Integrators — either having worked inside a Tier 1 GSI (Deloitte, Accenture, KPMG, PwC, EY, IBM, NTT Data) or having directly built and carried partnerships into them as a vendor. We're looking for someone who can name their day-one calls and walk us through deals they have personally driven through SIs. Track record of owning and closing multi-million dollar partnerships at continental scale, including SI-influenced and SI-sourced revenue. Experience leading complex negotiations and deal structuring across multiple stakeholders, including legal, product, and executive teams. Track record of building or scaling a partnerships motion in a startup or early-stage environment — bringing structure to zero-to-one ambiguity. Strong ability to translate technical capabilities into clear partner value propositions, in close collaboration with Sales Engineers and technical teams. Comfort operating with ambiguity and speed in a high-growth startup environment, with a bias toward action and high-quality execution. Nice-to-haves Familiarity with generative LLMs and a sense of what makes enterprise GenAI partnerships successful — or strong willingness to ramp quickly on the AI infrastructure category. Existing relationships with leading data platform or hyperscaler ecosystems (e.g., Databricks, Snowflake, AWS, Microsoft, Google). Background in co-selling motions with enterprise sales teams, including account mapping and joint pipeline strategy. Benefits Competitive salary and meaningful equity Top-tier health, dental, and vision coverage Generous paid time off and company holidays Flexible hybrid work in our hub offices Learning and development support Team events and offsites