Head of Partnerships

OverviewHead of Partnerships at vCluster Labs. This role leads strategic partnerships to drive product adoption and ecosystem growth.About VCluster LabsWe are a venture-backed tech startup striving to be the leading force in enabling platform engineers. We raised +$30M from top-tier VCs and are in a hyper-growth phase looking for motivated people to complement our team. Our headquarters are in San Francisco (Salesforce Tower), but our team is distributed around the globe and we have a remote-first work culture. We are the company behind vCluster, an open-source technology for virtualizing Kubernetes (+10k GitHub stars). Open source is part of our DNA. The adoption of our commercial product based on vCluster has grown extremely fast with a multi-million dollar revenue, serving 6 Global Fortune 500 companies and other fast-growing tech unicorns.ResponsibilitiesLead Strategic Partnerships: Identify, initiate, and manage partnerships with data center infrastructure vendors (GPUs, hardware, networking, storage), cloud providers, Kubernetes-focused startups, and major CNCF projects to drive product adoption and ecosystem growth.Build Joint Value Propositions: Co-design technical integrations, reference architectures, solution bundles, or go-to-market campaigns that demonstrate vCluster's value in real-world use cases.Own Relationship Development: From initial outreach to signed OEM agreements, including long-term relationship growth and collaboration across marketing, sales, engineering, and executive touchpoints.Drive Awareness Through Collaboration: Collaborate with partners on blog posts, webinars, case studies, conference talks, and joint events to showcase joint initiatives.Work Cross-Functionally: Partner with Product for integrations, Marketing to amplify joint efforts, and Sales to unlock channel or co-selling opportunities.Stay Close to the Ecosystem: Stay plugged into Kubernetes/CNCF/Infrastructure space to identify breakout tools, trends, or commercial opportunities.RequirementsKnow the Kubernetes Ecosystem Cold: Experience with cloud-native companies, understanding of CNCF landscape, and credibility around infrastructure and enterprise platforms.Understand Both Tech and Business: Ability to discuss GPUs, OpenStack integrations, or platform comparisons and negotiate partner margins or BD strategy.Have Rolled Up Your Sleeves Before: Built or launched a partner program, negotiated strategic deals, or led integrations from scratch.Are a Builder and Operator: Translate partnership ideas into shipped joint solutions and demonstrations.Can Navigate Startups and Giants: Comfortable working with early-stage founders and large hardware partners.Bonus PointsExisting relationships with Kubernetes ecosystem leaders at NVIDIA, Dell, AWS, Azure, or other CNCF-related OSS startups.Experience in channel/solution sales, tech alliances, or partner marketing.Background in infrastructure tools, platform engineering, and open source business models.BenefitsCompetitive Salary: Includes equity.Platinum-Level Insurance: Health, dental, vision, and life insurance with dependent coverage (varies by country).Flexible Working Schedule: Focus on results rather than rigid hours.Workplace Flexibility: Flexible about where you work and adaptable to life pensationBase pay range: $160,000.00/yr - $200,000.00/yrCompensation Range: $160K - $200KSeniority levelDirectorEmployment typeFull-timeJob functionBusiness Development and SalesSoftware DevelopmentCulture & ValuesTechnical ExcellenceCustomer ObsessionImpressive SpeedBold InnovationOpen Source & Open MindvCluster Labs provides equal opportunities for all candidates. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. We promote measures to reduce bias in our hiring process to ensure equal opportunities.We are also actively promoting measures to reduce bias throughout our hiring process to ensure that everyone gets the same opportunities. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-25