Head of Partnerships

Primary Responsibilities

Partnership Program

• Launch & Scale: Own the end-to-end development and execution of TurbineOne's partnership program across the global defense market.
• Target High-Value Alliances: Hunt for and secure key technology, channel, manufacturing, and strategic partners to amplify our market presence.
• Develop the Ecosystem: Forge deep, long-term relationships with defense primes, system integrators, emerging tech companies, and forward-leaning government innovation hubs.
• Build for the Future: Establish the scalable playbooks, systems, and operating models that enable long-term strategic relationships with primes, OEMs, system integrators, distributors, venture-backed technology companies, and government innovation organizations.
• Establish scalable partnership processes, systems, governance, and operating models that can support future regional or sector-focused partner managers.

Partnership Diligence

• Lead and coordinate commercial and strategic diligence for prospective partnerships.
• Evaluate partner capabilities, reputation, technical fit, financial stability, customer access, competitive positioning, and execution risk.
• Coordinate cross-functional technical, operational, legal, contracts, security, compliance, financial, and business reviews prior to partnership approval.
• Develop Go/No-Go recommendations and executive decision briefings.

Commercial Execution

• Structure and negotiate partnership frameworks including:
  • NDAs
  • Teaming Agreements
  • Memorandums of Understanding
  • Reseller Agreements
  • Distribution Agreements
  • Strategic Alliance Agreements
• Work with contracts, legal, and outside counsel (as appropriate) to document, review, and finalize agreements.
• Build repeatable partnership playbooks, onboarding processes, governance models, and success metrics.

Market Expansion

• Expand TurbineOne's reach into new domestic and international markets through strategic partnerships.
• Identify adjacent industries, defense programs, and commercial opportunities where partnerships can accelerate adoption.
• Develop partner enablement strategies that empower partners to successfully represent, position, support, and grow TurbineOne within their markets.
• Establish and progress joint go-to-market planning, co-selling, demonstrations, proposal efforts, and marketing initiatives.

In a Typical Week You Will

• Evaluate and Initiate Strategic Alliances: Meet with prospective partners to rigorously assess and qualify high-impact teaming opportunities that improve TurbineOne’s potential for success.
• Execute Due Diligence: Perform comprehensive diligence—evaluate market access, customer networks, reputation, and operational execution capabilities.
• Build Executive Recommendations: Synthesize complex assessment findings into structured Go/No-Go recommendations to guide executive leadership on potential alliances.
• Negotiate Key Agreements: Review, structure, and negotiate NDAs and teaming agreements to protect IP and define terms prior to joint capture efforts
• Align with Engineering: Partner cross-functionally with Engineering to evaluate integration feasibility with partner platforms.
• Build and Execute Joint Go-to-Market plans: Drive co-marketing strategies with partners to accelerate sales pipeline.
• Manage Ongoing Partner Relationships: Lead periodic business reviews with active partners to ensure business goal alignment, cross-team training, and future milestones.
• Support proposal efforts: Work with capture and proposal team to craft compelling proposals involving multiple industry partners.
• Communicate with Executive Leadership: Review prospective partners and active partnership portfolio, including pipeline, risks, performance and strategic opportunities.
• Establish Best Practices: Create and curate partner competencies, supported by playbooks that enable onboarding and ongoing training.

Desired Experience

• 10+ years in Strategic Partnerships, Business Development, Corporate Development, Alliance Management, or Commercial Operations.
• Experience within DefenseTech, aerospace, dual-use technology, or enterprise software.
• Demonstrated success in diligence, activating, building, and managing strategic partnerships that drive measurable business growth.
• Experience evaluating partnership opportunities across technical, commercial, operational, and competitive dimensions.
• Experience managing partnerships through onboarding, enablement, joint planning, governance, performance review, and renewal or exit.
• Familiarity with defense acquisition ecosystems, including DoD contracting, OTA agreements, direct commercial sales, and industry teaming structures.
• Strong understanding of international business development, distribution models, and channel partnerships.
• Experience reviewing US domestic and international commercial agreements such as NDAs, teaming agreements, and reseller agreements.
• Working knowledge of ITAR, export controls, intellectual property considerations, and government contracting compliance.

Startup Culture Expectations

• You're a builder who takes the initiative to create scalable partnership programs from the ground up.
• You think strategically but execute tactically.
• You naturally connect people, organizations, and ideas into mutually beneficial partnerships.
• You perform thoughtful diligence before making recommendations while maintaining startup speed.
• You collaborate across technical and business teams to solve complex problems.
• You are comfortable with ambiguity, move quickly, and continuously improve processes.
• Above all, you're motivated by helping deliver transformative AI capabilities into the hands of those operating on the front lines.