Head of Strategic Partnerships, Labs

Scale AI · San Francisco, CA · Sales & BD

Posted 2026-10-14

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About Scale AI

Our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. The Enterprise AI business delivers performant, reliable, and production-grade AI applications to enterprises across all industries by providing Generative AI expertise and infrastructure.

The Role

Scale is looking for a seasoned leader and operator to own Scale Enterprise's partnerships with frontier AI labs and foundation model providers. This leader will build and turn our lab relationships into a go-to-market and technology advantage for the Enterprise business.

This is a revenue-minded role. You will build joint go-to-market motions with model providers, structure technology and commercial partnerships, and make sure Scale is the preferred partner for taking lab models into production at enterprise scale. You need to be strategic, technically fluent, and able to execute in a fast-moving, competitive market.

This role is highly cross-functional. You will work closely with Enterprise sales, product, engineering, research, finance, legal, and marketing. You will also coordinate with Scale's broader relationships with these labs.

You will

Define and deliver the strategy for Scale Enterprise's partnerships with frontier AI labs and foundation model providers

Build trusted relationships with go-to-market, partnerships, applied AI, and executive leaders at partner labs

Structure and negotiate partnerships covering joint go-to-market, co-selling, referrals, model access and commercial terms, and technical integrations

Build joint offerings that pair partner models with Scale's applications, evaluation, and data capabilities to speed up enterprise deployments

Set up co-sell motions and rules of engagement with lab enterprise sales teams, including joint account mapping and deal registration

Generate significant top-of-funnel pipeline through lab partnerships, with clear accountability against Enterprise revenue targets

Work with Product, Engineering, and Research so new model capabilities and partner integrations get to Scale's Enterprise customers quickly

Track the model landscape and advise leadership on where to partner, where to integrate, and where to differentiate

Work with Scale's broader lab relationships so the company presents a consistent, coordinated partnership strategy

Own post-signature execution: integration delivery, joint marketing and launches, and regular business reviews

Be measured on (1) partner-sourced and influenced revenue, (2) product and roadmap advantages gained through partnerships, and (3) the strength and breadth of Scale's model partner ecosystem

Ideally you’d have

12+ years in revenue-carrying business development, strategic partnerships, or alliances at a technology company, with recent experience in AI, ML, or cloud platform ecosystems

Existing relationships with partnerships, go-to-market, or leadership teams at frontier AI labs or major foundation model providers

Strong technical fluency in LLMs, model deployment, evaluation, and enterprise AI architecture, with the ability to hold your own with research and engineering teams

A track record of structuring complex technology and commercial partnerships, including co-sell and platform agreements

Experience managing partners that may also be competitors in some areas

Comfort working in a highly matrixed organization and influencing without direct authority

Entrepreneurial drive, comfort with rapid change, and an analytical, data-driven approach to strategy

Bachelor's degree required

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

Please reference the job posting's subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the locations of San Francisco, New York, Seattle is:

$134,400—$168,000 USD

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