Head of Strategic Partnerships

About Backstory

Backstory (formerly People.ai) is the leading AI answers platform for sales teams. With more than a decade of training AI models on billions of sales interactions, Backstory enables modern sales teams to ask questions and get the right answer in the moment directly within their existing AI workflows. Sales leaders from companies like Red Hat, Five9, Palo Alto Networks, Iron Mountain, TransUnion, Randstad and others rely on Backstory to get trusted answers wrapped in real business context helping them orchestrate deals more effectively and drive revenue. 

By connecting every signal to the right accounts and opportunities, Backstory shows teams exactly what is happening and what to do next. Customers across industries including enterprise, cybersecurity, data and analytics, and defense use Backstory to drive trillions in pipeline and revenue.

Recognized by Gartner and Forrester, the Inc. 5000, Y Combinator Top Companies, and the Forbes AI 50, Backstory is based in San Francisco and backed by ICONIQ Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Akkadian Ventures and Mubadala Capital.

The Role

Backstory (Formerly People.ai) is hiring a Head of Strategic Partnerships to build and scale our partner channel from the ground up.

This role focuses on developing early relationships with a small set of high-impact partners such as Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. The goal is to identify where meaningful opportunities exist and convert those relationships into a partner-sourced pipeline through active co-sell motion.

This is a builder role that requires strong judgment, direct engagement with partner sellers, and the ability to create traction from an early starting point.

Over time, this role will evolve into building an AI-first partner engine that drives pipeline through leverage, automation, and repeatable systems.

Responsibilities

Own and develop early relationships across a focused set of strategic partners

Identify where to invest to generate partner-driven introductions quickly

Build direct relationships with partner field sellers and account teams

Translate Backstory’s product into a clear and compelling value proposition for partner sellers

Convert early engagement into active co-sell motion and pipeline

Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Product, and Marketing to support and enable the motion

Build toward an AI-first, scalable partner channel through automation and leverage

Requirements

Experience building partnerships and co-sell motion from the ground up

Strong understanding of enterprise ecosystems such as Microsoft, Salesforce, and ServiceNow

Ability to influence partner AEs and drive meaningful engagement

Strong judgment and ability to prioritize in ambiguous environments

Clear and compelling communicator who can position value effectively

High energy and comfort operating in early-stage environments

AI-first mindset with a focus on leverage, automation, and scalable impact

What Success Looks Like

90 days: Clear and prioritized partnership plan with defined actions, dependencies, and early traction

6 months: At least one partner in active co-sell motion with real opportunities

12 months: Early signs of AI-driven leverage across partner workflows

18 months: Approximately 20% of new logo pipeline sourced from partners