Director, US Strategic Partnerships
Deep expertise in the AI and platform ecosystem, including foundation model providers and major tech platforms Leadership role shaping and scaling Zip’s US partnership strategy to drive merchant and consumer growth Remote-first opportunity for San Francisco Metro area based employees Start your adventure with Zip With the merchant and consumer growth ambitions at Zip, we are looking for a Director, Strategic Partnerships who will own, grow, and manage our strategic partnerships in the US. As the Director, Strategic Partnerships, you will have a deep understanding of the AI and technology partnership landscape and bring strong commercial, strategic, and relationship management skills. This role sits at the core of the organization. You will partner closely with internal and external executives, and work cross-functionally with product, sales, marketing, risk, data, and finance teams to design and execute high-impact partnership strategies. The key goals for this role are to:a) Define Zip's long-term AI, platform, and ecosystem strategy and identify new growth vectors capable of driving material enterprise value.b) Shape executive decision-making on build/buy/partner strategies across merchant, consumer, and platform ecosystems.c) Identify, incubate, and commercialize transformational partnerships, platform bets, and strategic investments that create durable competitive advantage. You will focus on core partners including AI leaders (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic), Amazon, Meta, Adobe, and other strategic technology platforms, and operate as a visible leader and subject-matter expert on AI and platform partnerships across Zip US. Interesting problems you’ll get to solve Develop a deep understanding of the AI, platform & technology landscape to create new opportunities Pull together a consolidated view of trends across AI, cloud, advertising, and commerce platforms, and translate insights into product, commercial, and sales recommendations Complete deep dives on new opportunities across key verticals (e.g., retail, eCommerce, marketplaces) and distribution channels tied to core partners like OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon, Meta, and Adobe Be extremely proficient in PowerPoint, Excel, and Salesforce to model scenarios, structure narratives, and manage partner pipeline and performance Leverage AI tools to surface partnership insights, automate reporting, and identify revenue optimization opportunities across AI and platform partners (e.g., AI-assisted analysis of partner performance, GTM content generation, and risk/opportunity scanning) Educate executives and sales teams on the AI and platform ecosystem, competitive landscape, and partnership opportunities through structured, data-backed storytelling Manage and grow relationships with strategic AI and technology partners to increase market share Develop growth strategy and clear plans for core partners including AI leaders (OpenAI, Anthropic), commerce platforms (Amazon), social platforms (Meta), an...