Business Dev & Partnerships

Strategic Partnerships

You architect ecosystems that multiply revenue without multiplying headcount, turning competitors into collaborators and vendors into profit centers. This path builds CCOs who see the chessboard three moves ahead.

Leads to: CCO

Career Progression

Rotational Tours · L1–L3

Build the craft. Prove you can wield the tools of Business Dev & Partnerships.

Transformational Tours · L4–L7

Deliver outcomes. Each tour has a defined mission and success criteria.

Foundational Tours · L8–L10

Shape the organization. Build institutions, not just products.

What Hiring Managers Look For

L1-L3: You've closed at least one meaningful partnership deal that generated measurable revenue or user growth within 12 months.

L4-L6: You've built a partnerships function from scratch or restructured existing partnerships to deliver 20%+ incremental growth.

L7+: You've orchestrated ecosystem-level partnerships that created new market categories or fundamentally shifted competitive dynamics.

Common Career Transitions

Strategic Partnerships → Corp Dev at L5-L6 for M&A deal origination and execution

Strategic Partnerships → Product Strategy at L4-L5 leveraging partnership market intelligence

Strategic Partnerships → General Management at L6+ running P&L with partnership-driven revenue