Head of Ecosystem & Partnerships

Shepherd • San Francisco, CA

4h • $140,000 - $160,000 • Onsite

About The Position

We're seeking our first Head of Ecosystem & Partnerships to join our founding team. This isn't just a job. It's a chance to make Shepherd the default legal partner inside the startup ecosystem and to build the channel that will drive our next stage of growth. Founders choose their lawyers at two moments: when they incorporate and when they raise. Both moments run through venture funds, studios, accelerators, and founder communities. You'll work directly with our CEO and Chief Legal Officer to build relationships, programs, and partnerships that put Shepherd in front of founders at exactly those moments. As our first hire in this function, you'll own the strategy, budget, relationships, and pipeline for a channel we expect to become our largest source of new customers. You'll have a clear path to building and leading a team as it scales. This is a rare opportunity to help define a new category: AI-native legal services for startups.

Requirements

• 7+ years of professional experience across venture, startups, or the startup ecosystem
• 3+ years as Head of Community, Head of Partnerships, Head of Platform, or equivalent, with ownership of strategy, budget, and outcomes
• 2+ years in venture capital or VC-facing roles, whether as an investor (including corporate VC), on a platform or community team, or running venture partnerships at a startup that sells through the VC ecosystem
• Experience selling a service to startups through the VC and accelerator ecosystem, ideally at a company whose customers are founders
• Proven track record of turning community and partnerships into measurable pipeline, customers, and revenue
• Proven event, field marketing, and experiential leadership, with attendance, retention, and outcomes to show for it
• An established network across seed and Series A investors, platform teams, accelerators, and founders, with depth in SF
• Fluency in startup finance and fundraising, including SAFEs, priced rounds, cap tables, and diligence
• Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate before starting

Nice To Haves

• A track record of growing from individual contributor to head of a partnerships or community function at a startup-services company
• Investing experience at a corporate VC or multi-stage fund, especially in AI, fintech, or B2B software
• Platform or community leadership at a well-regarded seed fund or top accelerator
• Head of Community or Partnerships experience at an AI-native company
• A background in finance, such as investment banking, VC, or fintech
• Experience launching community spaces or programs from zero, such as a founder lounge, residency, cohort, or recurring series
• Mentoring or advising roles with fellowships, accelerators, or university programs
• An engaged personal audience among founders and investors

Responsibilities

• Build and manage relationships with Heads of Platform, talent and community leads, and partners at pre-seed, seed, and Series A funds, starting in SF and the Bay Area
• Secure placement in portfolio perk programs, preferred-vendor lists, and platform resource libraries, and create fund-specific offerings such as portfolio pricing, fundraise-readiness reviews, and diligence prep
• Partner with venture studios, accelerators, fellowships, and university programs through cohort offers, incorporation packages, legal office hours, and curriculum workshops on formation, equity, SAFEs, and fundraising
• Build co-selling and referral partnerships with companies that serve the same founders, including startup banks, payroll and HR platforms, cap-table tools, insurance, and recruiting platforms
• Design and launch a recurring Shepherd founder event series in SF, and co-host programming with partner funds, ecosystem partners, and founder communities
• Build Shepherd's own founder community into an asset partners want access to, including owned formats such as founder office hours and a Shepherd founder circle
• Own field marketing, including conference strategy, sponsorships, demo days, and ecosystem activations, with clear ROI tracking
• Work with Shepherd's attorneys to produce founder-facing content, such as term-sheet explainers, fundraising checklists, and legal playbooks, that partners distribute to their networks
• Serve as a visible voice for Shepherd on LinkedIn, at events, and on panels
• Design partner structures, perks, and co-marketing terms with our CLO to ensure compliance with legal-industry referral and advertising rules
• Own the partnership CRM and reporting, covering partner-sourced pipeline, conversion, CAC, and revenue contribution, and report monthly to the CEO
• Bring founder and investor feedback back to shape product, pricing, and service packaging
• Within 90 days, sign 5+ partnerships across funds, accelerators or studios, and ecosystem or community partners, and launch Shepherd's first SF founder event. Within 12 months, make partnerships a top-two acquisition channel.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation: $140,000 – $160,000 base salary + variable tied to partner-sourced revenue
• Meaningful equity: Early-stage ownership with significant upside
• Direct impact: Build and own Shepherd's largest growth channel
• Category creation: Shape how startups discover and buy legal services
• Professional growth: Opportunity to build and lead a community and partnerships team or move into a Chief of Staff role as the company scales
• Budget to build: Dedicated resources for events, travel, and ecosystem sponsorships, plus relocation support for candidates moving to SF
• Mission-driven work: Help democratize access to high-quality legal services for startups

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed