Head of Startup Program

Nebius

5d • Remote

About The Position

Nebius is leading a new era in cloud computing to serve the global AI economy. We create the tools and resources our customers need to solve real-world challenges and transform industries, without massive infrastructure costs or the need to build large in-house AI/ML teams. Our employees work at the cutting edge of AI cloud infrastructure alongside some of the most experienced and innovative leaders and engineers in the field.
We are hiring a Head of Startup Program to build and scale a world-class, AI-native startup program at Nebius. This role will define the strategy, operating model, and measurable impact of our global Startup Program, ensuring it becomes a meaningful acquisition, retention, and expansion engine for the company.
Unlike traditional startup programs that focus primarily on credits or community engagement, our vision is to create a commercially rigorous, technically differentiated program designed specifically for AI-native companies. You will own the end-to-end startup lifecycle — from onboarding and first deployment to production scale and long-term expansion.
This is a highly cross-functional leadership role at the intersection of ecosystem, product, sales, and customer success.
You are welcome to work remotely from the United States (San Francisco Bay Area preferred)

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in cloud infrastructure, AI platforms, developer ecosystems, or startup GTM roles
• Proven experience building or scaling startup programs, developer platforms, or ecosystem initiative
• Demonstrated ability to translate early-stage engagement into long-term commercial impact
• Strong understanding of AI workloads, including training and inference environments
• Experience working closely with Sales, RevOps, Product, and Customer Success teams
• Data-driven and metrics-oriented, with the ability to define and track performance KPIs
• Operationally rigorous, capable of building scalable systems and repeatable processes
• Comfortable operating across both technical and commercial functions
• Credible and trusted by founders, technical teams, and executive stakeholders
• Strong communicator with the ability to influence cross-functional teams

Nice To Haves

• Experience at a cloud provider or AI infrastructure company
• Experience in a high-growth startup environment
• Background as a founder or early-stage operator
• Familiarity with venture capital ecosystems and portfolio engagement models

Responsibilities

• Design and continuously evolve the global strategy for the Startup Program, including stage-based engagement models that support companies from early experimentation through growth and scale.
• Define the end-to-end startup lifecycle framework, from onboarding through expansion, ensuring clear progression milestones and measurable success benchmarks.
• Develop structured credit frameworks aligned with both technical and commercial milestones.
• Embed differentiated technical value — including GPU advisory, training optimization, and inference best practices — into the core program experience.
• Own the startup customer journey from initial engagement through production and long-term expansion.
• Drive measurable business outcomes in partnership with Sales, RevOps, and Customer Success teams.
• Generate high-quality startup pipeline and improve conversion from credits to paid workloads.
• Increase expansion revenue from startup accounts through structured lifecycle engagement and success planning.
• Establish reporting mechanisms to track program ROI, optimize funnel performance, monitor retention, and ensure accurate CRM attribution.
• Design and optimize seamless onboarding experiences that accelerate time-to-first-deployment and time-to-production.
• Define startup success milestones and playbooks in collaboration with Solutions Engineering and Customer Success teams.
• Develop technical enablement programs that help startups deploy faster, optimize infrastructure costs, and scale efficiently.
• Build proactive engagement models to support high-potential startups through critical growth phases
• Continuously improve retention and customer health metrics within the startup segment.
• Collaborate closely with the Venture Partnerships team to strengthen portfolio engagement across priority VC firms.
• Build structured referral workflows to increase portfolio penetration.
• Run technical clinics and targeted enablement initiatives for VC-backed startups.
• Position Nebius as a preferred infrastructure partner within strategic venture ecosystems.
• Serve as the central driver of the Startup Program across Sales, Solutions Engineering, Product, Marketing, and Ecosystem teams.
• Ensure alignment between startup initiatives and broader GTM, product, and customer success priorities.
• Improve internal processes to reduce friction across onboarding, deployment, and expansion stages.
• Act as the internal voice of the startup segment, informing product roadmap and GTM strategy.

Benefits

• Health insurance: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and families.
• 401(k) plan: Up to 4% company match with immediate vesting.
• Parental leave: 20 weeks paid for primary caregivers, 12 weeks for secondary caregivers.
• Remote work reimbursement: Up to $85/month for mobile and internet.
• Disability & life insurance: Company-paid short-term, long-term and life insurance coverage.
• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Opportunities for professional growth within Nebius.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• A dynamic and collaborative work environment that values initiative and innovation.

What This Job Offers

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