Senior Partnerships Lead, Platform

Airbnb

5d•Remote

About The Position

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way. The Community You Will Join: The Platform Partnerships organization serves as the go-to team for taking new technology and platform products to market. Our mission is to drive adoption of Airbnb's platform, increase the utility of our marketplace by incorporating partner products and services, and lay the foundation for new businesses and revenue streams. Within Platform Partnerships, the Business Development (BD) function owns the front end of the partnership lifecycle: defining strategy, identifying and recruiting partners, structuring commercial agreements, and setting the foundation for long-term partnership success. The Difference You Will Make: We are looking for an experienced and strategic Senior Partnerships Lead to join our Platform Partnerships team. In this role, you will own the BD strategy and deal execution for two of our most important and nascent partnership categories: utility-focused partner services that solve real traveler needs (like airport transfers and grocery delivery) and supply acquisition through SaaS, B2B and B2C service platforms (like private chefs, massage therapists, and hair stylists). These are new categories for Airbnb, and you will be responsible for building them from the ground up. You will help define which industries and companies to target, develop the commercial frameworks and partner value propositions that will differentiate Airbnb, and personally lead the negotiations and deal structuring for our highest priority partnerships. This is a highly cross-functional, high-ambiguity role suited to someone who thrives at the intersection of strategy, product, and dealmaking.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or a related field, with a track record of independently owning and closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals
Experience building new partnership categories or programs from scratch, including defining strategy, recruiting early partners, and developing commercial frameworks
Demonstrated ability to develop and execute partnership strategy, not just manage inbound opportunities
Strong commercial instincts and experience structuring and negotiating deals with diverse partner types, from large enterprise platforms to individual service providers
Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments with limited precedent; able to make sound decisions with incomplete information
Experience working cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Finance, and Legal to align on strategy and move deals forward
Exceptional communication and influence skills; able to develop a compelling point of view and bring senior stakeholders along
Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Nice To Haves

Experience in travel, marketplace, or consumer technology is a plus

Responsibilities

Partnership Strategy: Define and own the BD strategy for Airbnb Service partnership categories. Identify the highest value industries, partner profiles, and use cases. Develop a clear point of view on how each category should grow over time, including commercial models, incentive structures, and the sequencing of partners needed to prove and scale each category. Contribute meaningfully to the broader Platform Partnerships strategy and roadmap.
Deal Execution: Lead the end-to-end BD process for priority partnerships: from initial outreach and scoping through negotiation, term sheet, and contract execution. Develop and refine commercial frameworks that balance short-term value with long-term scalability. Structure deals that create genuine win-win outcomes for Airbnb, partners, guests, and hosts.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Work closely with Finance, Legal, Product, and Business to define partner profiles, model revenue opportunities, set success metrics, and develop contracting frameworks. Represent the partnership opportunity clearly and compellingly to senior internal stakeholders and build the internal consensus required to move quickly on priority deals.
Market and Category Expertise: Develop deep expertise in the industries and partner landscapes most relevant to your categories. Anticipate market shifts, competitive dynamics, and regulatory considerations that could affect Airbnb's partnership strategy. Use that expertise to proactively identify new opportunities and bring well-developed recommendations to leadership.
Program Development: Define the KPIs, reporting frameworks, and feedback loops needed to evaluate and iterate on new partnerships. Capture learnings from early pilots to inform the playbooks, commercial templates, and partner onboarding processes that will allow these categories to scale globally over time.
Internal Advocacy: Serve as the internal voice for your partner categories. Synthesize partner feedback and market insight and bring it to Product and Engineering to inform the roadmap. Help internal stakeholders understand the commercial opportunity and strategic importance of the categories you own.