Strategic Partnerships Manager - AI/API
About The Position
Mercury is seeking a technically proficient partnerships leader to spearhead its presence within the AI and developer ecosystem. This role operates at the intersection of business development and developer relations, leveraging a technical background to build credibility with developers and AI platform teams. The objective is to forge deep, strategic partnerships that integrate Mercury's financial infrastructure into the tools and workflows utilized by emerging founders. This is a 'hunter' role focused on identifying and establishing relationships with AI companies, developer tools, and other AI ecosystem players for embedding Mercury's services. The ideal partnerships will be collaborative, akin to co-building new ventures rather than traditional vendor agreements.
Requirements
- A technical foundation: understanding of APIs, ability to evaluate integration complexity, and credible communication with engineers and CTOs.
- A 'hunter' mentality: proactive identification of targets, ability to gain access, and drive toward deals. Proven track record of sourcing and closing partnerships.
- Deep understanding of the AI and developer ecosystem, including platforms, communities, influencers, and emerging tools. Ability to be perceived as a peer by developers and technical founders.
- Strong commercial acumen: understanding partnership value, deal structuring, and moving conversations to closure.
- Excellent communication skills: ability to present at conferences, write technical content, and participate effectively in product meetings.
- Entrepreneurial mindset: enthusiasm for working with early-stage founders and AI teams, adding value proactively.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in fintech
- Experience in developer-facing partnerships
- Experience in Developer Relations
- Experience in solutions engineering at an API-first company
Responsibilities
- Hunt and close new partnerships
- Proactively identify, target, and close high-leverage partnerships across the AI and developer ecosystem: AI coding assistants, agent frameworks, MCP-native tooling, and developer communities
- Own the full partnership lifecycle: from sourcing and outreach through negotiation, integration scoping, and activation
- Build Mercury's presence in developer communities, attending and speaking at conferences, engaging in online communities, and becoming a known, credible voice in the AI/developer ecosystem.
- Define and execute Mercury's go-to-market strategy for the AI and developer ecosystem
- Develop joint GTM plans with key partners, including co-marketing, co-sell motions, and integration launch strategies
- Feed insights from the developer ecosystem back into Mercury's roadmap and partnership strategy
- Build Mercury's presence as a financial infrastructure partner in the AI-native landscape: MCP integrations, AI platforms, developer tools, and the growing universe of products being built on LLMs
- Position Mercury as the default financial layer for AI-native businesses and the platforms they're built on
- Identify where the next wave of distribution is forming before competitors do and place Mercury there.
Benefits
- Base salary
- Equity (stock options/RSUs)
- Benefits
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
