Strategic Partnerships Manager – AI/API

What You’ll Do:
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.

Build the playbook

Define and execute Mercury’s go-to-market strategy for the AI and developer ecosystem, this is a category Mercury is still early in, so you’ll have real ownership over how we show up
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

Navigate the AI ecosystem

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.

What We’re Looking For:
You have a technical foundation. You understand how APIs work, can evaluate integration complexity, and speak credibly with engineers and CTOs, not as a builder, but as someone who deeply understands how things are built.
You’re a hunter. You don’t wait for warm intros or inbound. You identify who Mercury should be talking to, find your way into the room, and drive toward a deal. You have a track record of sourcing and closing partnerships, not just managing existing ones.
You’re embedded in the developer world. You know the AI and developer ecosystem, the platforms, the communities, the influencers, the emerging tools. Developers and technical founders see you as one of them, not as a vendor.
You think commercially. You understand what makes a partnership valuable, can structure deals, and push conversations from “interesting” to signed.
You’re a strong communicator. You can present at a developer conference, write a compelling technical post, and hold your own in a product meeting, often in the same week.
You’re entrepreneurial. You’re excited to work with early-stage founders and AI teams who are still figuring out what they’re building. You add value before asking for anything.

Our target new hire base salary ranges for this role are the following:
US employees in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $180,900 – $226,100
US employees outside of the New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $162,800 – $203,500