Strategic Partnerships Manager
Job description
About the role
You are a technically-fluent partnerships leader who owns Mercury's presence in the AI and developer ecosystem. This role is not a traditional BD role and it is not a Developer Relationships role either; it lives at the intersection of both. You will use a technical background to build credibility with developers and AI platform teams, then translate that credibility into deep, strategic partnerships that bring Mercury's financial infrastructure into the tools and workflows where the next generation of founders actually operate. You are a Hunter who identifies which AI companies, developer tools, and related AI ecosystem players Mercury should be embedded in, and then you go out and make it happen. The best partnerships you close will feel less like vendor deals and more like co-building something new. You will define and execute Mercury's go-to-market strategy for this emerging category, own the full partnership lifecycle, and become a known, credible voice in the AI and developer community.
Key facts
What you'll do
Proactively identify, target, and close high-leverage partnerships across the AI and developer ecosystem, including 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 by 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, taking ownership of how we show up in a category Mercury is still early in.
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 to ensure alignment with real-world needs.
Build Mercury's presence as a financial infrastructure partner in the AI-native landscape, including 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 are built on, embedding our capabilities into their workflows.
Identify where the next wave of distribution is forming before competitors do and place Mercury there to capture early presence.
Translate technical complexity into clear value propositions that resonate with engineers, CTOs, and product leaders without oversimplifying the offering.
Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders to ensure partnership deliverables are integrated, compliant, and aligned with Mercury's standards and capabilities.
Act as the primary point of strategic contact for partner teams, coordinating across product, legal, and operations to close and scale deals efficiently.
Requirements
You have a technical foundation that allows you to understand how APIs work, 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 are a Hunter who does not 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 with a track record of sourcing and closing partnerships, not just managing existing ones.
You are embedded in the developer world and know the AI and developer ecosystem, the platforms, the communities, the influencers, and the emerging tools; developers and technical founders see you as one of them, not as a vendor.
You think commercially and understand what makes a partnership valuable, including how to structure deals and push conversations from "interesting" to signed.
You are a strong communicator who 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 are entrepreneurial and excited to work with early-stage founders and AI teams who are still figuring out what they are building, adding value before asking for anything in return.
You are comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment where priorities shift quickly and ambiguity is high.
You are a self-starter who thrives with minimal process and can manage multiple complex partnerships simultaneously.
Nice to have
Experience in fintech, developer-facing partnerships, Developer Relations, or solutions engineering at an API-first company.
Practical notes
The total rewards package at Mercury includes base salary, equity (stock options/RSUs), and benefits.
Our salary and equity ranges are highly competitive within the SaaS and fintech industry and are updated regularly using market data.
Location details and specific engagement terms are found in the source posting.
This role reports to the Partnerships leadership team and works closely with Product, Engineering, Legal, and Sales.
You will be expected to maintain technical relevance by regularly engaging with new tools and participating in the broader developer community.
Confidentiality and compliance are critical, and you will be required to adhere to Mercury's policies and financial regulations.
This position is eligible for Mercury's standard benefits package, including health, dental, vision, and equity compensation.
The role is positioned to support high-growth initiatives at Mercury by scaling strategic partnerships in the AI and developer ecosystem.
Success in this role will be measured by the number and quality of partnerships activated, developer adoption of integrated solutions, and revenue influence attributed to partner-sourced pipeline.