Director of Partnerships

DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS - GENERATIVE AI FOR INSURANCE Location: New York City (Hybrid: 2–3 days/week in office) Reports To: Head of Sales Compensation: Base: $175,000 - $225,000 | Variable: $50,000 - $75,000 (performance-based) | Equity | Benefits ABOUT QUMIS Qumis is redefining insurance with generative AI. We're building the leading vertical AI platform for insurance knowledge work, trusted by top brokers, carriers, and claims professionals to analyze complex policies, compare terms, and generate law-firm-quality insights in seconds. Our traction is undeniable: 100% pilot conversion, 20% month-over-month growth, and >150% quarter-over-quarter growth in 2025, all with minimal outbound sales or marketing. We're backed by leading venture investors including Armory Square Ventures, MTech Capital, and BrokerTech Ventures. Now we're expanding our sales team to meet demand and scale with precision. ABOUT THE ROLE Work at the forefront of insurance innovation and help shape the industry’s future with our forward-thinking partners. We're hiring our first Director of Partnerships to be a foundational member of our go-to-market team. You'll build our partnerships function from the ground up, define our partner strategy, identify and close strategic partnership deals, and create scalable processes for partner enablement and co-selling as we scale from seed to Series A and beyond. You'll own the identification, negotiation, and management of strategic partnerships that drive distribution, product innovation, and market expansion. You'll work directly with our Head of Sales and founding team, with high visibility and direct impact on company strategy. This role is ideal for someone with deep P&C insurance ecosystem knowledge (distribution, technology platforms, industry organizations) who understands how partnerships drive growth in insurance tech, or a proven partnerships leader from enterprise SaaS ready to become an expert in the insurance technology landscape. WHAT YOU'LL DO Core Responsibilities - Build the partnerships function from scratch, defining strategy, framework, and processes for evaluating, prioritizing, and closing partnership opportunities - Own partner-sourced revenue targets with goal of 20-30% of new ARR from partnerships within 12 months - Identify and close 5-10 strategic partnerships across distribution channels (brokerages, MGAs, platforms), technology integrations (AMS/policy admin systems), and industry organizations to drive new customer acquisition and revenue growth - Negotiate complex partnership agreements including revenue share models, co-selling arrangements, technology integrations, and strategic alliances - Build partner enablement programs including training materials, sales collateral, demo environments, and certification programs to drive partner success - Manage strategic partner relationships with quarterly business reviews, joint account planning, and executive engagement to maximize partnership value - Drive co-marketing initiatives with partners including joint webinars, case studies, event sponsorships, and content collaboration - Track and report partnership metrics including partner-sourced pipeline, closed revenue, partner engagement, and ROI by partnership type Strategic & Cross-Functional - Represent Qumis as a partnership leader at tier-1 industry conferences, partner advisory councils, and ecosystem events - Partner with Product and Engineering to prioritize integration roadmap, API capabilities, and partnership technology requirements - Collaborate with Marketing to create co-branded materials, joint campaigns, partner spotlights, and ecosystem positioning - Work closely with Sales to enable partner co-selling, joint account planning, and deal attribution - Align with Customer Success to ensure visibility into customer health metrics and outcomes for partner-referred accounts, strengthening partner relationships through shared success - Provide market intelligence by synthesizing competitive partnership strategies, ecosystem trends, and emerging partnership opportunities - Develop partnership playbooks including partner tiering framework, ideal partner profiles, partnership agreement templates, and enablement materials Innovation & Efficiency - Leverage AI-native tools to research partners, automate outreach, and scale relationship building - Create scalable partner onboarding and enablement processes that can support 20+ active partnerships - Test and iterate on partnership models, compensation structures, and co-selling motions to maximize ROI - Stay current on insurance ecosystem trends, Insurtech partnerships, API/integration standards, and partnership best practices WHO YOU ARE Required Qualifications - 12+ years of experience in either: - P&C insurance with deep ecosystem knowledge (distribution platforms, broker networks, technology vendors), OR - Enterprise B2B SaaS partnerships/business development with $1M+ partner-sourced revenue responsibility - Proven track record of building partnerships function from scratch or scaling from 0-3 partnerships to 10+ partnerships - Strong negotiation skills with experience structuring complex partnership agreements, revenue share models, and go-to-market arrangements - Relationship builder who excels at building trust with C-suite executives and fostering long-term strategic partnerships - Strategic thinker with ability to identify high-value partnership opportunities and articulate clear ROI and business cases - Cross-functional collaborator skilled at aligning internal stakeholders (Sales, Product, Marketing, Engineering) around partnership priorities - Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort in ambiguity, bias for action, and ability to build processes from zero Preferred Qualifications - Deep knowledge of insurance distribution including brokerage models, MGA structures, wholesale distribution, and Insurtech platforms - Existing relationships within insurance ecosystem including brokerages, technology vendors, industry associations, and Insurtech investors - Prior experience at high-growth startup (seed to Series B) building partnerships function or scaling partnerships from 5 to 25+ - Technical fluency with APIs, integrations, and ability to discuss technical partnership requirements with Engineering teams - Experience with AI/ML partnerships and understanding of how to position AI capabilities to non-technical partnership stakeholders - Track record with multiple industry associations Success Profile You'll thrive if you: - Move fast and iterate without needing perfect information, you test partnership hypotheses quickly and learn from results - Own outcomes, not activities, you're metrics-driven and focus on partner-sourced revenue and partnership ROI - Embrace feedback and are committed to continuous improvement of partnership strategy and execution - Think like a founder and connect your work to company outcomes, no task is too small if it drives partnerships forward - Build trust effortlessly with partners as a strategic advisor, not just a vendor relationship - Balance multiple partnership tracks simultaneously without losing sight of strategic priorities WHY JOIN QUMIS Impact & Ownership - Founding partnerships hire building the entire partnerships function, strategy, and playbook from day one - High visibility working directly with founders and senior leadership on strategic initiatives - Direct influence on product roadmap through partner feedback, API priorities, and integration strategy - Shape company strategy through ecosystem positioning, partnership revenue models, and go-to-market evolution Category Leadership - $1.3T global insurance industry ripe for AI transformation - 100% pilot conversion, 20% MoM growth, word-of-mouth customer acquisition - Work with the most forward-thinking organizations in insurance Compensation & Growth - Top-tier pay with highly competitive base + uncapped commission - Meaningful early-stage equity with strong upside potential - Comprehensive benefits: Health, dental, vision, unlimited PTO, home office stipend Team & Culture - Small, ambitious team with backgrounds from Kin, Goldman Sachs, Archipelago, Chubb, Insureon, and American Express - Culture of experimentation, transparency, and rapid iteration - Investment in your growth through coaching, training, and industry events INTERVIEW PROCESS 1. Intro call with Head of Sales (45 min) 2. Cross-functional interviews with Customer Success and Engineering (30 min each) 3. Partnerships strategy presentation to Head of Sales and CEO (60 min) - prepare 10-minute presentation on your partnership strategy for Qumis 4. Final interview with CEO (45 min) 5. Reference checks and offer Timeline: 2-3 weeks. We move quickly for the right candidate.