Strategic Partnerships Director

An overview of this role

As the Director, Strategic Partnerships, you will own GitLab's relationships with its two major cloud infrastructure partners: AWS and Google Cloud. This is a single-threaded owner role, reporting to the VP, Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships. You will shape partnership strategy from the top down and drive execution from the ground up, this is as much about running the weekly grind of a partnership as it is about setting its direction, turning strategic relationships into durable business outcomes.

You will own the commercial relationship end-to-end: managing GitLab's cloud infrastructure spend and consumption commitments, and leading renewal negotiations for enterprise agreements (e.g., EDPs, MACCs, or equivalent) before they come due. You will also own the technical and go-to-market side of each relationship: driving product integrations, shaping joint go-to-market strategy, and connecting GitLab's product roadmap and AI strategy to concrete partner initiatives. This is not a co-sell, channel, or revenue-through-partners role. Success here looks like disciplined commercial ownership, technical integration depth, and renewal outcomes that protect and grow GitLab's position, not partner-sourced pipeline or quota attainment.

This role sits close to GitLab's evolving AI strategy and the future of our AI-powered DevSecOps platform. You will develop a clear point of view, represent these partnerships with senior stakeholders, and personally drive the day-to-day work that spans multi-year planning and weekly execution, chasing down blockers, keeping workstreams on track, and doing the detailed follow-through yourself rather than delegating it.

What you'll do

• Serve as the primary owner and point of contact for GitLab's cloud infrastructure partnerships with AWS and Google Cloud, personally accountable for the direction, operating rhythm, and outcomes of each.
• Own the full commercial lifecycle of each relationship: negotiating rates and terms, tracking consumption against committed spend, and leading renewal negotiations well ahead of contract expiration.
• Manage cloud infrastructure spend as a standing responsibility, partnering with Finance/FinOps on forecasting, true-ups, and cost optimization across both hyperscalers.
• Drive product integrations with each partner, working directly with engineering and product management counterparts on both sides to identify, scope, and deliver joint technical initiatives.
• Develop and lead joint go-to-market strategy for each partnership, connecting GitLab's business priorities, product roadmap, and AI strategy to concrete partner initiatives, and then own getting those plans executed.
• Build strong working relationships across partner organizations, including executives, product management, engineering, sales, and marketing stakeholders.
• Run a disciplined operating cadence across complex initiatives, with clear priorities, owners, timelines, coordination points, and follow-through you drive yourself.
• Coordinate cross-functional work inside GitLab to support partnership goals, aligning teams across product, engineering, sales, marketing, finance, and the executive group.
• Translate partner opportunities and requests into actionable internal plans, including roadmap discussions, integration needs, commercial terms, and executive recommendations.
• Track and communicate measurable partnership outcomes such as spend efficiency, consumption trends, renewal terms secured, integration progress, and joint go-to-market execution.
• Represent the partnerships at the executive level by preparing clear recommendations, briefing executives, and helping drive alignment on investments, trade-offs, and next steps.

What you'll bring

• Significant experience owning strategic partnerships, alliance relationships, or vendor/commercial relationships in enterprise software, cloud, and/or AI, with a track record of being in the details, not just setting direction. This experience should reflect owning one or a small number of relationships in depth, not administering a large multi-partner channel ecosystem.
• Direct experience managing enterprise cloud commercial agreements (e.g., EDP, MACC, or similar consumption/spend commitments) with at least one major hyperscaler, including experience owning a renewal cycle from expiration planning through negotiation and close.
• Experience driving product or technical integrations with a cloud partner, and shaping joint go-to-market strategy that connects a product roadmap to partner initiatives.
• Strong ownership mindset with the ability to operate as a single-threaded owner who is accountable for both strategy and execution, and comfortable doing the hands-on work personally rather than handing it off.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex commercial and partnership topics into clear recommendations for executives and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong project and program management skills, including the ability to organize complex workstreams, prioritize effectively, and keep multiple initiatives moving through direct, hands-on management.
• Genuine technical fluency in software development, platform integrations, and cloud infrastructure, with comfort engaging engineering and product counterparts in substantive conversations, not just positioning technology commercially.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders on high-visibility initiatives, including preparing executive briefings, framing recommendations, and driving follow-through.
• Ability to influence without formal authority, build strong working relationships across internal and external teams, and navigate multiple priorities with sound judgment.
• Familiarity with the DevSecOps ecosystem and a results-oriented approach to measuring partnership impact through spend efficiency and business/product outcomes rather than partner-sourced revenue or quota attainment.
• Preferred: candidates based in US Eastern or Central time zones, given close cross-functional coordination needs.

About the team

The Strategic Partnerships team owns the strategy and relationship management for some of GitLab's most consequential external partners, including the hyperscalers powering GitLab's infrastructure and future AI capabilities. We work across product, engineering, sales, marketing, finance, and the executive group to turn these partnerships into differentiated value for GitLab, manage our infrastructure investment responsibly, and ensure these relationships support our long-term platform strategy.

United States Salary Range 168000 - 285600 USD