Director, Strategic Partnerships

About the Position

This role drives the strategic expansion of supply, demand, and data partnerships across Verve and all business lines. Sitting at the intersection of Business Development, Product, and Operations, you will source and negotiate high-impact agreements, deepen strategic accounts, and collaborate with Sales Engineering and Product to prioritize integrations that move the needle. As a build-and-own role, success is measured by the partnerships you source and close, the top-line revenue they unlock, and their operational performance post-launch.

What You Will Do

Market Intelligence

• Track programmatic, in-app, web, and CTV trends to anticipate shifts in supply and demand economics.
• Identify white-space partnership opportunities and deliver data-backed recommendations to guide company’s strategy.
• Monitor competitive dynamics, pricing, and deal structures to maintain Verve’s market edge.
• Share actionable market intelligence with Product, Sales, and Leadership to shape GTM and product roadmaps.

Partnerships Management

• Identify, prioritize, and secure high-impact demand, supply, and data partnerships to maximize liquidity and expand market reach.
• Negotiate market-competitive commercial agreements across key pricing, revenue, and exclusivity frameworks.
• Drive the partner lifecycle from initial sourcing through live integration, collaborating cross-functionally to ensure rapid deployment.
• Lead executive partner relationships to gather performance insights, mitigate operational risks, and unlock strategic expansion opportunities.

Performance Analytics & Operations

• Track key metrics, including fill rates, yield, latency, and quality, to continuously optimize portfolio health, diagnose underperformance, and execute cross-functional corrective action plans.
• Translate market needs into product requirements, collaborating with Product, Engineering, and Finance on roadmaps, deal economics, and forecasting.
• Deliver executive reporting and business reviews on portfolio performance, revenue health, and strategic growth drivers.
• Govern end-to-end partnership operational flows, ensuring full alignment with corporate compliance frameworks, risk policies, and SLA standards.

What Success Looks Like

• Deliver Revenue Growth: Source and close supply, demand, and data deals that expand marketplace liquidity.
• Accelerate Time-to-Live: Lead end-to-end onboarding cross-functionally to convert signed contracts into live, optimized traffic in a timely and efficient manner.
• Maximize Portfolio Yield: Maintain strong account health by continuously tuning fill rates and resolving performance bottlenecks.
• Guide Strategy with Intel: Translate competitive dynamics and market trends into actionable inputs for Product, Sales, and Leadership.

What You Will Bring

• 5-8+ years of business development, partnerships, or strategic account management in ad tech, programmatic, or mobile advertising (e.g., Partner Manager, BD Manager, Strategic Partnerships Manager).
• Proven cross-functional collaborator, skilled at driving alignment across Engineering, Product, Ops, Legal, and Finance to navigate ambiguity, streamline workflows, and execute complex product launches.
• Established network and active relationships with SSPs, DSPs, or major publishers across mobile, CTV, or in-app ecosystems.
• Proven track record of sourcing, negotiating, and closing end-to-end commercial agreements, owning deal terms and financial modeling rather than solely relationship management.
• Deep technical proficiency in SSP/DSP mechanics, OpenRTB specifications, header bidding, yield optimization, and ad server integration QA.
• Ability to bridge technical and commercial teams, translating complex engineering and product concepts into accessible, business-driven insights for non-technical stakeholders.
• Exceptional executive communication skills, with a track record of articulating strategy, deal economics, and complex operational performance to senior leadership and C-suite executives.