Head of Partnerships - San Francisco - Descript, Inc.

Description

As Head of Partnerships, you will lead Descript's ecosystem strategy, forging and scaling relationships that drive distribution, unlock commercial opportunities, and enhance our product capabilities through integrations. This is a highly cross-functional, product-oriented partnerships role that blends business development, product strategy, and co-marketing.

You will own the end-to-end partnerships strategy—from identifying high-potential opportunities, to structuring agreements, to ensuring ongoing success and adoption. This role requires strong product intuition, deep experience in partnerships, and the ability to represent Descript credibly with senior leaders across technology, AI, and media industries.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute Descript's partnerships roadmap across distribution, integrations, bundling opportunities.
• Identify long-range strategic opportunities with emerging players in AI, generative media, creator ecosystems, and adjacent markets.
• Own executive-level relationships with strategic partners, including AI platforms, content networks, and technology providers.
• Distribution & Growth
  • Expand Descript's reach through integration-driven distribution (e.g., embedding Descript in content platforms, LMS, and creator tools).
  • Lead go-to-market motions with partners to drive ARR, including headless API and platform integrations.
  • Build scalable frameworks for identifying, evaluating, and closing new ARR-generating partners.
• Drive joint campaigns, launches, and partner-led events to create visibility and awareness for Descript.
• Collaborate with marketing to amplify integrations and partnership wins across channels.
• Product Integrations
  • Collaborate with Product and Engineering to identify and deliver integrations that close feature gaps and improve user experience.
  • Ensure integrations create clear, differentiated value for Descript's users while deepening product stickiness.
  • Partner with technical and product teams on go-to-market for new integrations.
• Relationship Management
  • Build and maintain trusted, long-term relationships with partner executives and decision-makers.
  • Ensure ongoing alignment and momentum across multiple active partnerships.

What Success Looks Like

• New ARR generated through distribution and reseller partnerships.
• High-impact integrations that enhance product stickiness and fill feature gaps.
• Increased brand visibility through joint marketing initiatives and industry events.
• Strong, strategic relationships across the AI, generative media, and social ecosystems.
• A scalable partnership framework that balances commercial and product value.

About You

• Experience: 8+ years in partnerships, ecosystem development, or business development at a high-growth SaaS, AI, or media technology company.
• Track Record: Proven success building integration- and distribution-driven partnerships that accelerate growth and strengthen product experience.
• Product Fluency: Deep technical and product intuition; comfortable working closely with product managers and engineers.
• AI/Media Knowledge: Strong knowledge of generative AI, media, or creator ecosystems. Existing industry relationships a plus.
• Strategic + Hands-On: Equally skilled at setting partnership strategy and executing deals from sourcing to launch.
• Collaborative: Works seamlessly across product, engineering, marketing, and executive teams.
• Not Sales-Quota Driven: Experienced in partnerships rather than direct quota-carrying sales roles.

The base salary range for this role is $180,000 - $240,000/year. Final offer amounts will carefully consider multiple factors, including prior experience, expertise, and location, and may vary from the amount above.

Descript is the special company that's in possession of both product market fit and the raw materials (passionate user community, great product, large market) for growth, but is still early enough that each new employee has a measurable influence on the direction of the company.

Benefits include a generous healthcare package, 401k matching program, catered lunches, and flexible vacation time. Our headquarters are located in the Mission District of San Francisco, CA. We're hiring for a mix of remote roles and hybrid roles. For those who are remote, we have a handful of opportunities throughout the year for in person collaboration. For our hybrid roles, we're flexible, and you're an adult—we don't expect or mandate that you're in the office every day. We do believe there are valuable and serendipitous moments of discovery and collaboration that come from working together in person.

Descript is an equal opportunity workplace—we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. We believe in actively building a team rich in diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions to better allow our employees, products, and community to thrive.

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