Business Development Manager (Alliances)

About Pinecone:

Pinecone is the leading vector database for building accurate and performant AI applications at scale in production. Pinecone's mission is to make AI knowledgeable. More than 5000 customers across various industries have shipped AI applications faster and more confidently with Pinecone's developer-friendly technology. Pinecone is based in New York and raised $138M in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, ICONIQ, Menlo Ventures, and Wing Venture Capital.

About the Team and Role:

We’re looking for a Business Development Manager – Alliances to help drive Pinecone’s growth through strategic partnerships and scalable partner programs. This is a key role on the Partnerships team, focused on building and scaling high-impact alliances with cloud providers, technology platforms, and systems integrators (SIs) and consulting firms.

You will be responsible for shaping and executing our SI strategy from the ground up, identifying top partners, launching scalable partner acquisition & engagement programs, and activating these channels to accelerate adoption of Pinecone in enterprise GenAI use cases. You will also partner closely with the VP of Partnerships on hyperscaler cloud partners and key ecosystem players to amplify our go-to-market reach and create differentiated, "better together" solutions.

Responsibilities:

• SI Program Buildout: Design and launch Pinecone’s global systems integrator program—including partner recruitment, onboarding, enablement, solution co-development, and go-to-market activation.

• Strategic Alliances: help manage and expand relationships with cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure), AI/ML ecosystem vendors, and key platform partners.

• Field Co-Sell & Pipeline Development: Drive joint account planning and co-selling efforts with SI and cloud partner field teams to accelerate pipeline generation and revenue.

• Partner Enablement: Equip partners with training, collateral, demos, and technical support to successfully position Pinecone in AI/ML solution stacks.

• Joint Solutions & Integrations: Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to identify and execute on key integration or packaged solution opportunities with partners.

• GTM Campaigns: Coordinate with Marketing on partner events, co-branded campaigns, webinars, and case studies to increase Pinecone awareness and adoption via partners.

• Metrics & Reporting: Define success metrics for alliance efforts and regularly report on sourced/influenced revenue, SI engagement, and partner pipeline health.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in business development, partner management, or alliances at an enterprise software, AI/ML, or cloud infrastructure company.

• Demonstrated experience launching or scaling SI/consulting partner programs.

• Experience partnering with cloud hyperscalers (AWS, GCP, Azure), including familiarity with their co-sell motions and marketplace ecosystems.

• Knowledge of AI infrastructure—especially vector databases, LLMs, and model orchestration—is a strong plus.

• Excellent communication, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Ability to operate independently in a fast-paced, high-growth startup environment.

Bonus Points:

• Network of existing relationships in the SI, cloud, and GenAI ecosystems.

• Experience building “better together” stories and integrated solutions with partners.

• Previous experience at a developer-first, PLG or infrastructure-oriented startup.

Why Pinecone?

• Join a category-defining company helping teams unlock real business value from GenAI.

• Drive impact at the center of one of the most important ecosystems in enterprise AI.

• Competitive compensation, meaningful equity, and strong benefits in a remote-first culture.

• Collaborate with top-tier partners and customers building the future of AI

Perks & Benefits:

• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health resources

• 401(k) Plan

• Equity award

• Flexible time off

• Paid parental leave

• Annual Company Retreat

• WFH Equipment Stipend

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) are the cornerstone of everything we do at Pinecone. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications in a job description. Our top priority is finding the best candidate for the job and if you are interested in the position, we would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications listed in this posting. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, veteran status, and any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws.