Director, Frontier Model & AI Alliances

About the Role 

This is not a traditional alliances role. The companies you’ll be building relationships with Anthropic, OpenAI, Spacex and others in the frontier AI ecosystem, don't have mature partner programs. They move fast, they're early-stage in how they engage partners, and standard partnership playbooks don't work with them.

This role is about deepening Zenity's presence and influence across the frontier AI ecosystem. That means getting inside communities, building access, and creating the kind of ongoing dialogue with key players that doesn't come from a partner portal or a co-sell agreement. It requires equal parts diplomat, ecosystem insider, and alliances professional.

About Zenity

Zenity is the leader in AI Agent Security and the first company to bring an agent-centric security platform to market. As enterprises accelerate AI agent adoption, we are establishing the security framework for how AI agents are secured and governed at enterprise scale.

We deliver full-lifecycle visibility, governance, detection, prevention, and response for AI agents from buildtime to runtime, across SaaS, home-grown platforms, and end-user devices. Backed by $55M+ in funding, including a $38M Series B with strategic investment from Microsoft’s M12, Zenity is trusted by Fortune 500 enterprises globally.

Join us in shaping how AI agents are secured at enterprise scale.

What You'll Do:

• Build and manage relationships across the frontier AI and data platform ecosystem: Anthropic, OpenAI, Cursor, Spacex, and emerging players in the space
• Tap into and operate within key AI ecosystems and communities (e.g., Y Combinator network, AI-native founder circles) to create access and inroads where formal programs don't exist
• Establish multi-level, ongoing communication with target partners, product roadmap visibility, leadership access, and early awareness of changes that affect Zenity customers
• Represent Zenity directly alongside our CEO and CTO in high-stakes conversations with frontier AI leadership
• Position Zenity as the security layer in enterprise AI deployments, so when these platforms are talking to enterprise customers, they're pointing to us
• Translate relationship progress into internal signal, stakeholder updates, early product intel, and partnership pipeline
• Identify any go-to-market collaboration opportunities as relationships mature co-marketing, joint presence, logo usage, referrals

What You’ve Done:

• You are genuinely plugged into the frontier AI ecosystem, you know people at these companies, you move in these communities, you are not starting from zero
• Ideally based in the Bay Area or have been for a meaningful stretch, proximity and network are real requirements here, not preferences
• Have worked at or alongside Databricks, Snowflake, Anthropic, OpenAI, or similar in a BD, partnerships, or ecosystem role
• Comfortable operating without a playbook,you'll need to create the path, not follow one
• Have worked closely with executive leadership and can hold your own in high-stakes conversations with CTOs, founders, and senior product leaders
• Understand the AI ecosystem deeply, the models, the tooling, the community dynamics, the politics

• Proven ability to build, not just maintain, systems, processes, or relationships
• Comfort operating in evolving, fast-moving environments where the playbook is still being written
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ownership mindset with accountability for outcomes, not just activity
• Experience in high-growth or venture-backed environments
• Exposure to AI, security, or emerging technology ecosystems

What Success Looks Like

• Multi-level active communication with a portfolio of 5+ frontier AI companies, regular dialogue, not just LinkedIn connections
• Product-level collaboration underway with at least 1-2 partners. We're in their conversations, not just their partner directory
• At least one partner-facing go-to-market motion in place, whether co-marketing, a referral relationship, or joint presence in the market.

Why This Role

• You'll work directly with Zenity's CEO and CTO, this has executive sponsorship and genuine strategic priority
• The relationships you build define Zenity's position in the AI ecosystem for years, this is not a support function
• Backed by Microsoft M12, with Fortune 500 proof points to open doors
• The market for this type of role barely existed 3 years ago, you're in the right place at the right time

Our interview process is designed to be transparent, conversational, and focused on real-world experience. Stages and timing may flex based on interviewer availability and business need.

• Recruiter Interview (30 min, phone)
• Hiring Manager Interview (45 min, Zoom)
• People Team Interview (30 min, Zoom)
• Peer Interview (30-60 min, Zoom, 1-2 peers)
• VP of Partnerships (30 min, Zoom)

Zenity is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We enable enterprises to adopt AI agents securely and at scale, and that starts with building a team that reflects a wide range of perspectives and experiences. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where talented people can do their best work, securely, confidently, and with impact.