The posting
At Apollo GraphQL, we're on a mission to make it radically easier for engineering teams to ship fast, reliable products and services on top of the world's data, powering everything from web to mobile to agentic experiences.
We're looking for a partner leader to build Apollo's North American partner program from the ground up. This is a zero-to-one role—you'll design the playbook, identify and recruit boutique AI agencies and integration partners, and execute a co-sell motion that delivers partner-sourced and partner-influenced revenue.
If you've built a partner program from scratch, thrive in ambiguous environments, and can operate with minimal scaffolding, this is your opportunity to own a critical growth engine.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Design the partner strategy and GTM model from scratch — Define the ideal partner profile, acquisition approach, onboarding playbook, and initial co-sell motion that sets the foundation for partner-sourced revenue.
- Identify and recruit partners strategically — Source, evaluate, and recruit boutique AI agencies and integration partners that fit your IPP and can actually move the needle. Build relationships with partner leadership and create a compelling reason for them to prioritize Apollo.
- Enable partner success and drive adoption — Design and execute onboarding and enablement programs for both commercial and technical teams. Ensure partners have what they need to source and influence deals—and track whether they're actually using it.
- Partner with field teams to drive deals — Work with AEs, SEs, and field leadership to build joint GTM plans and co-sell motions. Turn partner relationships into partner-sourced and partner-influenced revenue—closing deals with mutual benefit.
- Manage partner health and growth — Own acquisition, onboarding, and participation metrics. Ensure all partners contribute meaningfully, identify underperformers early, and figure out how to scale the program as it grows.
- Be the connective tissue between partners and Apollo — Surface partner feedback and market intelligence back to Product, Marketing, and Field Leadership. Remove blockers, manage conflicts, and drive alignment across teams with no direct authority.
WHO YOU ARE
You're a builder and strategist who thinks of partnerships as a growth engine, not a side channel. You've built partner programs from scratch and can operate with minimal scaffolding. Your track record shows you own outcomes, not just outputs, and you drive impact through influence—aligning people who don't report to you and closing deals with mutual benefit.
Minimum requirements
- You've built and scaled a partner program from scratch
- Deep understanding of how partners operate—their business models, objectives, and how they differ from vendors. You can manage trade-offs and tensions for mutual benefit.
- Proven partner acquisition track record: you've defined ideal partner profiles and proactively signed partners that fit them.
- You've designed and executed partner onboarding and enablement programs for commercial and technical teams.
- You can build joint GTM plans with partners and map priorities that turn relationships into partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline.
- Enterprise sales acumen: you understand how enterprise buyers (VPs of Engineering, platform leaders, CTOs, CIOs) evaluate infrastructure and developer tooling, and can translate technical capabilities into business value language a partner can use.
- You drive cross-functional alignment with no direct authority—pulling input from Sales, Engineering, Support, Product, and Marketing.
- You operate with autonomy in ambiguous environments, ruthlessly prioritize by impact, and treat ambiguity as something to resolve, not a blocker.
ABOUT APOLLO
Apollo helps teams build, operate, and scale the graphs that power modern applications. If you've streamed a show, booked a trip, or read the news online, there's a good chance Apollo was working quietly behind the scenes. We support some of the largest and most sophisticated GraphQL platforms in the world—companies like Walmart, Expedia, DoorDash, and The New York Times trust us to power their data and experiences.
But we're not here just to maintain the status quo. Apollo is redefining how software teams build and ship—bringing clarity, speed, and leverage to increasingly complex systems. Our platform gives teams a single, coherent way to connect clients, services, and now AI-powered experiences without drowning in endpoints or bespoke integrations.
We're building a company where ambitious people can do the best work of their careers. That means meaningful ownership, smart teammates, and tackling hard problems that actually matter. We're a globally distributed team of 220+ people across 10 countries, with no return-to-office requirement. If you like moving fast, thinking deeply, and helping shape what comes next, you'll feel right at home here.
