Senior Partnerships Manager

Black Forest Labs seeks a Senior Partnerships Manager in Freiburg to architect commercial strategies for emerging AI technology, translating research into market opportunities through strategic partnerships and custom deals.

This position focuses on building the commercial foundation for a technology that is currently under development. The role requires converting research advancements into viable market opportunities by designing partnership models and pricing strategies for novel capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead business expansion by creating and closing strategic partnerships and bespoke agreements.
• Create pricing frameworks for new features that may not have been available recently.
• Work with research, engineering, finance, and legal teams to manage intricate product and distribution agreements.
• Discover and establish new distribution and revenue streams that are not yet common in the industry.
• Convert technical features into commercial value by collaborating closely with engineering teams to grasp product constraints.
• Design partnership structures that accommodate both API consumers and enterprises deploying models locally.

Requirements

• Strong technical background, preferably in image or video generation, or experience as a solutions architect, engineer, or technical product manager.
• Demonstrated success in business development or partnerships within AI, cloud, or technical infrastructure sectors.
• Comprehensive knowledge of SaaS models, API pricing structures, cloud consulting, and enterprise licensing.
• Capacity to engage in technical discussions with engineers and convert those insights into commercial strategies.
• Proven ability to build and sustain long-term professional relationships.
• Strong analytical skills and experience in market research.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with diffusion models used for image or video generation.
• Experience working in early-stage, rapidly growing startups.
• Knowledge of B2B API and model weight licensing sales approaches.
• Background in open-source business models.

What the company offers

• Hybrid work arrangement: at least two days per week in Freiburg or SF, or one full week every other week, with a remote option including a monthly in-person week.
• Reimbursement for reasonable travel expenses.
• Annual base salary of €135,000 to €190,000 in the EU, plus variable compensation and equity.
• Annual base salary of $175,000 to $240,000 in the US, plus variable compensation and equity.

About the company

Black Forest Labs operates as a frontier research lab dedicated to research excellence and open science. The organization focuses on developing technology that enhances human creativity. The team prioritizes craftsmanship, ensuring scientific accuracy and product quality. They foster a low-ego environment where the best ideas prevail and credit is shared. The culture encourages boldness, taking ambitious risks and shipping products without waiting for perfect conditions. Kindness and genuine warmth are central, with a focus on people over politics.

• Obsessed with craft, ensuring the science is right and the product is beautiful.
• Low ego, where the best idea wins and credit is shared.
• Bold, taking ambitious bets and shipping without waiting for perfect conditions.
• Kindness, treating each other with genuine warmth and prioritizing people over politics.