OEM Partnerships Manager

About this role

Backblaze is the object storage leader in the open cloud movement, fueling customer success with cloud storage built purposefully to unlock budgets, unburden administrators, and unleash innovators. Together with our partners, we’re helping customers break free from the restrictive, overpriced legacy solutions that hold them back, and blaze forward with the full power of the open cloud in their hands.

Founded in 2007, we scaled the business with less than $3 million in outside funding until 2021, when we did a traditional IPO on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Today, Backblaze generates over $100m in revenue and is the leading specialized storage cloud - managing over three billion gigabytes of data storage for 500K+ customers in 175+ countries, including businesses, developers, IT professionals, and individuals.

But while there is a lot to celebrate in our past, there is almost as much opportunity ahead of us. We are seeking a: OEM Partnerships Manager !

About the Role:

Backblaze closed CoreWeave at $335M TCV. The NeoCloud flywheel is moving — but it stalls without validated reference architectures embedded at the silicon and systems layer.

This role owns Pillar 1: getting B2 designed-in at NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Cerebras, and the OEM/ODM tier (Super Micro, WD, Seagate) so that every GPU cluster configured for AI inference or training has B2 as the default object storage layer. At the same time we want to build the Storage Tiers from Flash (VAST, WEKA, DDN) to Object Store on HDD with Backblaze. You are the person who makes Backblaze the storage answer before a customer ever talks to a sales rep.

What You’ll Do:

Designed-In at the Silicon Layer

• Establish and advance Backblaze B2 as a validated storage tier within NVIDIA's AI Data Platform ecosystem — CUDA-integrated, reference-architecture-certified.

• Drive "Design-In" motions with AMD (Instinct reference stack) and Intel (Gaudi/Xeon roadmap) to close the gap opened by VAST Data's current AMD Instinct reference architecture position.

• Build relationships with Cerebras, SambaNova, and emerging xPU vendors early enough to be designed into their validated stacks before competitive displacement occurs.

OEM & ODM Tier

• Own the joint go-to-market with Super Micro (SMCI), WD, and Seagate — turning their hardware deployments into B2-integrated solutions sold as complete infrastructure.

• Extend these relationships to the Flash Tier - VAST, WEKA & DDN in particular

• Structure OEM agreements and co-sell motions that create pull-through B2 ARR from hardware-first deals. Build the commercial model (referral, resell, or embedded) for each OEM tier.

• Identify and close 2–3 new OEM/ODM partnerships per year that generate $10M+ in partner-influenced ARR within the first 6 months.

Turnkey Reference Architectures

• Deliver 5+ published, co-branded reference architectures by end of FY2026 — pairing GPU compute configurations with B2 as the validated storage layer.

• Work with the NeoCloud team (Field CTO & BD lead) and DevRel Lead on Flamethrower to produce technical validation content that serves both the partner and the end customer.

• Ensure reference architectures are submitted to and accepted by Tier-1 analyst firms (2 published analyst reports is a FY2026 OKR.

FY2026 OKR Accountability — Pillar 1

• Contribute to the $10M TCV OEM-ISV related bookings OKR through OEM-influenced pipeline.

• Deliver Reference #1 NVIDIA AI Data Platform & OEM (AMD/Intel) co-marketing as Reference #2.

• Support the 5-of-Top-25 OEM-ISV account close target through OEM-sourced intros and designed-in positions.

Cross-Functional

• Partner with AEs to convert OEM-designed (powered by) in positions into sourced pipeline.

• Feed product roadmap gaps (cold storage tier, archive, to Product & Engineering

• Coordinate with SE (Reference Architectures) so every OEM co-development produces a publishable, reusable asset.

The Right Fit:

Required

• 10+ years in technology partnerships, alliances, or OEM/ODM business development — preferably in cloud infrastructure, storage, or AI systems.

• Existing relationships at NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, or a major GPU OEM (SMCI, WD, Seagate, Quanta, or equivalent). You know who owns the ecosystem programs and you can get a meeting.

• Experience structuring and closing OEM agreements — referral, resell, embedded, or co-sell — with a track record of partner-influenced ARR.

• Technical fluency in AI/ML infrastructure: you understand GPU cluster architecture, storage tiering, CUDA/software stacks, and how storage fits into training and inference workflows.

• Demonstrated ability to drive reference architecture co-development — from whiteboard to published, co-branded technical validation.

• Proficiency with Salesforce for partner pipeline tracking and forecasting.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience working inside or alongside NVIDIA's AI Data Platform, AMD Instinct, or Intel Gaudi partner programs.

• Familiarity with S3-compatible object storage in AI data pipeline contexts (training data ingestion, checkpoint storage, inference output).

• Background at a cloud storage, IaaS, or AI infrastructure vendor (not hyperscaler — we are explicitly the non-AWS/GCP/Azure option).

• Existing relationships at Cerebras, SambaNova, or other emerging xPU vendors is a significant differentiator.

This Role Is Not For You If

• You need a mature partner program handed to you — this is a build role. The ref arch playbook exists for CoreWeave; you are extending it to the OEM tier.

• You lead with slide decks instead of relationships — the first 90 days are relationship mapping and meeting cadences, not program documentation.

• You are not comfortable with technical conversations at the SE/architect level — OEM partners will disqualify you fast if you cannot hold the storage-in-AI-systems discussion.

Nice to Have:

• Experience running an AI program across multiple functions simultaneously

• Familiarity with AI governance in data-sensitive

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