Strategic Partner Lead

About this role

Partner Development Manager, Prolific For Research

Location: San Francisco (Hybrid)

Prolific

Prolific is the world’s most trusted infrastructure for human data. Today, tens of thousands of researchers from enterprises and top universities across the globe rely on Prolific to power their work, from peer-reviewed studies to the next generation of technological breakthroughs.

Prolific's partnership ecosystem is a key growth engine for Prolific. The next generation of AI-powered research platforms are growing rapidly disrupting the market, and the foundation of their success is the authentic, rich human data that only Prolific can provide.

To help us drive this next phase of growth, we are looking for a commercially driven partnerships professional with 5-7+ years of experience building and growing revenue-generating partnerships within research or industry. Success will be measured against the team revenue target, so close collaboration with Partner Success and Partner Sales Managers based in the UK will be critical. We want the successful candidate to help shape our partner strategy and direction and lead commercial conversations with our largest strategic partner opportunities, so knowledge and demonstrable experience of working with platform partners in the market research, UX/product testing, or user research space is a huge plus.

This will be our first US partner hire, and the role will report directly to the Head of Sales and Partnerships at Prolific for Research. We'd ideally like someone based in the Bay Area, given the concentration of partners and prospects there, though we'll consider candidates elsewhere in the US who can travel to San Francisco frequently.

The Role

The market research industry is being disrupted by rapidly growing AI native research platforms. At Prolific, we have invested in a strong channel partner ecosystem across AI-moderated research, UX/product testing, and user research that now sees us embedded as the participant infrastructure for the most rapidly growing companies in this space—Outset, Maze, ListenLabs, and Dialogue AI, to name just a few.

As our first on-the-ground partner team hire in North America, the Strategic Partner Lead will work closely with partner success and partner sales to own founder and executive-level relationships with high-value research partners, build Prolific’s profile across the startup and scale-up ecosystem, and drive meaningful revenue growth across both existing and new partnerships.

The partner lead will report to the Head of Sales and Partnerships at Prolific for Research and be based in the Bay area. This is a high-visibility, commercially focused role that sits at the intersection of partnership growth and new partner development. You will be the partnership face of Prolific for Research in the US, engaging at founder and executive level, maximizing our share of spend across existing partners, and identifying and working with partner sales to close the next generation of research platform partners.

Success in the role is measured by performance against the global team revenue target, covering both existing and new logo partners. This is a fabulous opportunity to make a huge impact within a well-funded and very well-respected scale-up, driving growth in a key focus market for Prolific. We want you to have a voice, help shape our partnership strategy, and directly contribute to the success of the sales and partnerships team.

What you'll be doing

Drive Revenue Growth Across the Partner Ecosystem

• Own and deliver the partner team revenue target, covering growth across existing partners and new partner acquisition.

• In collaboration with partner success and partner sales, increase revenue and usage across the existing partner base by identifying expansion opportunities, deepening platform adoption, and maximizing Prolific’s share of spend.

• Build senior relationships with US target partners and optimize time to revenue once engagements are closed.

• Support complex, non-standard deal negotiations with strategic partners.

Build and Own Senior Partner Relationships

• Lead executive and founder-level engagement across Prolific’s research partner ecosystem—including heads of research, C-suite stakeholders, and founding teams/investors.

• Work closely with your partner success colleague to build deep, trusted relationships with our largest partners in North America as well as with emerging platform providers across the research and AI-moderated research spaces.

• Serve as the senior commercial point of contact for US-based partners, ensuring Prolific is embedded at the strategic level within key partner accounts.

Act as a Strategic Partner to Key Accounts

• Develop a deep understanding of partner research workflows, business models, and growth objectives.

• Identify growth opportunities within accounts and shape how partners leverage Prolific’s platform—including participant supply—to maximize value and drive usage.

• Provide strategic input that influences partner direction and strengthens long-term commercial relationships.

Build Market Presence and Ecosystem Awareness

• Represent PfR externally at conferences, industry events, and speaking engagements relevant to US research, AI tools, and the SaaS ecosystem.

• Build Prolific’s brand and credibility with founders, operators, and investors across the US startup and scale-up community.

• Identify and develop new channels, communities, and networks that expand Prolific’s reach and pipeline.

Collaborate Closely Across the Business

• Work closely with Partner Success and Partner Sales colleagues to ensure a coordinated approach across the full partner lifecycle—from pipeline and onboarding through to expansion.

• Feed market intelligence, partner insights, and competitive dynamics back into product, marketing, and strategy teams.

• Act as a bridge between the US market and the broader Prolific partnership team, ensuring local context shapes global

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