Strategic Partnerships & Platform Lead (f/m/x)
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About Ignite Next
Ignite Next is Europe's scale-up program for deep tech innovation, founded by the former Intel Ignite leadership team and now independently operated. We accelerate early-stage, high-impact startups developing breakthrough technologies in semiconductors, physical AI, advanced computing, and other frontier domains.
Non-dilutive and founder-first, Ignite Next works with leading technology companies—including Infineon, Intel, and Synopsys—to connect startups with world-class technical and business expertise, turning breakthrough innovation into breakout success. We are headquartered in Dresden, Germany, at the heart of Silicon Saxony.
The Role
We're hiring a Strategic Partnerships & Platform Lead to own some of our anchor partnerships across the semiconductor and deep tech industry — and to convert them into measurable outcomes for our founders and our partners alike: design wins, POCs, pilots, joint development agreements, joint biz dev, joint ventures.
In short: you'll open the doors that move the needle.
You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with the leadership team, design and run engagements end-to-end, with a clear trajectory to grow over 2-3 years into leading all our partnerships and value creation efforts.
Your Responsibilities
- Strategic accounts. Own and develop day-to-day relationship for 1-3 partners.
- Partner pipeline. Support acquisition and onboarding of new partners across the semiconductor, advanced manufacturing, robotics, AI, and advanced computing platforms — from scoping to signing.
- Mentor & expert network. Identify, onboard, activate, and evaluate across your partner orgs and beyond.
- Value creation. Facilitate, nurture, and track engagement opportunities with our partners' business units.
- Programming. Embed partner experts, know-how, and tooling into the Ignite Next curriculum.
What We're Looking For
- Senior IC weight. You've owned strategic, multi-year B2B accounts end-to-end, structured commercial agreements (LOIs, MOUs, JDAs, SOWs), and worked alongside MD- and VP-level counterparts.
- Network in the deep tech industry. Whether as an operator inside a tier-1 semi, EDA, IP, foundry, AI, robotics, or advanced manufacturing company, or partnering with and selling into them — long enough to have built a substantive network in the industry.
- Commercial track record. Your career sits in partnerships, ecosystem, channel, platform, or portfolio work — built either inside one of the companies above, or at a deep tech VC, or Series A+ startup operating in that space. Alternative paths: tier-1 or tier-2 strategy consulting with explicit deep tech project work, or technical sales / FAE with a credible move into a commercial role.
- Working technical literacy. You translate founder needs into the right partner ask, map it to the right contacts, and hold your own in a substantive technical conversation.
- Bilingual fluency in German and English. Both written and spoken, at a working professional level.
What We Value
- Drilling Deep. You dive into the technology, the founders, and the partners — not just the surface.
- a = F/m. Force over mass — find the bottleneck, find ways to unlock it, focus on what truly matters.
- Bar raisers. You optimize for founder outcomes, not partner vanity. Compounding daily.
What to Expect
- A front-row seat to cutting-edge breakthrough innovation from all across Europe.
- Direct interaction with world-class founders, investors, and industry leaders.
- A small, agile team where your contributions have immediate impact.
- Hybrid work with Munich as your home base. DACH and EU travel; occasional partner HQ visits.
- Lunchit, Wellpass, mobility allowance, MacBook, AirPods, mobile plan support, dedicated travel budget.
- Competitive base, performance bonus tied to partnership and value creation metrics.
- A clear growth trajectory into leading all our partnerships and value creation efforts.
Don't Apply If You Are
- an enterprise sales rep without programme or portfolio experience,
- a pure event or community manager, or
- a generic ecosystem builder without commercial track record and/or technical acumen.
Next Steps
- Submit your application using the apply form
- We review applications on a rolling basis and aim to respond within 48 hours
- Initial video call with a member of the leadership team
- On-site interview in Munich including a partner case study
- Final conversations with the team and offer decision
We aim to move quickly from first conversation to offer for the right candidate.
We Can't Wait to Hear From You
Join our team and help shape the Future of Computing.