Growth Partnerships Lead

About Mercor

Mercor is at the intersection of labor markets and AI research. We partner with leading AI labs and enterprises to provide the human intelligence essential to AI development.

Our vast talent network trains frontier AI models in the same way teachers teach students: by sharing knowledge experience and context that cant be captured in code alone. Today more than 30000 experts in our network collectively earn over $1.5 million a day.

Mercor is creating a new category of work where expertise powers AI advancement. Achieving this requires an ambitious fast-paced and deeply committed team. Youll work alongside researchers operators and AI companies at the forefront of shaping the systems that are redefining society.

Mercor is a profitable Series C company valued at $10 billion. We work in-person five days a week in our new San Francisco headquarters.

About the Role

As Growth Partnerships Lead you will build and scale Mercors external partnerships from zero to one. Youll own the full lifecyclefrom identifying opportunities and sourcing partners to negotiating contracts and managing long-term relationships.

This role sits at the intersection of business development data strategy contracting and stakeholder management. It is highly autonomous deeply strategic and intentionally scrappy. You will be trusted to figure things out move fast and create leverage where none exists yet.

What Youll Do

• Build Partnerships from Scratch (0 1)

  • Identify outreach design and launch new partnership models with external organizations networks and institutions

  • Test and iterate on partnership structures before scaling what works

  • Create early frameworks and playbooks where none exist today

• Business Development & Deal Ownership

  • Lead outbound and inbound partnership conversations end-to-end

  • Qualify partners define mutual value and drive deals to close

  • Structure commercial terms that align incentives and support long-term collaboration

• Contracting & Negotiation

  • Own negotiations across pricing scope timelines and obligations

  • Work closely with Legal and Finance to move quickly without sacrificing rigor

  • Balance speed flexibility and scalability in early-stage agreements

• Stakeholder Management

  • Act as the primary point of contact for external partners and senior stakeholders

  • Manage complex multi-party relationships with clarity and credibility
    Align internal teams (Product Research Ops Legal) around partnership priorities

• Operate Scrappily Then Systematize

  • Start hands-on: build lists run outreach draft docs close deals yourself

  • Identify patterns and convert them into repeatable processes over time

  • Help shape the tools metrics and systems needed as the function scales

What Were Looking For

• Experience

  • 5 years in Business Development Strategic Partnerships or Commercial Roles

  • Proven experience negotiating and closing contracts

  • Track record of managing high-stakes external stakeholders

  • Direct experience working with data products

• Mindset & Skills

  • Builder mentality: excited by ambiguity and 01 problems

  • Scrappy resourceful and comfortable doing unglamorous work early

  • Strong commercial instincts and negotiation skills

  • Clear concise communicator with executive presence

  • Able to operate independently while partnering closely with internal teams

• Nice to Have

  • Experience in marketplaces platforms or high-growth startups

  • Exposure to data-driven products AI or technical stakeholders

  • Background working cross-functionally with legal and finance teams

  • Familiarity with compliance and data rights

Benefits

• Generous equity grant vested over 4 years

• A $20K relocation bonus (if moving to the Bay Area)

• A $10K housing bonus (if you live within 0.5 miles of our office)

• A $1K monthly stipend for meals

• Free Equinox membership

• Health insurance