Director of Partnerships

About Centaur AI

Centaur.ai provides data annotation and datasets with a quality-driven workforce management system for teams building mission-critical AI, primarily in healthcare. We engineer accuracy from the start by harnessing collective intelligence, in which multiple experts compete, are benchmarked, ranked, and proven, so that a stronger signal consistently outperforms any single annotator. This delivers superhuman annotation at scale across text, image, video, 3D, audio, waveform, and emerging modalities. Built for domains where precision is non-negotiable, Centaur powers AI that can be trusted in production. Researchers and industry leaders choose Centaur because we make quality inevitable, not aspirational. Centaur is backed by leading investors, including Y Combinator, Accel, and Matrix, and closed a Series B led by SignalFire in late 2024.

Position Overview

The Director of Partnerships will own and lead Centaur's strategic partnership function end-to-end — from vision and strategy through day-to-day relationship management and deal execution. This is a rare role for someone equally comfortable building the playbook as they are rolling up their sleeves to execute it. You will be Centaur's primary relationship builder with AI platform providers, system integrators, resellers, and ecosystem partners, driving new revenue channels and deepening our position across the AI data and annotation landscape. You will report directly to the COO and work in close collaboration with the CEO, CRO, Sales, Operations, Marketing and Product teams.

Partnership Strategy & Development

• Design and own Centaur's partnerships strategy, identifying the highest-value partner segments, including data ecosystem players, AI/ML platform providers, GSIs, and VARs,  and building a prioritized roadmap for engagement.
• Originate, structure, and close strategic partnership agreements that expand Centaur's distribution, product integrations, and market presence.
• Define and track partnership KPIs, and report progress and insights to the leadership team and company.
• Stay ahead of the competitive landscape and emerging partnership models in the AI data and annotation space.

Relationship Management & Execution

• Build and maintain deep, trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders at partner organizations, serving as Centaur's face to the external partner community.
• Own the full partnership lifecycle: prospecting, outreach, negotiation, onboarding, and ongoing enablement.
• Develop and maintain organized systems for tracking pipeline, partner activity, and relationship health — ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Product, and Marketing to activate partners and co-develop go-to-market programs that drive measurable outcomes.

Strategic Leadership

• Act as a strategic advisor to the CEO, COO, GTM, and Product leadership on partnership-driven growth opportunities, including new markets, integration strategies, and co-sell motions.
• Represent Centaur at industry events, partner summits, and in the broader AI ecosystem.
• As the partnerships function grows, recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing team.

Core Competencies

• Proven ability to both architect a partnerships strategy and personally execute on it without relying on a large team beneath them.
• Exceptional relationship-building instincts — able to earn trust quickly with senior executives at large enterprises and fast-moving startups alike.
• Deep understanding of the AI/ML ecosystem, including how foundation model providers, data infrastructure companies, and system integrators interact.
• Extraordinary organizational discipline: able to manage a large, complex portfolio of relationships and opportunities simultaneously without losing quality or responsiveness.
• Strong commercial acumen — able to structure deals creatively and negotiate terms that create durable, mutual value.
• Clear and compelling communicator, able to represent Centaur's value proposition persuasively to technical and business audiences.
• Growth mindset and comfort with ambiguity — energized by building something new in a fast-moving space.
• Exudes Centaur's values: acts with integrity, creates change, constantly learns, and makes an impact.

Requirements

• Experience: 10+ years of progressive experience in partnerships, business development, or strategic alliances, with a meaningful portion in the AI, ML, or data technology space. Prior experience at a high-growth startup and healthcare is strongly preferred.
• Domain Knowledge: Demonstrated understanding of the AI data, annotation, and healthcare ecosystem — including familiarity with how model builders, data providers, and system integrators collaborate.
• Track Record: Proven history of originating and closing high-impact partnership agreements and translating those partnerships into measurable revenue or growth outcomes.
• Execution Orientation: Must be comfortable as a solo operator and builder, not just a relationship manager — this role requires hands-on deal-making and program management, not just oversight.
• Education: Bachelor's degree required. MBA or equivalent experience is a plus.
• Technical Fluency: Comfortable engaging with technical stakeholders on product integration opportunities and data/AI workflows.

Don’t meet every requirement? We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this or other roles!

Our Commitment to Diversity

Centaur AI is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are deeply committed to building and supporting a diverse team through inclusive, equitable hiring practices.