Title: Alliance Director – Strategic Technology Partnerships

Reports to: SVP of Partnerships & Ecosystem

Level: Individual Contributor

Location: Remote - USA (East or Central time zones), or Europe

About Napster:

Founded on the principle of democratizing access, first to music in 1999, now to expertise in the AI era, Napster has consistently remained at the forefront of technological shifts that empower users. Today, the company builds embodied, multimodal AI agents that engage employees and customers where they already work: through video presence, voice, and text. Designed to work alongside people rather than replace them, Napster’s agents carry institutional knowledge into every interaction, elevating the user’s experience and improving business outcomes. For more information, visit napster.com.

The Opportunity:

We are looking for an experienced senior Alliance Director to help take an already strong Microsoft relationship to the next level and build the operating foundation for Napster’s broader strategic technology partner ecosystem over time.

Reporting to the SVP of Partnerships & Ecosystem, this person will act as the senior operating leader for the Microsoft alliance, translating the company’s strategic relationship with Microsoft into a structured, scalable and commercially impactful program.

The role will lead the development and execution of the joint Microsoft strategy and operating plan across product, go-to-market, marketplace, co-sell, ecosystem activation and customer opportunities. Working closely with the SVP of Partnerships & Ecosystem and other senior leaders, the Alliance Director will create the governance, processes, accountability and cross-functional operating rhythm needed to turn the relationship into a measurable growth engine.

As the function matures, there is a clear opportunity to apply the same alliance playbook, governance model and operating discipline to additional hyperscaler and strategic technology partnerships.

We are looking for someone who is commercially minded, highly organized and technically astute, with the ability to operate credibly across both senior business and technical stakeholders. This person should be able to understand Napster’s product and technology architecture, engage meaningfully with Microsoft product and engineering teams, identify where Microsoft capabilities can strengthen the joint proposition, and translate technical opportunities into commercially viable go-to-market motions.

They do not need to be a hands-on engineer, but they must be sufficiently technical to challenge assumptions, understand integration dependencies, connect product architecture with Azure and Microsoft capabilities, and help shape credible joint solutions.

This is a highly visible role for someone equally comfortable shaping strategy, coordinating senior stakeholders, understanding technical possibilities and driving execution. We are looking for an experienced alliance leader who knows how to navigate a complex organization such as Microsoft, identify opportunities and mobilize internal and external teams to deliver against them.

Reporting & Team Structure:

The role reports to the SVP of Partnerships & Ecosystem, who oversees the executive sponsorship for the Microsoft partnership and broader ecosystem strategy.

The Alliance Director will be responsible for building and driving the Microsoft alliance operating model and execution across the business.

Two existing team members currently work with Microsoft in their respective markets, alongside responsibilities for other technology partners. They will continue in those roles while working with the Alliance Director on Microsoft-related priorities, planning and execution.

The Alliance Director will also work extensively across Product, Technology, Sales, Marketing and Partnerships to align priorities and drive execution.

Location:

Preferred location is Europe, although candidates based in the Eastern U.S. will also be considered.

This is a global role, and candidates must be comfortable working across time zones with regular overlap with U.S. business hours.

In This Role, You Will:

• Develop and drive the Microsoft alliance strategy in partnership with the SVP of Partnerships & Ecosystem and executive leadership.
• Translate the strategic Microsoft relationship into a clear joint business plan and execution roadmap.
• Establish and lead a consistent operating rhythm across Microsoft activities globally.
• Develop joint plans, KPIs, pipeline reviews, executive governance and accountability mechanisms.
• Lead the development and activation of Napster’s Microsoft Marketplace strategy across product, commercial and go-to-market dimensions.
• Drive product and technology alignment and identify opportunities to strengthen existing and future joint solutions.
• Engage with Microsoft product, engineering, architecture and commercial teams to identify and shape new opportunities.
• Understand Napster’s product architecture and technical roadmap sufficiently to connect Microsoft capabilities with relevant product and customer use cases.
• Build repeatable co-sell, field activation and customer engagement motions.
• Translate technical capabilities and joint solution opportunities into commercially viable propositions and go-to-market motions.
• Activate the broader Microsoft ecosystem across Microsoft teams, channel partners, technology partners and strategic partners.
• Identify and develop new commercial opportunities across Microsoft and its ecosystem.
• Coordinate Microsoft initiatives across Sales, Product, Technology, Marketing and Partnerships.
• Lead Microsoft-related priorities through the dotted-line team structure and broader cross-functional organization.
• Build the processes, playbooks, governance and accountability required to move effectively from strategy to execution.
• Maintain strong working relationships across relevant Microsoft leadership, field, product, marketplace, technical and partner organizations.
• Surface strategic opportunities, technical dependencies, risks and priorities to the SVP of Partnerships & Ecosystem and executive leadership.
• Over time, apply the same alliance playbook, governance model and operating approach to additional hyperscaler and strategic technology partnerships.

Key Requirements

• 15+ years of relevant experience across alliances, partnerships, enterprise sales, business development or ecosystem leadership.
• Significant experience working at Microsoft or within the Microsoft ecosystem.
• A strong and credible Microsoft network, particularly within the U.S.
• Proven experience building and scaling complex strategic alliances.
• Strong understanding of Azure, Microsoft workloads, Microsoft Marketplace, co-sell and Microsoft partner motions.
• Strong technical fluency across cloud platforms, enterprise architecture and modern technology ecosystems.
• Ability to understand product architecture, APIs, integrations, data flows and technical dependencies at a level sufficient to shape partnership and go-to-market decisions.
• Ability to engage credibly with CTOs, architects, engineers, product leaders and Microsoft technical teams.
• Comfortable participating in solution architecture and product discussions and challenging assumptions where appropriate.
• Experience translating technical capabilities into customer propositions, commercial solutions and repeatable go-to-market motions.
• Ability to identify where Microsoft technology can strengthen, accelerate or differentiate Napster’s product and customer proposition.
• Understanding of Microsoft Marketplace technical and commercial requirements, including how product readiness, packaging and deployment models affect marketplace and co-sell execution.
• Experience connecting product strategy with commercial go-to-market execution.
• Strong commercial and sales orientation, with a track record of translating partnerships into pipeline, customer opportunities and growth.
• Strong understanding of how to navigate large, matrixed organizations and mobilize stakeholders without direct authority.
• Highly organized, structured and process-driven, with the ability to create clarity across multiple workstreams.
• Proactive, self-starting and opportunity-oriented.
• Strong builder mindset, with experience establishing new alliance operating models, programs and GTM motions.
• Strong executor with consistent follow-through and accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams through influence.
• Strong executive presence and communication skills.
• Comfortable operating globally across European and U.S. working hours.
• Exposure to, or credible relationships within, other hyperscaler ecosystems such as AWS or Google Cloud is a plus, given the potential for the role to expand beyond Microsoft over time.

What Success Looks Like:

Success in this role will be measured across three core areas:

Ecosystem Activation

Build and activate the broader Microsoft ecosystem across Microsoft teams, channel partners, technology partners and strategic partners, creating stronger routes to market, customer opportunities and commercial leverage.

Marketplace Strategy & Co-Sell Activation

Develop and scale a clear Microsoft Marketplace and co-sell strategy across EMEA and the U.S., connecting product readiness, commercial models, Microsoft field engagement, partner activation and customer opportunities.

Product, Technology & Go-to-Market

Translate the strategic Microsoft relationship into clear product and technology alignment, credible joint solutions and repeatable go-to-market motions that generate measurable pipeline, customer adoption and growth.

Ultimately, this role should create the operating structure, technical alignment and commercial momentum required to turn a strong Microsoft relationship into a scalable and measurable growth engine, while establishing a model that can be extended to other hyperscaler and strategic technology partnerships as Napster’s alliance ecosystem develops.

Benefits:

• Paid Time-Off: Flexible vacation time and 10 company holidays.
• Health Plans: Robust medical, dental, and vision plans for you and your dependents. Disability, life insurance, and FSA benefits are also available.
• Wellness: Access to Teladoc and an EAP.
• Parental Leave: Paid leave.
• Retirement Savings: Contribute pretax earnings to our 401(k) Plan.

Our Culture:

• Impact: Play a crucial role in our growth journey.
• Culture: Join a vibrant team valuing creativity and collaboration.
• Growth: Thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Reward: Enjoy competitive compensation, equity opportunities, and comprehensive benefits.
• Ready to shape our future? Apply now and be part of something extraordinary!

We're looking for more forward-thinking, collaborative people to be part of our innovation journey and mission to push the boundaries of technology. If you're ready to help us achieve this vision, we'd love to hear from you! At Napster Corp, we're looking for people who are invigorated by our values and driven to change the world, not those who simply check off boxes.

Napster embraces a diversity of backgrounds and experiences and provides equal opportunity for all applicants and employees. We strive to build a company that reflects a global audience.

CCPA Notice for California Job Candidates: Please review our CCPA notice at

https://www.napster.ai/policy-docs/ccpa-notice-for-job-candidates