Engineering teams face an impossible reality: deliver more complex products faster, with fewer experts, and zero tolerance for failure. nTop changes how engineering gets done. Our technology collapses months of iteration into hours, letting teams explore thousands of variants instead of settling for the first option. Teams reduce development time by 50% and increase program win rates. Leaders choose nTop when failure isn't an option.
If you're motivated by solving tough engineering challenges alongside a team that learns and grows together, you'll thrive at nTop. We're seeking teammates who are eager to experiment, innovate, and make a meaningful impact with technology.
The Role
We are seeking a strategic and operationally excellent
Director of Partnerships
to build and scale nTop's B2B and government partnership function from the ground up. This role will define and execute our partnership strategy across commercial enterprises and government customers, establishing nTop as the platform of choice within aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing ecosystems.
This is a highly cross-functional role requiring deep collaboration with Marketing, Sales, Product, and Engineering to translate partnerships into measurable business outcomes. You will establish partnership frameworks, drive partner-sourced revenue, and position nTop for sustained competitive advantage through strategic ecosystem relationships.
What You'll Do
Strategy & Program Development
- Define and execute nTop's B2B and government partnership strategy, establishing clear partner segmentation, tiering models, and investment frameworks
- Build the partnerships function infrastructure: onboarding programs, enablement frameworks, co-sell motions, legal templates, and success metrics
- Identify and prioritize strategic partners across software ecosystems, hardware manufacturers, systems integrators, consulting firms, research institutions, and government entities
- Develop long-term partnership roadmaps aligned with product strategy, customer workflows, and industry direction
Partnership Execution & Management
- Source, negotiate, and close strategic partnerships with technology vendors, channel partners, defense primes, and government agencies
- Serve as senior interface with partner organizations, translating mutual capabilities into joint value propositions and go-to-market strategies
- Drive partner-enabled revenue through co-sell motions, joint customer engagements, and coordinated pipeline development
- Establish clear partnership success metrics tied to revenue contribution, customer adoption, market penetration, and strategic leverage
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Collaborate closely with Product and Engineering to align partner integrations, co-development priorities, and roadmap dependencies
- Partner with Marketing to develop co-marketing programs, joint content, and partner-driven demand generation
- Enable Sales teams with partner strategies, joint selling frameworks, and ecosystem positioning guidance
- Coordinate Application Engineering resources to support technical partner enablement and customer implementations
Government & Defense Ecosystem Development
- Build and manage relationships with defense primes, government agencies, and cleared system integrators
- Navigate government partnership models including prime/subcontractor relationships, OTA consortia, and government marketplace programs
- Align partnerships with government customer requirements, compliance frameworks, and procurement processes
Strategic Leadership
- Provide executive leadership with partnership performance insights, ecosystem intelligence, and strategic investment recommendations
- Inform company strategy through market feedback, partner-driven insights, and competitive ecosystem positioning
- Represent nTop at industry events, standards bodies, and partner executive forums
Required Experience
- 12+ years leading partnerships, business development, or strategic alliances in engineering software, advanced manufacturing, aerospace/defense, or industrial technology
- Proven track record building and scaling partnership programs that deliver measurable revenue impact and market penetration
- Deep domain expertise in product engineering, advanced manufacturing, engineering simulation, or computational design-capable of engaging technical conversations with engineering leaders and defense program managers
- Demonstrated success navigating complex B2B and government partnership models, including technology alliances, channel partnerships, and prime/subcontractor relationships
- Strong cross-functional leadership ability, operating effectively through influence across product, engineering, sales, and marketing teams in matrix organizations
- Experience translating technical capabilities into commercial value propositions and joint go-to-market strategies
- Excellent executive communication skills, including partnership portfolio reporting and strategic business case development
- Track record working with global partners to accelerate customer adoption of technical products
Preferred Experience
Domain & Technical Background
- Direct experience in aerospace, defense, or adjacent regulated industries requiring deep technical and domain fluency
- Background with CAD, CAE, simulation, generative design, additive manufacturing, or computational engineering platforms
- Understanding of engineering workflows, design-to-manufacturing processes, and simulation-driven product development
Partnerships & GTM Expertise
- Experience building partnerships functions from early stages-establishing frameworks, metrics, and operational infrastructure
- Track record managing technology partnerships (ISV integrations, platform ecosystems) and channel partnerships (resellers, systems integrators)
- Government contracting knowledge: GSA schedules, FAR/DFARS familiarity, cleared partnership models, or OTA consortium experience
Company Stage & Industry Context
- Experience in high-growth B2B technology companies scaling from early stage to market leadership
- Background working across diverse customer segments: commercial enterprises, defense primes, and government agencies
- Prior roles at engineering software companies, manufacturing technology providers, or defense technology firms
Compensation
The base pay range for this role is $180,000 - $200,000 per year.
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