Senior Director, Head of AI Partenerships

Role 

We are looking for a Senior Director,Head of AI Partnerships to join our team. This role offers flexible location options including onsite or hybrid at our San Jose Office, or remote within the USA, reporting to the Senior Director, PM-AI Security & Strategic Initiatives in the PM - Security AI department. This role is business development focused.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Identify, engage, and cultivate strategic partnerships with AI ecosystem partners, owning the outreach pipeline from initial contact through executive-level meetings
• Develop and execute a partnership go-to-market strategy that aligns AI ecosystem integrations with Zscaler’s security platform roadmap and revenue objectives
• Serve as the technical bridge between partners and Zscaler product management, translating partner capabilities and integration requirements into actionable product collaboration opportunities
• Build and maintain a structured partner engagement framework, including joint roadmap planning, co-development agreements, and ongoing relationship management cadences
• Represent Zscaler’s AI security vision externally at industry events, partner forums, and ecosystem working groups to expand brand presence and attract new partnership opportunities

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You thrive in ambiguity. You're comfortable building the path as you walk it. You thrive in a dynamic environment, seeing ambiguity not as a hindrance, but as the raw material to build something meaningful.
• You act like an owner. Your passion for the mission fuels your bias for action. You operate with integrity because you genuinely care about the outcome. You adapt to what’s needed, navigating seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution.
• You are a high-trust collaborator. You are ambitious for the team, not just yourself. You embrace our challenge culture by giving and receiving ongoing feedback—knowing that candor delivered with clarity and respect is the truest form of teamwork and the fastest way to earn trust.
• You operate with urgency. You understand that in a high-growth environment, speed and quality are not mutually exclusive. You have a relentless focus on execution and a bias for action, delivering high-impact results quickly to win for the customer and the team.
• You think at scale. You connect your day-to-day work to the larger company mission and think globally. You build solutions, processes, and teams that are not just effective today but are built to last and support a high-growth, global organization.

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• 7+ years in business development (including BDM and strategic partnerships), with at least 3 years dedicated to AI/ML ecosystems
• Proven track record of identifying, negotiating, and closing strategic technology partnerships with major AI ecosystem players 
• Strong technical acumen in AI/ML architectures and integration patterns, with the ability to translate between partner product teams and internal product stakeholders
• Experience developing and executing partnership go-to-market strategy that drive measurable revenue impact and platform adoption
• Excellent executive communication and relationship management skills, with demonstrated ability to engage C-level and VP-level stakeholders at partner organizations

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience in cybersecurity or zero-trust architecture, particularly in how AI is applied to threat detection, data protection, or security operations
• Existing relationships within the AI ecosystem (e.g., foundation model providers, agent building platforms, identity providers, and AI infrastructure vendors) 
• MBA or advanced technical degree, or equivalent experience building and scaling partnership programs at a high-growth enterprise SaaS company

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