Head of Strategic Partnerships

Human Interest is on a mission to ensure that people in all lines of work have access to retirement benefits.

More than half of all working Americans are not saving enough for their future. Human Interest is making retirement savings affordable and accessible for small and medium-sized businesses to offer employees a path to financial independence.

About the role:

The Head of Strategic Partnerships owns a vital piece of Human Interest's most important growth channel: expanding our ecosystem of partners who put our retirement platform in front of millions of small and medium-sized businesses. Reporting directly to the Chief Revenue Officer, you will lead the team to identify, pursue, and close strategic partnerships across payroll providers, benefits brokers, accountants, financial institutions, PEOs, and embedded fintech distribution.

This is a leadership role focused on building, scaling, and driving the strategic partnership ecosystem. You will be responsible for signing complex, multi-year agreements with some of Human Interest's largest and most important partners.

The person who thrives here is a natural hunter, energized by the pursuit of net-new relationships and relentless about carrying complex, multi-stakeholder deals through long sales cycles. You bring executive presence and systems thinking, make sharp prioritization calls, and are a builder who brings structure, pace, and judgment to a function that is still writing its own playbook.

About the team:

The Partnerships organization is the engine behind Human Interest's reach, with over 95% of our business coming from our partner ecosystem. The team works shoulder-to-shoulder with Sales, Product, Marketing, Legal, and Operations to establish and launch partnerships that are commercially sound, operationally clean, and good for the businesses we serve.

What you get to do every day:

• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Coach, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of partnership professionals.
• Strategic Organizational Scaling: Design and implement scalable partnership processes, playbooks, and systems.
• Partnership Strategy: Shape and own the strategy for your portfolio of partnerships, in close partnership with the VP of Partnerships.
• Sourcing & Closing: Act as a primary hunter for the organization, personally leading high-stakes negotiations to close complex deals.
• Performance Management: Set clear performance metrics and KPIs for the team, ensuring it consistently meets and exceeds revenue targets.
• Deal Structuring & Execution: Lead commercial negotiation and deal structuring end-to-end, partnering with Legal and Finance to protect the business.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Partner with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, and Sales to scope integrations, build co-marketing enablement, and operationalize partner-sourced demand.
• Executive Communication: Translate the partnership thesis, pipeline, and results into clear narratives for senior leadership, and represent Human Interest externally with senior partner stakeholders.
• Market Intelligence: Maintain a sharp view of the retirement, payroll, fintech, and benefits landscape.

What you bring to the role:

• Partnerships & Business Development Expertise: 10+ years in partnerships, business development, or channel sales, with a track record of owning and growing a book of strategic partnerships.
• Leadership Experience: 5+ years building, coaching, and scaling high-performing teams.
• Proven Dealmaking: History of sourcing, structuring, and closing complex, high-value partnership and distribution agreements with measurable revenue impact.
• Domain Fluency: Deep experience in fintech, retirement / wealth, payroll, benefits, or an adjacent financial-services ecosystem.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Ability to mobilize Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, and Sales around a partnership without direct authority over those teams.
• Executive Presence: Ability to negotiate with and present to senior executives, both internally and across partner organizations.
• Builder's Mindset: Thrives in a fast-paced, scaling environment and is energized by standing up new motions from scratch.
• Analytical Rigor: Strong commercial and financial instincts, with the ability to model channel economics.
• Values-Driven: Alignment with Customer Obsession, Long-Term Orientation, and Leading with Autonomy.

Why you will love working at Human Interest:

Human Interest is tackling one of our country's biggest challenges: closing the retirement gap. You'll be instrumental in architecting and scaling solutions that bring financial security to employees at small and medium-sized businesses nationwide.

Compensation:

The total On Target Earnings (OTE) for this role is $700,000, which includes a base salary of $350,000 and a variable target compensation of $350,000. The specific pay rate offered is based on the candidate's relevant skills and experience. Employees also receive stock option grants.

Benefits:

• A 401(k) plan with a dollar-for-dollar employer match up to 4% of compensation (immediately vested) and $0 plan fees
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Competitive time off and parental leave
• Addition Wealth: Unlimited access to digital tools, financial professionals, and a knowledge center
• Lyra: Enhanced mental health support for employees and dependents
• Carrot: Fertility healthcare and family forming benefits
• Candidly: Student loan resources
• Monthly work-from-home stipend and quarterly lifestyle stipend
• Team-building experiences, from virtual social events to team offsites

Equal Opportunity:

Human Interest is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran or military status, pregnancy, or any other characteristics protected under federal, state, or local laws.