Partnerships Lead

About Avenue Z, Inc.

Avenue Z is the AI-first agency - a digital marketing and PR company engineered to move fast. Brands partner with us to drive revenue and reputation across all channels, from ChatGPT to The Wall Street Journal, Shopify to Tik Tok, Meta to Google. Trusted by leaders in consumer brands, tech, and finance, we power the earned, owned, and performance media channels driving influence.

Avenue Z is looking for a sales focused individual contributor to open doors, create pipeline, and close high-value relationships across priority markets within the Shopify ecosystem of applications and ecommerce services. This is a hands‑on business development role for a first-hire builder who can source opportunities directly, convert executive conversations into qualified deals, and use partnerships as a force multiplier for revenue growth.

This role is not a people‑manager role on day one. The mandate is to build the market, establish a repeatable outbound motion, and create a durable pipeline across priority verticals, strategic accounts, investors, founders, platforms, and ecosystem partners.

• Build and manage a consistent pipeline of qualified new business opportunities across target sectors, accounts, and partner channels.
• Develop sales referral relationships with founders, CMOs, growth leaders, platform partners and other high‑value referral sources.
• Create and run a disciplined outbound motion across introductions, meetings, follow‑up, and conversion.
• Turn ecommerce industry tools technologies, relationships, and market insight into revenue‑producing sales opportunities.
• Identify, structure, and advance strategic partnerships that accelerate client acquisition, revenue expansion, and market access.
• Work closely with leadership to prioritize target accounts, sectors, and relationship pathways.
• Own the front end of the deal cycle from sourcing through early commercial discussions and handoff into contracting and delivery.
• Maintain strong CRM hygiene, pipeline tracking, forecasting, and next‑step discipline.
• Represent the firm in high‑value meetings, conferences and selective industry events where real business can be generated.
• Help refine the company’s business development playbook based on what is working in market.

• Build a weekly cadence of prospecting, introductions, meetings, and follow‑up activity based on overlapping segments with partners.
• Source opportunities through direct outreach, warm networks, channel partners, using partner tools such as Crossbeam and Partnerstack, and industry relationships.
• Develop account plans for high‑priority targets and multi‑thread relationships into decision‑makers.
• Partner with internal leaders to shape outreach strategy, meeting narratives, and conversion plans.
• Be the main point of contact for inbound and outbound referral new business opportunities.

• Identify technology partnerships that can create distribution, referrals, co‑selling opportunities, or strategic market credibility.
• Build relationships with platform partners, complementary service providers, founder communities, venture networks, and industry connectors.
• Evaluate partnership opportunities based on practical revenue impact rather than brand visibility alone.
• Drive partnership conversations forward with clear commercial intent, ownership, and follow‑through.
• Open co‑marketing opportunities with partners that strengthen market presence, deepen relationships, and support pipeline generation.

• Lead early‑stage commercial conversations and help move opportunities from interest to active pipeline.
• Coordinate internal stakeholders around pitch preparation, capabilities positioning, and proposal strategy.
• Keep momentum across every live opportunity with clear next steps, timelines, and executive communication.
• Surface pipeline risks, stalled deals, and market feedback quickly and clearly.

• Represent the company externally with credibility, polish, and strong commercial instincts.
• Attend high‑profile events and conferences selectively, turning participation into meetings,…