Strategy & Operations — PE Partnerships

We are hiring a Strategy & Operations lead to sit in the CEO’s office with a singular mandate: build and scale Leena AI’s relationships with the world’s leading private equity firms and systematically target their portfolio companies to generate pipeline. 25% of our customers are PE owned because AI colleagues have a real impact on G&A. We are doubling down on PE backed companies as cost‑savings have a significant impact on their valuation.

You will be leading this effort. This is not a traditional strategy role — it is a revenue‑oriented, externally facing position that demands deep PE fluency, executive‑level relationship management, and the ability to create joint value for PE firms, their portfolio companies and Leena AI.

You will own the end‑to‑end PE partnerships motion: identifying the right firms and operating partners, building co‑sell and referral frameworks, creating portfolio‑level business cases, and driving qualified pipeline into the sales funnel. You will work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the CEO and AE team to accelerate enterprise deals sourced through PE channels.

• PE Relationship Development:
  Build and own relationships with operating partners, value creation teams, and portfolio operations leaders at top PE/growth equity firms (Apollo, Blackstone, KKR, Carlyle, Thoma Bravo, Vista, Warburg Pincus, Bain Capital, H&F, etc.). Establish Leena AI as a trusted vendor partner within their ecosystems.
• Portfolio Pipeline Generation:
  Systematically map PE firm portfolios to identify high‑fit accounts. Build targeted outreach strategies by portfolio, sector vertical, and operational thesis. Convert portfolio relationships into qualified pipeline for the US sales team.
• Co‑Sell & GTM Frameworks:
  Design and operationalize co‑sell motions with PE operating teams — joint value creation workshops, portfolio‑wide AI readiness assessments, and referral programs that create repeatable deal flow.
• Strategic Account Intelligence:
  Cross‑reference PE ownership data with Leena AI’s ICP to prioritize accounts. Maintain a living map of portfolio companies, decision‑makers, and deal timing signals. Feed intelligence into Hub Spot and AE workflows.
• Executive Content & Collateral:
  Develop PE‑specific pitch materials, ROI frameworks, case studies (e.g., Medline as a Blackstone/Carlyle portfolio win), and thought leadership that resonates with value creation teams.
• Conference & Event Strategy:
  Represent Leena AI at PE‑oriented forums and operating partner summits. Identify and secure speaking opportunities, round tables, and 1:1 meetings at key industry events.
• Competitive Positioning:
  Leverage the Moveworks/Service Now acquisition narrative to position Leena AI as the independent, best‑of‑breed alternative for PE portfolios that resist single‑vendor lock‑in.

• 12‑15 years of experience with a mandatory track record in private equity, PE operating/value creation, or PE‑adjacent advisory roles (Big 3/MBB consulting to PE, investment banking with PE coverage, or operating roles within a PE portfolio company).
• Deep PE ecosystem knowledge:
  You understand how value creation teams work, how operating partners evaluate vendor partnerships, and how portfolio companies make technology buying decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain senior‑level relationships with PE operating partners, managing directors, and C‑suite executives at portfolio companies.
• Strong commercial instinct:
  You think in terms of pipeline, deal velocity, and revenue outcomes — not just strategy decks.
• Enterprise SaaS exposure:
  Familiarity with B2B SaaS sales motions, CRM systems (Hub Spot preferred), and pipeline management.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication:
  You can craft an executive‑ready memo, a cold outreach email to a Blackstone operating partner, and a boardroom‑quality presentation with equal ease.
• AI‑first mindset:
  You default to using AI tools to accelerate research, outreach, analysis, and content creation. You see AI as a force multiplier, not a novelty — and you’re constantly experimenting with new ways to leverage it.
• Bias for action and self‑reliance:
  You don’t wait for a team to be built…