Senior Business Development Manager – Consumer Ecosystem

Company Description

Linked In is the world’s largest professional network, built to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. Our products help people make powerful connections, discover exciting opportunities, build necessary skills, and gain valuable insights every day. We’re also committed to providing transformational opportunities for our own employees by investing in their growth. We aspire to create a culture that’s built on trust, care, inclusion, and fun – where everyone can succeed.

Join us to transform the way the world works.

This role can be based in Sunnyvale, San Francisco, or New York City. At Linked In, our approach to flexible work is centered on trust and optimized for culture, connection, clarity, and the evolving needs of our business. The work location of this role is hybrid, meaning it will be performed both from home and from a Linked In office on select days, as determined by the business needs of the team.

We’re looking for a Senior Business Development Manager (IC) to define and scale our Knowledge Marketplace ecosystem strategy—developing partnerships, product integrations, and programs that expand member value and unlock new growth loops. This is a 0‑to‑1 builder role. You’ll bring a Full‑Stack Builder mindset to the role: shaping strategy, doing market and member research, building lightweight prototypes, pitching and closing partners, and then running the program to measurable impact.

The role is explicitly AI‑native—you’ll use AI tools to collapse cycle time across the full partner + product lifecycle (insight → prototype → deal → launch → iterate).

• Strategy & Market Shaping:
  • Define the Knowledge Marketplace ecosystem strategy: priority member jobs, categories, “right to win” strategies.
  • Build market maps, competitive scans, and opportunity sizing; translate insights into a crisp roadmap of partner bets.
  • Develop exec‑ready narratives: why now, why Linked In, why this partner, why this deal.
• Prototype & Product
  
  Collaboration:
  
  
  • Rapidly prototype partner‑enabled experiences (mock flows, API concepts, clickable demos) to de‑risk deals and align stakeholders.
  • Translate partner + member needs into clear product requirements; partner tightly with Product/Design/Engineering to ship.
  • Define integration approaches that scale (platform primitives, repeatable templates, partner onboarding patterns).
• Partner Sourcing → Pitch → Close:
  • Identify, prioritize, and cultivate a pipeline of partners across key categories (e.g., expert creators, learning providers, workflow/AI tools, distribution platforms).
  • Own end‑to‑end deal execution: value prop, structure, business case, negotiation, legal alignment, and signature.
  • Design win‑win models (commercial + product + distribution) that create durable partner incentives.
• Launch & Program Management:
  • Run launch plans with PMM/Growth: positioning, packaging, distribution, experimentation, and partner co‑marketing.
  • Define success metrics (activation, retention, revenue, quality/trust signals) and manage ongoing performance reviews.
  • Build repeatable operating mechanisms: partner health dashboards, QBRs, escalation paths, expansion motions.
• AI‑First Operating Model:
  • Use AI tools for fast cycles across: market research synthesis, outreach personalization, pitch creation, prototype generation, and program ops.
  • Create reusable “BD agents” / workflows (e.g., partner research briefs, negotiation prep, integration PRD drafts, launch checklists).
  • Show strong judgment about when to automate vs. when to go deep with humans‑in‑the‑loop.

• Basic Qualifications:
  • BA/BS degree in Business or a related field, or equivalent experience, MBA preferred.
  • 8+ years in business development, partnerships, strategy, or product partnerships (tech/platform environment).
  • Experience negotiating and closing complex deals, including cross‑functional leadership with Product, Legal, and Finance.
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Track record of building 0‑to‑1 partnerships/programs and taking them to measurable outcomes.
  • Marketplace / ecosystem experience, preferably Consumer.
  • Strong analytical toolkit (financial modeling, funnel…