Partnerships Manager in London

About CuspAI

CuspAI is the frontier AI company on a mission to solve the breakthrough materials needed to power human progress. While nature took billions of years to perfect molecules, we are harnessing AI to unlock trillion-dollar materials breakthroughs in months, not millennia. Our founding team is the most cited in the world, comprised of world-class researchers in AI, chemistry and engineering. We are working on some of the hardest and most important challenges including energy, clean water, the future of compute, and carbon capture, and this is just the start of what our 'search engine' for next-generation materials will unlock.

We invite you to be part of a diverse, innovative team at the intersection of AI and materials science, working to create impactful partnerships that drive innovation, scalability, and industry collaboration. This work matters. Your work matters. We’re on the cusp of the on-demand materials era. Join us.

The Role

Due to ongoing growth and demand, we’re looking for a Partnerships Manager to build relationships and lead materials design engagements with potential partners in Europe.

Your Impact

In this new role you will be helping to build and execute the partnership strategy and deal frameworks that accelerate the discovery of next-generation electronic materials, which is critical for the future of sustainable compute and global hardware innovation. Your main focus initially will be identifying high-value use cases within the areas of Semiconductors, Catalysis, Separations & Surfaces, or Energy materials. Over time you are likely to get involved in scaling these proof-points into multi-million dollar, decade-long strategic alliances, as well as helping to build our commercial pipeline in other areas/domains.

What You Will Do

• Commercial Playbook & Strategy Development
  • Play a key role in building elements of the foundational "commercial playbook" for CuspAI in Europe.
  • Design "proof-to-scale" commercial structures that ensure initial pilot projects successfully convert into long-term, premium contracts.
  • Validate customer archetypes and sub-verticals to identify which segments convert fastest and justify deeper technical specialization.
  • Generate strategic market insights that will inform CuspAI’s future hiring plans in our various global locations.
• Technical Translation & Deal Architecture
  • Interface with director- and VP-level R&D teams at potential client companies and partners to uncover high-value materials challenges and challenge their assumptions about what AI-driven discovery can achieve.
  • Translate ambiguous customer needs into commercially viable project scopes, collaborating closely with CuspAI’s AI Researchers and Technical Program Managers.
  • Build robust business cases that demonstrate ROI and margin impact to secure budget approval from executive leadership.
• Market Development & Pipeline Generation
  • Drive top-of-funnel lead generation within various verticals based on your own technical background and network.
  • Develop regional market entry strategies for key innovation hubs - regionally and/or globally as required.
  • Identify and cultivate internal champions within target organizations to navigate siloed business units and accelerate the sales cycle.
• Multi-Party Orchestration
  • Coordinate with experimental lab partners and data providers to structure collaborative models that fuel ongoing enhancement of our platform.
  • Orchestrate alignment across customer business units, suppliers, and internal CuspAI stakeholders to close complex, multi-party deals.

Must Have Skills and Qualifications:

• Relevant experience in commercial roles landing relevant materials deals - you’re well versed in managing and closing multi-stakeholder B2B engagements with 6 month+ sales cycles.
• Exceptional executive presence and the ability to command credibility with both R&D directors and business leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex computational or AI concepts to non-technical executives.
• Proven track record of navigating ambiguity and creating structure in an early-stage startup environment.
• Comfortable with ~25% international travel.

Bonus Points (But Not Critical):

• An academic background in a relevant area, such as physics, chemistry, materials science, electrical engineering, or chemical engineering would be strongly preferred.
• Additional background in computational chemistry, materials simulation, or AI/ML applications in physical sciences.
• Track record of closing deals >$500K in technical services or software.

What We Offer

• A competitive salary: We value and reward impact and growth.
• Equity in CuspAI: You have a stake in the success of the company.
• Time off to stay fresh: 28 days holiday (DE, NL, UK) or 21 days holiday (JP, SG, US), in addition to local public holidays.
• ‘Gold Standard’ parental leave: 26 weeks (primary caregiver) and 12 weeks (secondary caregiver) at full pay - we look after you and your family while we work on the most important materials discovery problems together.
• Professional development budget: We invest in your career development so you can stay up to date with the latest industry knowledge or add to your skills to increase impact and growth.
• Solve meaningful problems: See how your work has a direct impact on advancing materials science and solving sustainability and climate-related problems through the creation and application of bleeding-edge SOTA technology and revolutionary techniques.
• True interdisciplinary teamwork: Be part of a deeply collaborative environment bridging AI research, computational chemistry, and experimental science - work with world-class researchers and engineers who enjoy sharing knowledge and supporting each other.

Join us in shaping the future of materials with AI. Together, we can create groundbreaking solutions for a more sustainable world.

CuspAI is an equal opportunities employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds and value the unique perspectives and contributions that diversity brings to our team. Please let us know If you require any specific adjustments during or after the interview process. We will do everything we can within reason to accommodate.