Partnerships Manager

Job description

ABOUT TRACE Trace is building the data marketplace for physical AI. Physical AI has the potential to transform how work gets done in the real world, from robotics to embodied systems that can see, move, and interact with their environment. But today, progress is constrained by a fundamental limitation: there is no scalable way to collect high-quality, real-world training data. Frontier robotics models are trained on orders of magnitude less data than language models because there is no equivalent of an “internet of robotics data.” Trace exists to change that. We build the infrastructure that makes it possible to capture and transform real-world data from humans performing physical work, and turn it into training data for robotics systems, embodied AI models, and other AI systems that operate outside the browser and in the physical world. If we succeed, we meaningfully accelerate the development of physical AI and expand what these systems can safely and reliably do in the world. Our platform is designed to support many data formats, capture workflows, and customer needs over time. What we capture today is only the starting point. If you want to be an early hire at a company helping define how robots learn to work, keep reading. WHY TRACE - A world-changing problem: Physical AI will reshape entire industries, but it cannot scale without real-world data. Trace is addressing one of the core constraints holding the field back. - Early but real traction: Active pilots with growing demand on both sides of the marketplace. - Experienced, tight-knit team: Ex founders, PhDs, and operators with a track record of building and scaling together. - Real ownership: This is early. Your work will materially shape the product, systems, and direction of the company. - Foundational platform: We are building core infrastructure that enables many future products and use cases as physical AI evolves. THE ROLE You will find and sign new capture partners (for example industrial and home services companies) who get paid by Trace in exchange for access to multimodal data, such as video showing how real work gets done. Trace compensates workers and partner organizations for participating in data capture. This is a full-cycle partner acquisition role. You own the relationship from first outreach through signed agreement, then hand off to the onsite onboarding and operations team. The pitch is unusual, which means you will run discovery, handle skepticism, and work directly with the founders to refine messaging, offers, and target segments. This is not a “read the script and grind” role. You will help build the supply acquisition motion from scratch. WHAT YOU WILL DO - Build outbound pipeline via cold calls, email, and LinkedIn - Source and sign new capture partners, including industrial and home services companies, manufacturing sites, and property managers - Qualify quickly: who owns the workflow, who can approve a pilot, and what it would take to launch - Pitch Trace clearly and credibly to operators and owners - Run discovery to shape pilot structure, including participants, timelines, incentives, and constraints - Own deals end to end through agreement signature - Coordinate handoff to the onsite onboarding lead and keep partners engaged through kickoff - Capture objections and update messaging, scripts, and FAQs based on what you learn - Maintain clean CRM hygiene with clear notes, stages, and next steps WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - 1+ years in BDR, SDR, or inside sales, with experience owning deals beyond initial qualification - Comfortable running full-cycle conversations with operators and decision makers - Strong phone presence and clear written communication - Comfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration - Organized and reliable with tight pipeline management - Collaborative, grounded working style with openness to feedback - No robotics background required, but curiosity and ability to learn quickly are essential BONUS POINTS - Experience in start ups selling to industrials, trades, logistics, or other real-world operators - Comfort structuring non-standard deals and partner incentives - Experience building outbound or partnerships motion at an early-stage company