Business Development Director, Channel Partnerships (Contractor)

Project Overview:

Known is building DNSid, the foundational identity and accountability layer for the agentic internet. As AI agents become autonomous participants across enterprises, clouds and the public internet, DNSid gives every agent a persistent identity that can be verified wherever the agent operates.

Known is an independent company spun out of Identity Digital. While you may see both company names during the hiring process, this position is with Known.

https://knownsystems.ai/

We are looking for a Business Development Director, Channel Partnerships to build and lead the partner ecosystem that will take DNSid from emerging technology to scaled market adoption.

This executive will own Known’s channel and strategic partnership strategy across cloud service providers, trust and identity providers, global systems integrators and other technology and distribution partners capable of embedding, implementing, selling or creating demand for DNSid.

The role requires an executive who can operate across strategy, business development, product, technology, commercial model design and ecosystem development, while building and leading a team responsible for GSI partnerships and customer success.

This role reports to our Sr. Director of Business Development.

*This is a contract to hire opportunity*

Scope of Responsibilities

Channel & Ecosystem Strategy

• Own Known’s global channel strategy across cloud service providers, trust and identity platforms, global systems integrators and other strategic technology partners
• Prioritize the partners and ecosystem plays that can create disproportionate distribution, adoption, implementation capacity and revenue leverage for DNSid
• Define the strategic and commercial role each partner plays and build the business models, incentives and engagement structures required to scale

Strategic Partnerships & Commercialization

• Personally lead Known’s highest-value strategic relationships across CSPs, trust providers and other critical ecosystem partners
• Build executive alignment and joint business plans that translate partnerships into integrations, customer adoption, pipeline and commercial outcomes
• Develop repeatable sell-with, sell-through, build-with and integrate-with motions that make DNSid easy and economically attractive for partners to incorporate into their products, services and AI transformation programs

Partner-Led Adoption & Scale

• Lead the GSI strategy and team responsible for developing the implementation methodologies, reference architectures, enablement and joint GTM motions required to deploy DNSid at enterprise scale
• Lead Customer Success to ensure early deployments become successful reference implementations, repeatable playbooks and catalysts for broader adoption
• Use strategic partners to establish DNSid within enterprise architectures, transformation programs and industry solutions, creating a scalable growth engine beyond direct sales

Executive & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the senior commercial owner for the partner ecosystem, connecting partner strategy with Product, Engineering, Marketing and broader GTM priorities
• Represent Known with senior partner executives and in strategic industry forums to strengthen DNSid's position as the foundational identity and accountability layer for AI agents

Success Expectations

• Establish a focused portfolio of high-value strategic partners across cloud, trust and identity, systems integration and other priority ecosystem categories
• Convert priority relationships into measurable technical integrations, distribution, customer adoption and commercial outcomes
• Build repeatable partner-led motions that generate meaningful sourced and influenced pipelines
• Position DNSid as the emerging trust layer for AI agents. Establish DNSid within partner reference architectures, products, transformation methodologies or customer solutions.
• Create clear economic models that make DNSid valuable for partners to integrate, recommend and implement
• Build a scalable GSI implementation and distribution model supported by trained partner architects and repeatable deployment methodologies
• Convert early customer deployments into reference implementations that accelerate subsequent partner-led adoption

What Success Looks Like in the First 12 Months:

• Established 10–15 strategic ecosystem partnerships
• Secured 5–8 active design partners
• Closed first enterprise commercial agreements
• Helped shape product roadmap through customer insight

Who You Are / What You Bring

• 7-10 years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, alliances or ecosystem leadership within enterprise technology
• Demonstrated success building and scaling strategic partnerships across cloud, enterprise technology, security, identity, trust and/or global systems integrators
• Proven ability to take emerging technologies and partnership models from 0 - 1, building the strategy, commercial model and operating mechanisms required to scale
• Strong business and technical fluency with the ability to engage credibly across product, engineering, architecture, security and executive stakeholders
• Strong commercial judgment and experience structuring partnership economics, incentives, joint business plans and complex strategic agreements
• Ability to connect partner economics, technical integration and customer value to create compelling, scalable partner propositions
• Exceptional executive communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills, with experience leading teams and influencing across organizational boundaries
• Strategic, AI-native operator with a bias toward execution, measurable outcomes and comfort operating in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment

Compliance & Authorization

• Legal: The Contractor must be legally authorized to work in the US and have all permits, licenses, and authorizations necessary to function as a contractor
• Ethics: Services must be performed in alignment with all applicable anti-discrimination and equal opportunity laws, as well as Identity Digital’s Equal Opportunity and non-discrimination policies and training

Location:

• Remote within the US (preference for the following states: AZ, CA, CO, DE, MD, MA, MO, NJ, NV, NY, NC, OR, OK, PA, SC, TX, UT, VA, and WA)

Compensation:

• This role is intended to begin as an independent contractor engagement, compensated through an agreed-upon monthly retainer, with the potential to convert to full-time employment after an initial engagement period. The anticipated annual base salary range upon conversion is $130,000–$150,000 plus a sales incentive plan.

A few things to know about us

Identity Digital is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or any other category prohibited by local, state or federal law. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, social and recreational activities, and termination.