Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager

Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager – Climate Tech & Innovation

Location: San Carlos, CA (Hybrid)

Compensation: $160,000 – $185,000 + Comprehensive Benefits

Our client, a global leader in infrastructure, engineering, and innovation, is seeking a Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager to join its Silicon Valley-based innovation team. This role serves as a key bridge between emerging technologies and corporate business units, driving strategic partnerships, pilot programs, and innovation initiatives across climate technology, energy, sustainability, smart buildings, and infrastructure sectors.

This is an exciting opportunity for a bilingual Japanese English professional who is passionate about innovation, startup ecosystems, and creating strategic business value through external partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with startups, venture capital firms, accelerators, research institutions, and innovation ecosystem partners.
• Identify, evaluate, and develop strategic partnership opportunities aligned with corporate business priorities.
• Lead Proofs of Concept (PoCs), pilot programs, and co-development initiatives with internal and external stakeholders.
• Conduct market, technology, competitive, and strategic research to identify emerging trends and opportunities.
• Translate business challenges and emerging technologies into structured opportunity hypotheses and actionable recommendations.
• Provide strategic insights and advisory support to business leaders and corporate stakeholders.
• Monitor industry trends in climate technology, energy transition, sustainability, smart buildings, construction technology, and infrastructure innovation.
• Develop and deliver executive-level presentations and reports in both Japanese and English.
• Support partnership structuring, business model development, go-to-market planning, and collaboration frameworks.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree required; technical background preferred (engineering, energy, sustainability, construction, infrastructure, or related fields).
• 10+ years of professional experience in strategy, innovation, business development, venture, consulting, or related functions.
• Business-level proficiency in both Japanese and English (written and verbal).
• Strong understanding of startup ecosystems and emerging technology landscapes.
• Experience working within innovation-focused environments, including corporate innovation, venture capital, corporate venture capital, accelerators, or strategic partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex and ambiguous projects from concept through execution.
• Strong cross-cultural communication skills with experience collaborating across U.S. and Japanese organizations.
• Ability to work effectively across multiple time zones and global teams.

Preferred

• Experience with Corporate Venture Capital (CVC), Venture Capital (VC), startup accelerators, or innovation labs.
• Industry exposure to climate technology, energy, sustainability, construction technology, infrastructure, or industrial innovation.
• Experience evaluating early-stage and growth-stage technologies, business models, and partnership opportunities.
• MBA, master’s degree, or other advanced degree.

Desired Skills

• Exceptional relationship-building and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear business recommendations.
• Excellent presentation development and storytelling skills.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and comfortable operating in fast-paced, evolving environments.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Keynote, and other business productivity tools.

Additional Information

• Hybrid work schedule (minimum 3 days per week in office).
• Flexibility to participate in evening meetings with international teams.
• Approximately 10% travel within North America for conferences, partner meetings, and industry events.
• Occasional international travel to Asia as needed.

Why Join?

This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of corporate innovation, venture ecosystems, climate technology, and global business strategy. You will play a critical role in identifying transformative technologies and shaping strategic partnerships that influence the future of infrastructure, sustainability, and innovation on a global scale.