Alliances Lead

About the role

At Loka our teams launch meaningful projects across a wide range of industries. In the last year we helped advance the world's #1 AI reading tutor, transform rundown homes into green machines and accelerate novel drug discovery to fight leukemia. And we did it all while working 100% remotely and enjoying every other Friday off

We're seeking an experienced Alliances professional from inside the AWS ecosystem to own how Loka works with AWS day to day. As AWS Innovation Partner of the Year, our name is already known across AWS startup, SMB and healthcare teams. You'll walk in with credibility, with relationships and processes already in place, and with real ownership to shape alliances as you see fit.

Your time will split roughly evenly between AWS-facing and internal work. Externally, you'll build relationships with AWS District Managers and the PDM team. Internally, you'll make sure our sales leaders have the AWS relationships, data and insights they need to win. Your AWS alliances experience matters more than your knowledge of AI partner programs. The former is what you'll need to hit the ground running; the latter you'll learn with us as our Anthropic and OpenAI practices grow.

This is a hands-on, individual contributor role. Alliance's roles are rarely black and white, so a self-starter who takes the ball and runs will thrive here.

Responsibilities

• Drive the growth of Loka's AWS partnership, ensuring alignment with our sales priorities and AWS partner frameworks, including our Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA)
• Act as the business owner of alliances. Where ownership isn't clear-cut, define roles and responsibilities with Sales and other teams, and shape existing processes as the partnership evolves
• Own partner metrics and reporting: build systematic tracking of AWS Partner KPIs (including AO/PO) and internal metrics across segments, and turn them into forecasts and insights for sales leadership
• Run regular cadences with the AWS partner team and internal stakeholders to track progress and deliver business reviews
• Build and grow relationships with AWS field teams, including District Managers across startup and SMB, and drive consistent engagement with prioritized teams
• Partner with Sales, Marketing and Operations on joint go-to-market initiatives that accelerate pipeline growth and new opportunities
• Coordinate with Operations on deal registration and alliance compliance
• Represent Loka at AWS partner events, District offsites and industry conferences
• Support the growth of our relationships with AI partners such as Anthropic and OpenAI, including program milestones, certifications and events
• Track AWS ecosystem developments and market trends, and proactively identify and act on growth opportunities without waiting for direction

Must Have

• 5+ years in alliances, partner or channel roles within the AWS ecosystem
• Hands-on knowledge of how AWS partner teams work: partnering with PDMs, running reports out of ACE, and co-sell and AO/PO motions
• Strong analytical skills, with experience building metrics, reporting and forecasts that leadership relies on
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Comfort with ambiguity and high autonomy
• Ability to travel for District offsites and AWS events up to 50% of the month
• Eligible to work in the US without sponsorship

Strongly Preferred

• Experience at a professional services or cloud consulting company
• Based on the East Coast, or working East Coast hours
• Existing relationships with AWS PDMs or District Managers
• Working knowledge of AWS partner programs and funding
• Exposure to Anthropic (Claude) or OpenAI partner programs
• AWS certifications

Benefits

• Salary range $160,000-$190,000
• Every other Friday off, i.e. 26 extra days off a year. Our team calls it a life-changing benefit. We think you'll agree.
• 100% remote. Work where you feel most comfortable and productive.
• Medical, dental and vision coverage, life insurance and disability
• 401k with up to 4% employer matching
• LokaLabs™: Apply moonshot technologies to overlooked societal challenges in our internal incubator.
• Continuous Learning Support
• Paid vacation days, sick days and local holidays