Senior Level Director of Strategic Operations Jobs

Summary

Imagine what you could do here. The people here at Apple don’t just create products — they create the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. Join Apple, and help us leave the world better than we found it. Apple’s Sales organization generates the revenue needed to fuel our ongoing development of products and services. This in turn, enriches the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world. Our sales team, is in many ways, the face of Apple to our largest customers. We are seeking a Head of Emerging Technology Strategy & Partnerships to decide where Apple places its next bets in the enterprise and AI ecosystem — and to build the team that turns those bets into adopted, repeatable business. This is a working manager role: you will personally originate and run a portfolio of strategic partnerships and market activation plans for Apple's highest-priority emerging technology initiatives, while building and coaching a team that runs the same playbook with increasing independence. No other platform company can pair this kind of ecosystem reach with Apple's architecture for privacy, security, and on-device intelligence — your job is to turn that architectural advantage into a commercial one, continuously, as hybrid AI redraws what partners and customers expect. Because these partnerships are won on technology, you're a fit if you can go deep with engineers and architects on how it works and why it differentiates, and carry that substance into a funded, resourced, measurable commercial motion with C-suite leaders. You also bring the people instincts to grow a team of originators rather than just carry the portfolio yourself. We're looking for someone with big ideas who also knows how to get things built, funded, and shipped — a rare combination, and the core of this role.

Description

As the Head of Emerging Technology Strategy & Partnerships, you will personally own a set of strategic initiatives and partnership pursuits end-to-end, while leading a team that owns equivalent portfolios across other emerging technology initiatives — from market activation and ecosystem engagement to technical solutioning and go-to-market design. As a working manager, you'll balance hands-on deal leadership with accountability for the people doing the same work: setting direction, developing capability, and ensuring the team operates as a high-performing, well-coached unit. In this role, you will: - Shape the How of Strategic Initiatives: Translate Apple's emerging technology bets into concrete market activation plans: the ecosystem required to pull the Apple platform through, the early adopters positioned to become lighthouse customers, and the enabling technologies and integrations needed to get there. You decide the motions, not just the destination — and you're accountable for measurable outcomes, not activity. - Own a Working Portfolio: Personally originate, qualify, negotiate, and activate a dedicated set of strategic partnerships across enterprise platforms, AI frontier labs, and industry-specific ISVs — engaging daily with senior leaders and technical decision-makers across that ecosystem. Your own deals set the standard and the playbooks your team is expected to run. - Solution Technology Win-Wins with Partners: Technology is what wins these partnerships, not relationships alone. Each is a win-win anchored in a specific product or platform advantage, and you'll solution it hands-on with partner and Apple engineers: evaluating integration architectures, finding the gaps, and defining the software enhancements on both sides that unlock adoption. Carry what you learn into Apple's product and platform roadmap discussions with clear technical rationale and business impact, and hold your team to the same standard — every partnership rests on a technology thesis, not just a commercial one. - Build Apple's Differentiated Advantage: Architect joint value propositions and go-to-market strategies that establish clear, differentiated advantage through Apple's platform — on-device AI, security, and privacy architecture — and the ecosystem around it. Articulate precisely where Apple's silicon, OS, and services differentiate from alternatives, and translate that into what a partner gains by building on Apple. As hybrid AI becomes the defining lever in enterprise technology, continuously evolve Apple's partner value proposition, and your team's skill set, to keep that advantage expanding. - Architect Repeatable Motions: Turn one-off wins into frameworks: partner qualification criteria (including technical fit and integration readiness), joint business planning models, reference architectures, and go-to-market plays (co-sell, co-marketing, enablement, pipeline development) that scale beyond any single relationship and beyond any single deal you personally run. - Lead, Coach, and Scale the Team: Set team direction and goals aligned to organizational priorities. Coach and develop direct reports through regular 1:1s, feedback, and career planning — including building their technical depth in Apple's platform and in partner technologies. Manage performance — calibrating against expectations and addressing gaps directly and with empathy. Make hiring decisions and build a diverse, high-caliber team. Allocate team resources and workstreams across origination, technical solutioning, enablement, and commercial negotiation to balance coverage, individual growth, and your own portfolio commitments. - Represent the Function Cross-Functionally: Partner closely with Industry Leadership, Enterprise/Partner Sales, Product Marketing, Engineering, and Operations to keep partnerships strategically aligned and measurably impactful — representing your team's priorities, resourcing needs, and development in those forums. - Measure and Evolve: Track partner-sourced pipeline, revenue, and activation metrics. Monitor competitive and industry trends to keep strategy current. Use both to decide what to double down on, what to pause, and where the next emerging technology bet should go.

Minimum Qualifications

• 12+ years in business development, strategic partnerships, or ecosystem development within enterprise technology, with a track record of originating and activating partnerships that drove measurable go-to-market outcomes — not just relationship management.
• 8+ years of people management experience, including setting goals, coaching, managing performance, and making hiring decisions for a team.
• Experience across at least three of: global systems integrators, enterprise software (ISVs), AI/ML companies, consulting firms, healthcare/fintech solution providers, or VC/PE ecosystems.
• Deep technical fluency in enterprise AI and platform technology, including on-device vs. cloud architecture tradeoffs for privacy, security, and compliance, and the ability to explain what differentiates one platform or product from another in terms engineers and architects respect.
• Demonstrated experience co-developing solutions with partners or engineering teams — shaping integration architectures, defining product or software enhancements, and influencing roadmaps — in a way that produced mutual, measurable adoption.
• Ability to architect repeatable partnership frameworks that scale beyond individual relationships, and to execute joint go-to-market strategies (co-sell, co-marketing, enablement, pipeline development).
• Strong commercial acumen: partnership agreements, joint business planning, revenue-sharing, and investment frameworks.
• Proven ability to engage and influence C-suite/VP executives and drive partner investment decisions.
• Strong analytical skills for market sizing and business-case development.
• Excellent communication, storytelling, and negotiation skills; able to operate across a global, matrixed organization with significant autonomy in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a working manager — carrying individual deal/partnership accountability alongside team leadership responsibilities without one crowding out the other.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Technical background — engineering, solutions architecture, product management, or technical partner/alliance roles — or a degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field.
• Hands-on familiarity with Apple platform technologies (e.g., Apple silicon, Core ML, Apple Intelligence, device management and security frameworks) or comparable platform technologies at another major vendor.
• Experience in healthcare, financial services, or other regulated industries where privacy/compliance shape adoption.
• Experience with AI-native companies or AI/ML ecosystem players (model providers, app builders, infrastructure).
• Technologist's flexibility to pivot across emerging initiatives as Apple's AI and platform priorities evolve.
• Experience engaging VC/PE ecosystems to drive portfolio-company adoption or co-investment.
• Track record at a major platform company or partnering closely with one.
• Experience designing partner programs, including certification, tiering, enablement, and success metrics.
• Strong project management discipline, able to run multiple partner workstreams concurrently across origination, solutioning, enablement, and commercial negotiation stages.
• Global, cross-cultural partnership experience.
• Prior experience building or scaling a team from the ground up, particularly in an ambiguous or rapidly evolving function.
• MBA or equivalent is preferred but not required.

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $233,900 and $351,800, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits

Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

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Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.