Why This Job is Featured on The SaaS Jobs
This Channel Partnerships Manager role stands out in SaaS because it formalises a go-to-market motion that many companies treat informally: building durable relationships with the investor ecosystem. For a platform like Gusto, VC and PE channels can influence adoption early in a company’s lifecycle, making the work less about one-off introductions and more about designing repeatable partner programs that consistently surface in founder and operator communities.
From a SaaS career perspective, the remit offers exposure to how ecosystem partnerships connect to measurable outcomes such as pipeline influence and ARR, while still requiring nuanced attribution and long-horizon thinking. The emphasis on portfolio design, engagement models, and success metrics mirrors how mature SaaS organisations scale partner-led growth without losing focus. Experience here typically transfers well to platform partnerships, partner marketing strategy, and broader GTM operations roles.
This role is best suited to a senior partnerships professional who prefers owning an end-to-end motion and shaping how work is prioritised across a partner portfolio. It will fit someone comfortable operating as a connective layer across Sales, Marketing, Events, and Partnerships, and who enjoys balancing credibility-driven relationship work with clear guardrails, reporting, and program design.
The section above is editorial commentary from The SaaS Jobs, provided to help SaaS professionals understand the role in a broader industry context.
Job Description
About the Role:
Gusto is looking for a VC & PE Partnerships Manager to own and scale our relationships across venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) firms.
This role sits at the intersection of partnerships, investing, and go-to-market strategy. You’ll own how Gusto engages with the investor ecosystem in a way that is thoughtful, scalable, and aligned with long-term business priorities, and you’ll be accountable for the results of that motion across the function. Rather than managing a broad set of one-off relationships, this role focuses on building high-leverage, programmatic ecosystem partnerships that consistently show up early in a founder’s journey.
You’ll partner closely with teams across various Partnerships teams, Marketing, Events, and Sales to define the right portfolio, engagement model, and success metrics for this motion.
About the Team:
The Channel Partnerships function sits within Gusto’s broader Partnerships organization. We work cross-functionally to extend Gusto’s reach through trusted partners, while ensuring our motions scale sustainably over time. This team acts as a connective layer between the startup ecosystem and Gusto’s go-to-market engine—balancing long-term relationship building with clear ownership, guardrails, and outcomes.
Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:
- Own Gusto’s VC & PE partnership strategy end to end, accountable for results across the function
- Define and maintain a clear partner portfolio, including which partners warrant 1:1 investment versus scaled engagement
- Build repeatable, programmatic partnership motions (e.g., portfolio company programs, founder and operator education, marketplace or platform integrations)
- Serve as the Tier 1 point of contact for a core group of high-impact ecosystem partners
- Collaborate closely with Partner Marketing and Events to design scalable programs and moments of engagement
- Partner with Recruit and other internal teams to align on net-new partner sourcing over time
- Track and evaluate ecosystem impact across metrics such as ARR, pipeline influence, and founder reach
- Represent Gusto externally as a credible, recognized voice in the VC & PE ecosystem, and provide thought leadership to internal teams and external partners
Here’s what we're looking for:
- 10+ years of experience in partnerships, ecosystem development, venture or growth programs, or adjacent roles, with a track record of function-level impact
- Deep familiarity with the venture capital and private equity ecosystem, including founders, operators, and investors
- Proven ability to independently lead complex, cross-functional partnership initiatives that balance relationship depth with scalability
- Strong judgment around where to invest time and where to say “not now”
- Comfort working cross-functionally and influencing without direct authority
- Ability to translate ambiguous inputs into clear strategy and execution plans
- Experience working at or closely with a VC or PE firm, high-growth company, or ecosystem platform
- Background in program design, portfolio engagement, or platform partnerships
- Experience evaluating partnership impact beyond direct revenue attribution
Our cash compensation amount for this role is $185,000 to $200,000 USD for Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, Chicago metro areas and $215,000 to $235,000 USD for San Francisco & New York and $170-$190 CAD for Toronto. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.
