[Hiring] Head of Hardware Partnerships @Modular

Role Description

Modular is building a next-generation AI infrastructure platform that unifies fragmented application frameworks and hardware backends into a single programmable system – enabling true compute portability and performance differentiation across the AI stack. We are hiring a Hardware Partnerships BD Lead to define and scale Modular’s hardware ecosystem strategy. This role sits at the intersection of business development, strategy, and technical coordination. You will work directly with Modular’s founders and technical leadership to:

• Drive and manage relationships with major hardware vendors (e.g., NVIDIA, AMD, Qualcomm, Google, AWS, and emerging accelerator startups).
• Cultivate early-stage relationships well ahead of formal engineering engagements, identifying long-term strategic alignment and ecosystem opportunities.
• Develop scalable partnership models that align incentives between Modular and hardware partners.
• Support partnership economics, including business modeling, negotiation support, and commercial structure development.
• Help define and execute Modular’s “open hardware” ecosystem strategy in conjunction with the continued maturation of MAX and Mojo.
• Design frameworks that allow hardware companies to innovate freely on top of MAX and Mojo while ensuring Modular retains platform control and economic participation.
• Contribute to planning and executing major ecosystem launches aligned with industry and company events (e.g., ModCon).
• Drive alignment across engineering, legal, product, and business leaders – ensuring continuity and alignment across all stakeholder groups.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in business development, partnerships, product strategy, or a related function within the hardware, semiconductor, or AI infrastructure ecosystem.
• Experience working at a large hardware company (e.g., semiconductor, accelerator, or systems vendor) at a moderately senior level, with a strong understanding of internal stakeholder dynamics and incentive structures.
• Demonstrated ability to operate in ambiguous, fast-moving startup environments.
• Strong technical literacy in AI infrastructure (e.g., GPUs, TPUs, compilers, ML systems) sufficient to engage credibly with engineering leaders.
• Experience structuring and supporting complex commercial agreements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly in executive-level and cross-functional settings.
• Ability to operate as a senior individual contributor (IC) while collaborating closely with founders and executive leadership.

Requirements

• Prior experience building or participating in industry consortia, open ecosystems, or platform governance structures (helpful, but not required).
• Existing network within hardware startups or major accelerator vendors (helpful, but not required).
• Exposure to open-source platform strategy (e.g., PyTorch-style ecosystem growth) (helpful, but not required).
• Familiarity with AI compilers, runtime systems, or performance-sensitive ML workloads (helpful, but not required).

Benefits

• Amazing Team: We are a progressive and agile team with some of the industry’s best engineering and product leaders.
• World-class Benefits: Premier insurance plans, up to 5% 401k matching, flexible paid time off, and more are available to you!
• Competitive Compensation: Very strong compensation packages, including stock options.
• Team Building Events: Regular team onsites and local meetups in Los Altos, CA as well as different cities.

The estimated base salary range for this role to be performed in the US, regardless of the state, is $270,000.00 - $375,000.00 USD. The total compensation for a candidate will also include annual target bonus, equity, and benefits, with equity making up a significant portion of your total compensation.