Manager Strategic Partnerships

Partnerships Manager, Product Launch Contract, full-time through launch (mid-January 2027) with extension for the post-launch campaign Remote, US-based. Greater Philadelphia a plus. Reports to the Founder.About Spratt LabsSpratt Labs is a pet wellness hardware company launching SprattOS (Spratt Smart Bed), the first connected dog bed that keeps the dog and the bed smelling fresh with timed bursts of a natural, pet-safe formula, and tracks the dog's weight over time through the SprattOS app. The product is patent-pending and launches on Kickstarter in mid-January 2027, backed by private investment and a dedicated crowdfunding agency running paid media and the pre-launch funnel. You join a small founding team and own everything that runs through people rather than ads.The roleYou build and run the partnership engine behind the launch: creators, veterinarians, communities and press. You source, pitch, negotiate, close, and manage every relationship through launch week, and you are measured on signups to the VIP list and backers on launch day. This is an execution role. You will run a pipeline of several hundred contacts, personally, with your own outreach and your own follow-up.What you'll ownCreator programBuild a target list of dog creators on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube (doodle, large-breed, dog-mom and dog-humor accounts, 10k to 500k followers) and run outreach, negotiation and contractingPlace seed units with selected creators in December and manage content delivery, usage rights and posting schedulesIssue each creator a tracked VIP link and report signups by creator weeklyCoordinate a launch-week posting wave timed to the Kickstarter go-liveVeterinary partnerIdentify, pitch and sign a licensed veterinarian as a paid advisor to review the formulation and health-tracking featuresSecure a quote, headshot and on-camera appearance for the VIP page, Kickstarter page and adsKeep all claims within what the advisor has reviewed and approvedCommunities and pressBuild relationships with admins of dog-owner Facebook groups, subreddits and newsletters and secure placements for launchPitch pet and consumer-tech press and podcasts for launch-week coverageLine up local Philadelphia-area groomers, trainers and dog businesses for launch-day amplificationOperationsMaintain the full pipeline in a CRM or sheet: status, terms, deliverables, dates, performanceDraft all agreements with creators and advisors from templatesReport weekly: contacts made, conversations active, closed, signups attributedTargets through launchTargetDue: 200+ creators contacted, 30+ confirmed for launch weekJanuary 108 to 10 creators seeded with units and posting before launchDecember 20Veterinary advisor signed, with quote and video capturedDecember 1525+ community, newsletter and press placements committed for launch weekJanuary 10Every partner on a tracked link with weekly attributed signups reportedOngoing from week 1Who this is for4+ years in influencer marketing, partnerships or business development for a consumer brand, with at least one product launch you ran end to endYou have personally closed 50+ creator deals and can show the outcomesPet, consumer hardware or DTC experience; crowdfunding experience is a strong plusYou have recruited and managed expert advisors or professional endorsers before (clinicians, veterinarians, trainers) and understand what they can and cannot sayFluent in TikTok and Instagram creator economics: what a 50k dog account charges, what usage rights cost, what a fair gifting deal looks likeYou write a cold message that gets a reply and you follow up without being askedComfortable owning a number and reporting against it every weekDog owner preferredCompensation and termsMonthly retainer of $6,000 to $8,000, based on directly relevant experienceLaunch bonus tied to attributed VIP signups and launch-day backers from your partnersSeparate budget for creator fees, seed units and advisor fees, managed by youStart date: November 10, 2026 or soonerIndependent contractor through the launch campaign, with an option to convert to a full-time Head of Partnerships role afterHow to applySend the following to [email]. No cover letter.Three partnerships you closed and what each produced (reach, signups, sales, or placement). Name the brand and the partner.The five dog creators you would contact first for this launch and one line each on why.Your approach to signing a veterinarian as an advisor for a product like this, in five sentences or fewer.Your LinkedIn and any public work.