Director of Partner Engineering

Who we are At Twelve Labs, we are pioneering the development of cutting-edge multimodal foundation models that have the ability to comprehend videos just like humans do. Our models have redefined the standards in video-language modeling, empowering us with more intuitive and far-reaching capabilities, and fundamentally transforming the way we interact with and analyze various forms of media. With a remarkable $107 million in Seed and Series A funding, our company is backed by top-tier venture capital firms such as NVIDIA’s NVentures, NEA, Radical Ventures, and Index Ventures, and prominent AI visionaries and founders such as Fei-Fei Li, Silvio Savarese, Alexandr Wang and more. Headquartered in San Francisco, with an influential APAC presence in Seoul, our global footprint underscores our commitment to driving worldwide innovation. We are a global company that values the uniqueness of each person’s journey. It is the differences in our cultural, educational, and life experiences that allow us to constantly challenge the status quo. We are looking for individuals who are motivated by our mission and eager to make an impact as we push the bounds of technology to transform the world. Join us as we revolutionize video understanding and multimodal AI. Why This Role? Our Go-to-Market (GTM) organization empowers developers and enterprises to build intelligent video applications using the Twelve Labs APIs, helping customers unlock the full potential of our multimodal models. The Global Partnerships team plays a critical role in this mission by forging high-impact integrations that expand our ecosystem and accelerate adoption. As the Director of Partner Engineering, you will build and lead the Partner Engineering function, setting the technical strategy for how Twelve Labs integrates across the broader AI and cloud landscape. You will guide a small but growing team of Partner Engineers and act as a bridge between our partners, product, and engineering teams, ensuring our technology is deeply and effectively embedded into partner ecosystems. This is a strategic and hands-on leadership role—ideal for someone who thrives in dynamic environments, enjoys both technical architecture and business impact, and can shape how Twelve Labs scales through partnerships globally. In this role you will Build and lead the Partner Engineering team, defining its charter, operating model, and success metrics. Develop and execute the global partner engineering strategy across key ecosystems (cloud providers, AI platforms, ISVs, and enterprise integrators). Guide technical pre- and post-sales efforts, ensuring seamless partner onboarding, solution design, and integration with Twelve Labs APIs. Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and GTM leaders to align on technical roadmaps and market opportunities. Run enablement programs for partner technical teams (e.g., cloud solution architects, AI/ML teams) to integrate and scale Twelve Labs technology within their environments. Drive co-innovation projects, developing proof-of-concept integrations that demonstrate the value of Twelve Labs technology and inspire broader adoption. Represent Twelve Labs externally—speaking at conferences, publishing technical content, and cultivating thought leadership in the AI and video intelligence space. Monitor the competitive landscape and emerging technologies to inform product strategy and identify high-leverage opportunities for integration. Partner with leadership to shape go-to-market models, pricing structures, and joint business plans with strategic partners. Serve as the customer’s technical advocate, synthesizing partner feedback into actionable insights for the product roadmap. You may be a good fit if you have 8+ years of experience in Solutions Architecture, Partner Engineering, or Technical Pre/Post-Sales, with at least 3+ years in a leadership or people management role. Proven experience building and scaling partner or solution engineering functions in a startup or high-growth environment. Strong technical foundation across cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure) and API-based integration architectures. Deep understanding of developer ecosystems, including familiarity with HTTP, JavaScript, Web SDKs, RESTful APIs, and modern application frameworks. Demonstrated ability to influence C-level and technical stakeholders, driving alignment between business and technical outcomes. Excellent storytelling and communication skills—you can inspire both engineers and executives. High comfort operating in ambiguity, balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution. A passion for AI/ML and multimodal technologies, and a desire to become an expert in how large visual-language models can transform industries. Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience) Benefits and Perks 🤝 An open and inclusive culture and work environment. 🚀 Work closely with a collaborative, mission-driven team on cutting-edge AI technology. 🏥 Full health, dental, and vision benefits ✈️ Extremely flexible PTO and parental leave policy. Office closed the week of Christmas and New Years. 🛂 VISA support where applicable