Director of Business Development – Semiconductor & Ecosystem Partnerships

Director of Business Development – Semiconductor & Ecosystem Partnerships

Job Title: Director of Business Development – Semiconductor & Ecosystem Partnerships

Location: Santa Clara, CA (On-site)

Client: SiLith

Website: https://www.silith.com/

Employment Type: Full-Time

Salary: Up to $300,000

About the Client

SiLith is a fabless semiconductor chip design company founded in 2021 that develops silicon photonics interconnect solutions for AI data centers and high-performance computing infrastructure. The company works with hyperscalers, semiconductor manufacturers, transceiver companies, and other technology providers to develop next-generation optical connectivity solutions.

SiLith's technology portfolio supports scale-up, scale-out, and scale-across interconnects, helping address the growing demand for high-bandwidth, high-speed, and energy-efficient data transmission. As the company expands its commercial organization, it is building strategic partnerships to accelerate product integration, joint development, and market adoption.

Job Summary

Seeking an experienced Director of Business Development to lead strategic partnerships with semiconductor companies and technology providers across the optical interconnect and AI infrastructure ecosystem.

This individual will develop and manage relationships with ASIC vendors, merchant silicon providers, component manufacturers, connector and interconnect companies, and system integrators. The role focuses on establishing strategic partnerships, negotiating collaboration agreements, supporting joint product development, and creating joint go-to-market opportunities that drive revenue and strengthen SiLith's market position.

The Director will work closely with executive leadership, Engineering, Product, and Sales teams to align partner roadmaps with company objectives, support technical integration, and accelerate customer opportunities. This is a strategic, relationship-driven role requiring strong semiconductor industry knowledge, technical fluency, and a proven track record of developing successful partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Partnership Development: Build, develop, and manage relationships with semiconductor companies, ASIC vendors, merchant silicon providers, and component manufacturers aligned with SiLith's product roadmap.

Ecosystem Expansion: Establish partnerships across the optical interconnect and AI infrastructure ecosystem, including connector vendors, system integrators, and adjacent technology providers.

Agreement Negotiation: Structure and negotiate strategic partnerships, joint development agreements, technical collaboration agreements, and co-marketing arrangements in collaboration with executive leadership and Legal.

Joint Go-to-Market Strategy: Develop joint go-to-market plans, co-selling initiatives, shared customer engagements, and joint value propositions with strategic partners.

Technical Collaboration: Work with Engineering and Product teams to identify integration opportunities, align technology roadmaps, and support packaging design, interface compatibility, joint qualification, and validation activities.

Revenue and Pipeline Growth: Develop a pipeline of partnership opportunities that generate new customer engagements, influence design wins, and contribute to revenue growth.

Market and Competitive Intelligence: Monitor semiconductor technology roadmaps, industry trends, and competitive developments to identify partnership opportunities and strengthen SiLith's market position.

Partnership Program Management: Establish partner engagement models, performance metrics, reporting processes, relationship management practices, and scalable partnership frameworks.

Cross-Functional Leadership: Coordinate activities across Business Development, Sales, Engineering, Product, Technical Marketing, and Legal to ensure successful execution of partnership initiatives.

Executive Reporting: Communicate partnership progress, pipeline performance, strategic opportunities, and potential risks to the VP of Business Development, CRO, and executive leadership.

Qualifications

10+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or related commercial roles within the semiconductor, optical communications, or AI infrastructure industries.

Proven track record of establishing and managing partnerships with semiconductor companies, including ASIC vendors, merchant silicon providers, or component manufacturers.

Strong technical understanding of semiconductor products, optical interconnects, or related technologies, with the ability to engage effectively with engineering teams.

Experience negotiating and structuring strategic partnerships, joint development agreements, technical collaborations, and commercial agreements.

Demonstrated success developing joint go-to-market strategies, co-selling initiatives, and partner-driven business opportunities.

Experience collaborating cross-functionally with Engineering, Product, Sales, Legal, and executive leadership.

Excellent relationship-building, negotiation, communication, and executive presentation skills.

Strong strategic thinking, business judgment, and ability to translate technical opportunities into commercial outcomes.

Ability to work onsite in Santa Clara, California.

Preferred Qualifications

Established relationships with semiconductor companies, ASIC vendors, merchant silicon providers, or optical interconnect vendors.

Experience with silicon photonics, co-packaged optics (CPO), near-packaged optics (NPO), or high-speed optical and electrical interconnect technologies.

Engineering or applications engineering background combined with business development or strategic partnership experience.

Experience building partnership programs or commercial functions within an early-stage or high-growth technology company.

Familiarity with semiconductor industry sales cycles, ecosystem partnerships, technical co-development, and joint go-to-market models.

Existing relationships with companies serving AI data centers, hyperscalers, networking, and high-performance computing markets.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a senior business development or strategic partnerships professional with extensive experience in the semiconductor industry and a strong network of industry relationships. They understand how semiconductor companies collaborate on technology integration, product development, qualification, and commercialization.

They can engage credibly with engineering leaders while also negotiating commercial agreements, building executive relationships, and developing partnerships that generate measurable business results. A candidate with experience in silicon photonics, optical interconnects, ASICs, merchant silicon, or AI infrastructure would be particularly attractive.

The ideal person is strategic, commercially driven, technically knowledgeable, and comfortable building partnerships in a growing company where processes and programs may still be evolving.

Simple Explanation of the Job

Build partnerships with semiconductor and technology companies that can help SiLith bring its optical connectivity products to market. Develop relationships, negotiate agreements, coordinate technical collaboration, and create joint sales opportunities that help SiLith win customers and grow revenue in the AI data center industry.

Screening Questions

How many years of experience do you have in business development or strategic partnerships within the semiconductor, optical communications, or AI infrastructure industries?

Which semiconductor companies, ASIC vendors, merchant silicon providers, or component manufacturers have you worked with directly?

Do you have established relationships with semiconductor or optical interconnect companies that could be relevant to SiLith?

What experience do you have with silicon photonics, co-packaged optics (CPO), near-packaged optics (NPO), or high-speed optical interconnects?

Can you describe a strategic partnership you developed that resulted in a product integration, joint development initiative, design win, or measurable revenue growth?

Have you negotiated joint development agreements, technical collaboration agreements, or other strategic commercial partnerships? What was your role?

What experience do you have developing joint go-to-market strategies, co-selling initiatives, or shared customer opportunities?

How comfortable are you working with engineering teams on technical integration, product roadmaps, packaging requirements, and qualification activities?

Have you built or scaled a strategic partnership program within an early-stage or high-growth technology company?

How have you measured the success of your partnerships, such as partner-sourced revenue, design wins, joint development milestones, or pipeline growth?

Are you currently based in the Santa Clara area, or would you be willing to relocate for an onsite position?

What are your compensation expectations, and would a total compensation package of up to $300,000 align with your requirements?