Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships - Drones and Counter-Drone

@ Axon
Axonaxon.com

Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships - Drones and Counter-Drone

Posted today

About the job

Axon aims to protect life through innovative device and cloud software solutions in public safety. This role focuses on developing drone and counter-drone partnerships to enhance Axon's platform, requiring strategic, cross-functional collaboration in a fast-paced environment. (350)

Requirements

  • 8-10+ years in strategic partnerships
  • Experience negotiating complex deals
  • Influence cross-functional teams
  • Manage partner relationships
  • Strong communication skills

Qualifications

  • Experience in ecosystem businesses
  • Knowledge of public safety tech
  • Ability to operate strategically and hands-on
  • Excellent strategic judgment
  • Bachelor's degree or higher

Full job description

Join Axon and be a Force for Good.

At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.
Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.


 

Your Impact

Axon is seeking a strategic, execution-oriented, and collaborative Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships to lead partner strategy and execution for drones and counter-drone. This includes driving interoperability between Axon products and unmanned aerial systems, detectors, and effectors from solution providers across the broader public safety and defense technology ecosystem.
In this role, you will drive partnership sourcing, development, and onboarding to materially expand Axon's drone as first responder program, accelerate adoption of DedroneTracker.AI, Fusus, and related products, and strengthen Axon's position as the platform of record for real-time operations. Working cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Sales, Legal, and Privacy, you will identify, structure, and scale partnerships across the full partnership lifecycle — bringing independent ownership of complex partner relationships, strong strategic judgment, and disciplined execution.

Reports to: Director, Strategic Partnerships
Location: Hybrid out of Seattle, Boston, New York, Scottsdale, San Francisco and London)

 

What You’ll Do

PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & ECOSYSTEM EXPANSION

  • Lead the sourcing, development, and execution of strategic partnerships that expand Axon's drone and counter-drone ecosystem, including UAS manufacturers, detection and effector solution providers, and software platform partners.
  • Identify, evaluate, and prioritize new partnership opportunities that materially accelerate adoption of Axon's drone as first responder program, DedroneTracker.AI, Fusus, and related products.
  • Engage senior leaders at potential partners — including UAS manufacturers, C-UAS solution providers, defense technology companies, and public safety platform vendors — to structure mutually beneficial partnerships.
  • Own partner relationship management, including executive alignment, roadmap coordination, QBRs, and long-term value realization.
  • Negotiate commercial and strategic partnership terms, including interoperability frameworks, integration models, data-sharing arrangements, and governance structures.

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COORDINATION & EXECUTION

  • Partner closely with Product and Engineering to translate customer and ecosystem needs into scalable integrations and repeatable interoperability patterns across UAS and C-UAS platforms.
  • Work with Sales and GTM teams to align partnerships with customer priorities, DFR program deployments, and expansion opportunities across public safety and defense.
  • Collaborate with Legal, Privacy, and Policy teams to ensure partnerships meet Axon's standards for data governance, transparency, and responsible use — particularly given the regulatory sensitivity of drone and counter-drone technologies.
  • Drive internal alignment on partner prioritization, investment tradeoffs, and sequencing across Product, Engineering, Sales, and executive stakeholders

ESCALATION SUPPORT & ISSUE RESOLUTION

  • Serve as the escalation point for complex or high-risk partner issues, ensuring timely resolution across Product, Legal, and executive stakeholders.
  • Provide clear framing, documentation, and recommendations during decision points involving technical, commercial, or policy tradeoffs — including interoperability standards, export controls, and regulatory compliance.

STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & PLANNING

  • Contribute to the long-term drone and counter-drone partnership strategy, including ecosystem mapping, prioritization frameworks, and build/buy/partner recommendations.
  • Support leadership in evaluating new partner categories, emerging UAS and C-UAS technologies, and competitive dynamics within the broader public safety and defense technology landscape.
  • Help establish scalable partnership playbooks, operating models, and governance processes as Axon's drone ecosystem grows.

 

Performance Measurement & Reporting

  • Define and track success metrics for Vehicle Intelligence partnerships based on coverage expansion, integration milestones, partner health, and customer impact—not just near-term revenue.
  • Prepare executive-ready updates, including partner summaries, dashboards, and strategic recommendations.
  • Establish and maintain governance cadences (e.g., QBRs, executive reviews) and continuously identify opportunities for optimization across the partnership lifecycle.

What You Bring

  • 8–10+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, corporate strategy, or enterprise technology environments.
  • Proven experience structuring and negotiating complex partnerships involving data, platforms, hardware, or integrated technology ecosystems.
  • Strong ability to influence and align cross-functional teams without direct reporting authority.
  • Demonstrated success managing complex partner relationships, pilots, and escalations across multiple workstreams.
  • Excellent strategic judgment, communication skills, and executive presence.
  • Experience in ecosystem businesses involving data sharing, networks, hardware/software integration, or IoT.
  • Familiarity with public safety, mobility, video, AI, cloud platforms, or regulated data environments is strongly preferred.
  • Ability to operate comfortably between high-level strategy and hands-on execution in a fast-moving environment.

 

 

Why This Role Matters

This role is central to Axon's strategy to build the leading public safety drone and counter-drone ecosystem—connecting unmanned aerial systems, airspace awareness, and real-time operations into a unified platform that helps agencies respond faster and more effectively. The Senior Manager will shape how Axon expands its partner ecosystem across UAS manufacturers, counter-drone technology providers, and software platforms, accelerating adoption of Drone as First Responder (DFR), DedroneTracker.AI, Fusus, and future autonomous capabilities.
Success in this role will strengthen Axon's position as the trusted platform for public safety agencies by delivering scalable interoperability, expanding customer choice through strategic partnerships, and enabling responsible innovation in one of the fastest-evolving areas of public safety technology. Working at the intersection of product strategy, ecosystem development, and policy, this leader will help define how drones and counter-drone technologies are safely integrated into the connected public safety workflows of the future.

Benefits that Benefit You

  • Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
  • Discretionary paid time off
  • Paid parental leave for all
  • Medical, Dental, Vision plans
  • Fitness Programs
  • Emotional & Mental Wellness support
  • Learning & Development programs
  • Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
  • And yes, we have snacks in our offices

Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.

 

Axon is a total compensation company, meaning compensation is made up of base pay, bonus, and stock awards. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: level, function, training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, geographic market, and often a combination of all these factors. Our benefits offer an array of options to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. To see more details on our benefits offerings please visit https://www.axon.com/careers.


Base Pay Range

$133,688—$213,900 USD



Don’t meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Important Notes

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.

Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.

We collect personal information from applicants to evaluate candidates for employment. You may request access, deletion, or exercise other CCPA rights at axongreenhousesupport@axon.com or via our Axon Privacy Web Form. For more information, please see the Your California Privacy Rights section of our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice.

Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email recruitingops@axon.com.  Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.

Phishing alert:  Axon will never ask you to pay for any part of the hiring process, including training, equipment, or background checks. We do not make job offers via text message, WhatsApp, or instant messaging platforms without a formal interview process.  All legitimate job openings are listed on our official careers page at https://www.axon.com/careers.  If you receive a suspicious offer or outreach from an email address that is not @axon.com, or if you are asked for sensitive personal information (bank details, Social Security Number) prematurely, please ignore the message and report it to recruitingops@axon.com.

 


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