📌 Core Information
🔹 Job Title: Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Lead - Core Product
🔹 Company: Nextdoor
🔹 Location: New York, NY
🔹 Job Type: Full-time, Hybrid
🔹 Category: Business Development, Partnerships
🔹 Date Posted: April 10, 2025
🔹 Experience Level: 10+ years
🔹 Remote Status: On-site (Hybrid)
🚀 Job Overview
Key aspects of this role include:
- Developing and executing Nextdoor’s core product partnerships strategy
- Identifying and bringing strategic partnerships to life that enhance offerings, drive adoption, and improve user experience
- Negotiating, closing, and onboarding new partnership opportunities end-to-end
- Collaborating cross-functionally with product, engineering, legal, finance, and marketing teams
- Establishing and maintaining strong relationships with key partners
- Defining and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess partnership effectiveness
- Reporting insights and recommendations to senior leadership to refine partnership strategies
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a proactive and strategic individual who can work independently and collaboratively to drive strategic partnerships that catalyze user growth and engagement, and accelerate Nextdoor’s roadmap.
📋 Key Responsibilities
✅ Develop, inform, and execute Nextdoor’s core product partnerships strategy
✅ Identify, evaluate, and bring strategic partnerships to life that enhance the company’s offerings, drive adoption, and improve user experience
✅ Negotiate, close, and onboard new partnership opportunities end-to-end
✅ Partner with multiple cross-functional teams including product, engineering, legal, finance, and marketing to ensure partnerships are set up for success
✅ Establish and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key partners, including technology providers, industry collaborators, and ecosystem stakeholders
✅ Act as the primary liaison between internal teams and external partners, ensuring alignment on product integration, collaboration, and joint initiatives
✅ Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the effectiveness of product partnerships (e.g., user engagement, adoption rates, product enhancements)
✅ Regularly report insights and recommendations to senior leadership to refine partnership strategies and ensure long-term success
ASSUMPTION: This role involves a high degree of autonomy and requires strong communication, negotiation, and project management skills to successfully execute partnerships.
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
Experience: 10+ years of demonstrated success as a partnerships and business development professional at large-scale platforms, preferably in social networks, media, or marketplace platforms
Required Skills:
- Proven track record of sourcing, negotiating, and managing high-impact partnerships with digital publishers, media companies, or content platforms
- Demonstrated ability to drive partner onboarding, from initial pitch through integration, launch, and ongoing relationship management
- Strong understanding of digital publishing tools, CMS platforms, content distribution networks, and SEO best practices
- Experienced in platform networks that drive discoverability, user growth, and engagement
- Deep empathy for partner needs and insights, as well as an intuitive grasp of the core product problems we’re trying to solve
- Acts like an owner, experiments and learns quickly, thinks big, and is a good communicator and relationship builder
- Quantitative and comfortable ideating around complex technical integrations
Preferred Skills:
- Experience working with social networks, media, or marketplace platforms
- Familiarity with the Nextdoor platform
ASSUMPTION: Candidates with experience in social networks, media, or marketplace platforms will have a strong understanding of the industry and be better equipped to identify and capitalize on strategic partnership opportunities.
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: $200,000 - $275,000 annually (or potentially greater based on proficiency level)
Benefits:
- Health Plans (including a 100% covered employee-only plan option)
- OneMedical membership for concierge care
- Equity Grant (with equal quarterly vesting, starting within 3 months of hire)
Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours/week), with a hybrid work arrangement (in-office and remote work)
ASSUMPTION: The salary range provided is an estimate based on the role, experience level, and location. Actual compensation may vary based on individual qualifications and market conditions.
📌 Applicant Insights
🔍 Company Context
Industry: Nextdoor operates in the technology, information, and internet industry, focusing on neighborhood social networking and local community building.
Company Size: Nextdoor has 501-1,000 employees, providing a mid-sized company environment with opportunities for collaboration and growth.
Founded: Nextdoor was founded in 2011 and has since grown to serve over 340,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries.
Company Description:
- Nextdoor is a neighborhood-based social networking platform that connects neighbors to each other and to everything nearby.
- The company's mission is to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on.
- Nextdoor enables users to receive trusted information, give and get help, get things done, and build real-world connections with those nearby.
Company Specialties:
- Neighborhood social networking
- Local community building
- User-generated content and moderation
- Partnerships and business development
Company Website: nextdoor.com
ASSUMPTION: Nextdoor's focus on neighborhood connections and local community building creates a unique work environment that emphasizes collaboration and community engagement.
📊 Role Analysis
Career Level: This role is at the senior level, requiring extensive experience and a proven track record in partnerships and business development.
Reporting Structure: The Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Lead reports directly to the Head of Business Development and works closely with cross-functional teams, including product, engineering, legal, finance, and marketing.
Work Arrangement: This role operates on a hybrid work arrangement, with a combination of in-office and remote work.
Growth Opportunities:
- Expanding partnerships portfolio and driving strategic initiatives
- Mentoring and developing junior team members
- Potential career progression into leadership roles within the business development or partnerships teams
ASSUMPTION: This role offers significant growth opportunities for the right candidate, with the potential to make a substantial impact on Nextdoor's core product and overall business strategy.
🌍 Location & Work Environment
Office Type: Nextdoor's New York office is a collaborative and inclusive workspace that fosters teamwork and innovation.
Office Location(s): 420 Taylor Street, San Francisco, California 94102, US (with a hybrid work arrangement)
Geographic Context:
- New York City offers a diverse and vibrant urban environment with numerous cultural, entertainment, and dining options.
- The city's strong tech industry provides ample networking opportunities and potential collaborations.
- New York's competitive job market may present challenges in attracting and retaining top talent.
Work Schedule: The hybrid work arrangement allows for flexibility in managing work-life balance while maintaining regular office hours (Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM).
ASSUMPTION: Nextdoor's hybrid work arrangement enables employees to balance their professional and personal lives while maintaining a strong connection to the company and its mission.
💼 Interview & Application Insights
Typical Process:
- Online application submission
- Phone or video screen with the HR team
- Behavioral and technical interviews with cross-functional stakeholders
- Final interview with the Head of Business Development
Key Assessment Areas:
- Partnership strategy and execution
- Cross-functional collaboration and communication
- Problem-solving and decision-making skills
- Cultural fit and alignment with Nextdoor's mission and values
Application Tips:
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your relevant experience and skills for this role.
- Demonstrate your understanding of Nextdoor's platform and business model in your application materials.
- Prepare examples of successful partnerships you've negotiated and managed in the past.
- Research Nextdoor's company culture and be ready to discuss how your values and work style align with the organization.
ATS Keywords: partnerships, business development, strategic planning, cross-functional collaboration, digital publishing, content distribution, SEO, user growth, engagement, negotiation, relationship management, performance tracking
ASSUMPTION: Applicants should focus on demonstrating their relevant experience and skills, as well as their understanding of Nextdoor's platform and business model, to increase their chances of success in the application process.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
- CRM software (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello)
- Communication and collaboration platforms (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams)
- Data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., Excel, Google Analytics)
ASSUMPTION: Nextdoor's use of industry-standard tools and technologies enables effective collaboration and communication among team members and with external partners.
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
Company Values:
- Cultivate Kindness
- Put Neighbors First
- Embrace Diversity
- Act Like an Owner
- Focus on Impact
Work Style:
- Collaborative and team-oriented
- Data-driven and analytical
- Adaptable and responsive to change
- Proactive and strategic in decision-making
Self-Assessment Questions:
- How do you embody Nextdoor's core values in your daily work?
- Describe a time when you had to adapt to a significant change in a partnership or project. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?
- How do you balance the need for data-driven decision-making with the importance of building strong, long-term relationships with partners?
ASSUMPTION: Nextdoor's emphasis on kindness, neighbor focus, and collaboration creates a unique work environment that prioritizes community engagement and positive impact.
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- Managing multiple partnerships simultaneously, each with its own unique requirements and priorities
- Balancing short-term partnership goals with long-term strategic objectives
- Navigating complex cross-functional dynamics and stakeholder management
- Adapting to changes in the market, industry trends, and competitive landscape
ASSUMPTION: The Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Lead must be able to effectively prioritize and manage multiple partnerships, balance short-term and long-term goals, and navigate complex cross-functional dynamics to succeed in this role.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
- This role is unique in its focus on strategic partnerships for Nextdoor's core product, but similar roles may exist in other departments or at other companies with a similar focus on partnerships and business development.
- Compared to other business development roles, this position places a greater emphasis on strategic planning and execution, as well as cross-functional collaboration.
- Career progression in this role may lead to leadership positions within Nextdoor's business development or partnerships teams, or to other senior roles within the company.
ASSUMPTION: While this role shares similarities with other business development positions, its unique focus on strategic partnerships for Nextdoor's core product sets it apart and offers a distinct set of challenges and opportunities.
📝 Sample Projects
- Developing and executing a strategic partnership with a major digital publisher to drive user growth and engagement
- Negotiating and integrating a content distribution partnership with a leading technology provider
- Managing a portfolio of strategic partnerships, tracking KPIs, and reporting on partnership performance to senior leadership
ASSUMPTION: These sample projects illustrate the strategic and collaborative nature of the Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Lead role, as well as the importance of effective partnership management and performance tracking.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
- Can you describe the current partnership landscape for Nextdoor's core product, and how this role fits into the company's overall business strategy?
- How does Nextdoor support the growth and development of its business development and partnerships teams?
- Can you provide an example of a successful partnership that Nextdoor has executed, and how it has contributed to the company's growth and engagement?
- How does Nextdoor approach cross-functional collaboration and communication, particularly between the business development team and other departments?
- What are the most significant challenges facing Nextdoor's core product in the current market, and how can strategic partnerships help address them?
ASSUMPTION: Asking thoughtful and insightful questions during the interview process demonstrates your interest in and understanding of the role, as well as your ability to think critically about Nextdoor's business strategy and partnership opportunities.
📌 Next Steps for Applicants
To apply for this position:
- Submit your application through this link
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your relevant experience and skills for this role, emphasizing your understanding of Nextdoor's platform and business model.
- Prepare examples of successful partnerships you've negotiated and managed in the past, and be ready to discuss them during the interview process.
- Research Nextdoor's company culture and be ready to discuss how your values and work style align with the organization.
- Follow up with Nextdoor's HR team one week after submitting your application to confirm receipt and inquire about next steps in the interview process.
⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.
