Director, Business Development — Semiconductor, Standards & Ecosystem Partnerships

Position Summary: The Director, Business Development — Semiconductor & Ecosystem Partnerships will own Silith's strategic relationships with semiconductor companies and the broader optical interconnect and AI infrastructure ecosystem, including ASIC and merchant silicon vendors, connector and interconnect companies, and adjacent technology providers. This person will identify, structure, and manage partnerships that expand Silith's technical integration footprint, accelerate co-development with key silicon and system partners, and strengthen Silith's position within the AI infrastructure supply chain. The role works closely with the VP of Business Development, CRO, Engineering, and Product to convert ecosystem relationships into technical alignment, joint go-to-market opportunities, and revenue.

Semiconductor Partnership Strategy: Own and expand relationships with ASIC vendors, merchant silicon providers, and adjacent component companies relevant to Silith's silicon photonics roadmap. Identify co-development, integration, and joint qualification opportunities that strengthen Silith's technical position with hyperscaler and OEM customers. Structure and negotiate technical collaboration, joint development, and co-marketing agreements with Legal and executive leadership. Track semiconductor partner roadmaps and technology direction, translating insights into Silith's partnership and product strategy. Build a pipeline of semiconductor partnership opportunities aligned with Silith's product roadmap and target market segments.

Ecosystem Partnership Development: Build and manage relationships with connector and interconnect vendors, system integrators, and adjacent technology providers across the optical interconnect and AI infrastructure ecosystem. Identify ecosystem gaps or dependencies that could affect Silith's ability to deliver integrated customer solutions, and develop partnerships to address them. Monitor the competitive landscape and identify partnerships that differentiate Silith from competing silicon photonics vendors. Evaluate and prioritize potential partners based on strategic fit, technical synergy, and go-to-market impact.

Joint Go-to-Market & Co-Selling: Develop joint go-to-market plans with strategic partners, including co-marketing, joint customer engagements, and reference architectures. Collaborate with Sales, Business Development, and Technical Marketing to develop joint value propositions for shared target accounts. Support partner-influenced and partner-sourced opportunities within Silith's design-win pipeline. Coordinate with Sales Programs & Operations to ensure partner-driven opportunities are consistently tracked and reported.

Technical Alignment & Co-Development: Work with Engineering and Product to identify partner integration opportunities, including interface compatibility, packaging co-design, and qualification requirements. Facilitate technical working sessions between Silith and partner engineering teams to align roadmaps and integration requirements. Support joint qualification and validation efforts to bring integrated solutions to customers.

Partnership Program Management: Build and maintain a structured partnership program with clear partner tiers, engagement models, and success metrics. Track partnership pipeline, status, and impact, providing regular updates to the VP of Business Development and executive leadership. Own partner relationship health, including engagement cadence, escalation paths, and issue resolution. Develop scalable partnership frameworks, agreement templates, and engagement playbooks as the function grows.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as the primary point of coordination across Business Development, Engineering, Product, and Sales on semiconductor and ecosystem partnerships. Keep the CRO and executive leadership informed of partnership developments affecting strategic accounts or competitive positioning. Collaborate with Technical Marketing on joint content, co-branded materials, and industry event participation with key partners.

Required Qualifications: 10+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or related roles at a semiconductor, optical communications, or AI infrastructure company. Proven track record of building and managing partnerships with semiconductor companies, including ASIC, merchant silicon, or component vendors. Strong technical fluency and the ability to engage credibly with partner engineering teams on integration and co-development. Experience structuring and negotiating partnership agreements. Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience working across Engineering, Product, Sales, and Legal. Excellent relationship-building and executive communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications: Existing relationships with semiconductor companies or interconnect vendors relevant to AI infrastructure and optical interconnects. Experience with silicon photonics, co-packaged optics (CPO), near-packaged optics (NPO), or high-speed optical and electrical interconnects. Prior experience in engineering or applications engineering before transitioning into business development or partnerships. Experience building a partnership function or program from an early stage. Familiarity with semiconductor industry go-to-market and co-selling models.

Success Measures: An expanded, well-managed portfolio of semiconductor and ecosystem partnerships aligned with Silith's roadmap and target accounts. Joint go-to-market and co-selling activities that generate measurable pipeline and revenue. Strong technical alignment with key partners that reduces customer integration risk. A scalable, well-documented partnership program with clear partner tiers, engagement models, and performance metrics.