Partnerships Manager - Rental industry (car rental, fleet management)

About Valsoft Valsoft builds and scales vertical market software companies. We partner with strong teams, invest for the long term, and run disciplined operating systems to drive sustainable growth across our portfolio. About Carla AI Carla AI is an AI powered voice agent that handles inbound calls, takes reservations, processes payments, and delivers 24/7 customer support, all without human intervention. When a situation requires a human touch, Carla seamlessly transfers the call with full context. Carla was purpose built for the rental industry, starting with car rental operators across North America. Our platform integrates directly with rental management systems, giving operators instant call answering, real time availability checks, automated booking workflows, and a live performance dashboard. We are now establishing Carla AI as an independent business unit with its own leadership team, with ambitions to expand into the broader rental and services verticals. This is a ground floor opportunity to join a product that already works, at the moment it begins to scale. The Opportunity We’re hiring a Partnerships Manager to build and scale Carla AI’s ecosystem partnerships. This is a hands on, execution focused role for someone who thrives in builder environments and wants to create a partnerships function from the ground up. You’ll own the full partnership lifecycle: sourcing, qualifying, onboarding, and growing relationships with software providers, marketplaces, referral networks, and distribution partners. Your work will bring Carla AI directly into the workflows of rental operators and, over time, into adjacent verticals. You’ll work cross functionally with Product, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to drive integration delivery, partner launches, and co go to market initiatives. You’ll report to the CEO of Carla AI and have a direct line to shaping the commercial strategy of the business. What You’ll Do Build the partner ecosystem • Identify, qualify, and onboard partners across rental software providers, fleet management systems, dealership platforms, travel marketplaces, lead generation networks, and adjacent technology ecosystems. • Develop and execute a partner sourcing strategy that aligns with Carla AI’s expansion roadmap, starting with car rental and extending into broader rental and services verticals. • Build repeatable partner onboarding playbooks, including qualification criteria, integration scoping, and launch readiness checklists. Drive commercial impact through partnerships • Collaborate with partners on referral programs, reseller opportunities, co marketing initiatives, and joint go to market campaigns. • Track partner sourced pipeline, revenue contribution, and performance metrics to ensure partnerships translate into measurable business outcomes. • Support partner sales enablement: equip partners with the positioning, materials, and training to effectively sell and recommend Carla AI. Coordinate integration delivery • Work with Product and Engineering to scope, prioritize, and manage integration timelines, from initial partner requirements through testing and launch. • Serve as the connective tissue between external partners and internal teams, ensuring integration work stays on track and partners have a consistent experience. Manage relationships and governance • Own ongoing partner relationships: regular check ins, QBRs, performance reviews, and escalation management. • Maintain partner CRM records, documentation, and internal playbooks. • Share structured market and partner feedback with Product and leadership to inform roadmap and go to market decisions. What Success Looks Like In the first 90 days • You’ve mapped the ecosystem: a clear target partner list by category, with a prioritized outreach plan. • First partnerships are in motion, with at least two to three partners in active onboarding or integration scoping. • Partner CRM, tracking, and internal documentation are set up and maintained. In 6 to 12 months • A repeatable partner pipeline is producing qualified leads and contributing to revenue. • Multiple live integrations are in market, with co go to market motions running. • You’ve established Carla AI as a recognized integration partner within the rental technology ecosystem and are actively exploring adjacent verticals. • Partner governance cadence is in place: QBRs, performance tracking, and clear partner health metrics. What We’re Looking For Required • 2 to 5 years of experience in partnerships, business development, or channel sales within B2B SaaS. • Demonstrated ability to source, negotiate, and close partnership agreements. • Strong project coordination skills, comfortable managing multiple integration workstreams and stakeholders simultaneously. • Builder mindset: you can create and refine partner programs, playbooks, and processes from scratch. • Clear, confident communicator with strong relationship building skills across technical and business audiences. • Familiarity with SaaS products and API based integrations. • Self motivated, detail oriented, and comfortable working in a fast paced, evolving environment. Preferred • Experience in the rental industry (car rental, equipment rental, fleet management) or adjacent verticals such as automotive, travel tech, or mobility is a strong plus. • Experience working with marketplace or platform ecosystems where integrations drive distribution. • Familiarity with modern CRM and partner management tooling (HubSpot or similar). • Experience in a high growth or early stage SaaS environment where you had to build the motion, not just run it. Why Join • Build the partnerships function for an AI product in a large, underserved market, with a clear path to expand beyond the initial vertical. • Ground floor opportunity: join as the business establishes its own leadership team and commercial engine. • Direct exposure to integrations, go to market strategy, and product influence from day one. • Backed by Valsoft / Aspire Software, combining the stability of a global portfolio with the pace and ownership of a startup. • Competitive compensation and strong growth potential as the partnerships function scales. #AspireSoftware #CarlaAI