Director, Startups and Partnerships (Auth0)

Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human

Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence.

This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk.

What is the Developer Led Growth (DLG) Team?

At the heart of our mission is a simple goal: to make choosing and integrating authentication a delightful experience for every developer.

We're the DLG team, essentially Product Led Growth (PLG), but for developers (and agents) using Auth0. We are a high-impact, multidisciplinary engine that includes Developer Relations, Developer Marketing, our Startup Program, and Product Activation and Monetization. We build the journey that turns curious developers into lifelong advocates.

The Auth0 Startup Program sits at the core of this motion. We partner with thousands of early-stage companies building on Auth0, help them grow, and graduate the ones that become our next generation of enterprise customers. We are also the team closest to the AI startup wave; the founders building the next generation of agents, copilots, and AI-native products are our people.

Why This Role?

This is one of the highest-leverage roles in DLG. You will own the entire Auth0 Startup Strategy: its program, community, and pipeline, and you will be the face of Auth0 to the next generation of great companies.

• Real Ownership: You set the strategy, run the operations, and personally move the needle on startup reach, engagement, and graduation.
• Builder Community Access: You will have a direct line to thousands of founders building AI-native products, agents, and developer tools, and you will use that access to shape Auth0's product roadmap, content, and ecosystem reputation.
• Events That Matter: Camp AI, CTO dinners, hackathons: you will conceive, produce, and attend the events where the best startups in the world discover Auth0.
• Cross-Functional Influence: You will sit at the intersection of Product, DevRel, Developer Marketing, Partner Programs, and Sales. Your voice will shape how Auth0 serves the startup segment across the entire org.
• AI-First Moment: Auth0 is investing heavily in Auth0 for AI Agents (A4AA) and agent identity. You will be the bridge between our AI startup customers and the product teams building the future of agentic identity.

If you've lived in the startup world, understand what developers need, have a network of VCs and incubators and want to lead a program that directly shapes the next generation of great software companies, we'd love to meet you.

Responsibilities

Main:

• Own the strategy and roadmap for the Auth0 Startup playbook, including reach, activation, engagement, and graduation into Self-Service or Enterprise plans. Build and maintain program KPIs and reporting: track reach, activation rate, graduation rate, contribution, and engagement; translate data into strategy adjustments.
• Lead a team of 3 engaged and passionate team members with a focus on Developer Advocacy (breath and depth events) and Operations.
• Represent Auth0 Startups internally at Auth0 and the broader Okta org, as the go-to advocate for the startup segment's needs.
• Develop and expand the program's ecosystem partnerships with VCs, accelerators, incubators, and startup communities globally.
• Oversee the full lifecycle of startup relationships, from application and onboarding through graduation and handoff to sales. Partner cross-functionally with Product, Partner Programs, Pricing & Packaging, Support, and Engineering to advocate for startup needs and drive improvements to the program experience.
• Conceive developer-community events: Camp AI, hackathons, CTO dinners, founder-investor meetups, and conference activations.
• Identify and prioritize high-potential AI startups for early access to new Auth0 products, including Auth0 for AI Agents (A4AA), and serve as the pipeline between the startup community and product teams.

Others:

• Collaborate with Developer Marketing and Developer Relations to generate content and social proof from startup customers: case studies, quotes, blog posts, social campaigns.
• Manage the operational tooling and data infrastructure for the program in partnership with DLG Data.

Some examples of what this Role decides

The team executes well. What they need from the program lead is someone who holds the strategic vision, makes calls when the team is stuck, and represents the program externally with enough credibility to open doors. In practice, that means these recurring decision types:

• Go/No-Go on New Initiatives. The team surfaces ideas constantly: a bigger Camp AI in a new city, SE-led workshop pilots, event format changes. These need a decision-maker who can weigh brand, budget, and team capacity together and give a clear answer.
• External Partner Triage. Inbound partnership opportunities arrive constantly through warm intros and direct outreach. You will quickly triage which are worth pursuing as referral partners or event partners, and follow through on the yeses.
• High-Profile Speaker and Panelist Outreach. For Camp AI and flagship events, this role personally handles senior outreach. You need to be comfortable making direct asks of well-known people in the AI and developer tools space.
• Retention and Exception Calls. Managing Startups escalation cases. The team handles the mechanics; the judgment call lives with the program lead.
• Ecosystem and Product Routing. Startups and external companies come through this inbox wanting deeper integration with Auth0/Okta at a product level. You need to know the internal landscape well enough to route them to the right team and make smart introductions.
• The role is roughly 50% external-facing connector (partner relationships, event outreach, inbound routing) and 50% internal decision-maker (program strategy, budget approvals, and go/no-go calls).

What You Bring

• 8+ years of experience in or working closely with the startup ecosystem (at a VC, accelerator, developer-tools company, or as a founder yourself)
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling developer-facing programs, partnerships, or communities
• Deep understanding of the software development ecosystem, SaaS business models, and what makes a developer-first product great
• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment and consistently deliver results while radiating positive energy and influencing positive change on the team.
• Experience with AI tools (agents, vibe coding platforms, etc.)
• Proven ability to organize or sponsor developer events and fill a room with the right people
• Strong cross-functional influence skills: you can drive alignment and action without formal authority across product, marketing, and sales teams
• Data-driven mindset: comfortable defining metrics, building dashboards, and using data to make program decisions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills: able to write a cold outreach to a founder, present a strategy to a VP, and get a developer excited about identity in the same day

Nice to Have

• Direct experience in the AI startup ecosystem: familiarity with the founders, the VCs, and the communities building AI-native products
• Familiarity with identity, authentication, or security developer tooling (Auth0, Okta, or adjacent)
• Experience with PLG or developer-led growth motions
• SQL or data querying skills (Snowflake, BigQuery, etc.)

P-2954

#LI-EZ1

Below is the annual base salary range for candidates located in San Francisco Bay Area. Your actual base salary will depend on factors such as your skills, qualifications, experience, and work location. In addition, Okta offers equity (where applicable), bonus, and benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), flexible spending account, and paid leave (including PTO and parental leave) in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. To learn more about our Total Rewards program please visit: https://rewards.okta.com/us.

The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in the San Francisco Bay area is between:

$222,000 — $304,000 USD

The Okta Experience

• Supporting Your Well-Being
• Driving Social Impact
• Developing Talent and Fostering Connection + Community

We are intentional about connection. Our global community, spanning over 20 offices worldwide, is united by a drive to innovate. Your journey begins with an immersive, in-person onboarding experience designed to accelerate your impact and connect you to our mission and team from day one.

Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records, consistent with applicable laws.

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