VP, Strategic Partnerships & Business Development

About The Role

Shutterfly is redefining its role in consumers’ lives, evolving from a photo products company into the platform that powers the full memory ecosystem: from capture and curation to creation, storage, and sharing. Partnerships are a critical growth engine in that transformation. Today, partnerships represent one of Shutterfly’s most capital-efficient customer acquisition channels, and the opportunity ahead is to expand that impact by unlocking new sources of growth, new audiences, and new pathways to engagement.

The VP, Strategic Partnerships & Business Development is a senior leadership role responsible for building, leading, and scaling Shutterfly's partnerships function — owning the full-cycle partnership strategy from identification through execution and long-term growth. This is a general management role with a strong business development orientation. The ideal candidate is a strategic, operationally excellent leader who can define the partnership roadmap, originate and close high-impact deals, and manage and grow a portfolio of existing partnerships — all while building and developing a high-performing team. They are a player/coach: equally comfortable in the room closing a deal as they are setting the vision, prioritizing the portfolio, and leading through influence across cross-functional teams to deliver results for customers and partners.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the strategic partnerships and business development roadmap in support of Shutterfly’s growth priorities.
• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize new partnership opportunities across digital, retail, brand, technology, manufacturing, and business channels.
• Own the full partnership lifecycle from sourcing and diligence through negotiation, launch, governance, and ongoing performance management.
• Oversee the health and performance of Shutterfly's existing partnership portfolio, ensuring each partnership delivers against its potential.
• Lead the evaluation of portfolio partnership opportunities, including those connected to the broader Apollo ecosystem, and recommend the right path to implementation.
• Strengthen and expand existing strategic partnerships by identifying new ways to grow customer value, brand relevance, and revenue contribution.
• Expand Shutterfly’s presence upstream in the customer journey by embedding into high-frequency consumer experiences.
• Structure partnerships through creative models (co-marketing, barter, value exchange), maximizing impact without reliance on large cash investments.
• Partner with Shutterfly Business Solutions to support relationship development and partner-sourced commercial opportunities where relevant.
• Build business cases for new opportunities, including strategic fit, customer impact, financial upside, operational requirements, and implementation complexity.
• Lead cross-functional planning for launches and integrations, including milestones, operating model decisions, budget considerations, and executive updates.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Operations, Customer Support, and internal business leads to ensure partnerships are operationally sound and positioned for long-term success.

What Success Looks Like

• A clear partnership strategy tied to Shutterfly’s growth priorities and long-term brand relevance.
• A strong pipeline of well-qualified partnership opportunities supported by thoughtful prioritization and disciplined evaluation.
• Existing strategic partnerships that are growing, delivering value, and operating effectively across the business.
• Smoother launches and integrations driven by strong cross-functional planning and clear accountability.
• A scalable business development function that helps the company move faster and make better decisions on where to place its bets.

First 30/60/90 Days

• First 30 Days
  • Assess the current partnership portfolio, team capabilities, and pipeline health.
  • Build relationships across internal stakeholders and understand cross-functional dynamics.
  • Develop a clear point of view on partnership priorities and strategic gaps.
  • Initiate conversations with high-priority partnership targets.
• First 60 Days
  • Advance multiple new partnership opportunities into active deal development.
  • Establish a strong outbound pipeline across key verticals.
  • Begin shaping the team structure and capability plan to support the full partnership mission.
• First 90 Days
  • Close or be in late-stage negotiation on at least one meaningful new partnership.
  • Demonstrate measurable contribution to growth initiatives across both new and existing partnerships.
  • Build a credible forward-looking pipeline that provides visibility into sustained partnership momentum.
  • Have a clear team development plan in place, with defined roles and accountability across the function.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or strategic alliances — with meaningful experience in general management or P&L ownership — ideally within consumer, digital platform, or commerce environments.
• Proven track record of both originating/closing high-impact partnerships and managing and growing existing partner relationships over time.
• Strong executive presence with experience building trusted relationships at the senior leadership level, both externally and internally.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team as a player/coach — setting vision and strategy while personally driving key deals and initiatives.
• Excellent cross-functional leadership skills; able to lead through influence without direct authority and drive action across multiple teams.
• Demonstrated ability to identify opportunity, structure creative deals, and navigate complex negotiations.
• Experience working across or with platform businesses, ecosystems, or large-scale consumer networks is a strong plus.
• Experience in brand partnerships, sponsorships, or commercial partnerships is preferred.
• Strong commercial instincts, with the ability to evaluate partnerships through both a P&L and strategic lens.
• Analytical and strategic thinker, comfortable building business cases, defining success frameworks, and managing portfolio-level performance.
• Entrepreneurial mindset — thrives in ambiguity, operates with speed, builds teams, and drives results.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in consumer, ecommerce, retail, digital marketplace, or technology-driven businesses.
• Exposure to strategic integrations, joint business planning, or broader corporate development work.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or other advanced degree preferred.