Director of Private Equity Partnerships

We are seeking an entrepreneurial commercial leader to build Navan’s private equity partnerships program into a measurable, scalable growth channel. The successful candidate will deepen and activate Navan’s existing PE relationships while significantly expanding coverage across priority sponsors and portfolio companies. They will turn that broader reach into commercial opportunities by setting the strategy, building repeatable engagement motions, and working closely with Sales. This hands-on leader will initially own key relationships, support active deals, establish the commercial model, and prove a repeatable approach before building a team as the program scales.

What You’ll Do

• Build and own the PE partnerships strategy
  • Develop and execute a strategy to make private equity a meaningful source of qualified pipeline, new customers, and revenue.
  • Identify and prioritize target firms based on portfolio fit, industry and company size, operating influence, existing Navan customer relationships, and commercial potential.
  • Create a tiered coverage model: high-touch engagement with priority sponsors and scalable programs for the broader middle-market PE ecosystem.
  • Define the program’s operating model, commercial objectives, performance measures, and investment priorities in partnership with Sales, Rev Ops, Finance, and Marketing.
• Develop strategic relationships with PE firms
  • Build trusted relationships with investment professionals, operating partners, portfolio operations teams, and other stakeholders who can influence portfolio-company priorities.
  • Position Navan as a valuable travel and expense partner for relevant portfolio companies, with a clear case for cost savings, spend visibility, and operational efficiency.
  • Develop partnership arrangements and joint engagement plans that create value for PE firms and their portfolio companies.
  • Represent Navan at industry events, portfolio leadership forums, operating-partner roundtables, and executive meetings.
• Translate partnerships into commercial results
  • Develop portfolio-level campaigns that generate qualified introductions to portfolio-company decision-makers.
  • Work directly with Sales leadership and account executives on active opportunities: coordinate outreach, make relevant sponsor introductions, identify deal blockers, and help advance opportunities through the sales cycle.
  • Build repeatable programs for portfolio mapping, account targeting, executive engagement, partner activation, and follow-through.
  • Establish clear accountability for partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline, bookings, and revenue, using consistent definitions with Revenue Operations.
  • Track results and refine the program based on commercial outcomes, partner engagement, and portfolio-company adoption.
• Engage across the PE investment lifecycle
  • Develop a strong understanding of how PE firms engage with portfolio companies, including value-creation priorities, acquisitions, carve-outs, and integration needs.
  • Build relationships with M&A advisors and deal teams to create entry points around acquisitions and portfolio transitions.
  • Help operating partners connect Navan to portfolio value-creation plans.
• Build a scalable partnerships organization
  • Create the processes, playbooks, systems, collateral, and reporting infrastructure needed to scale the program.
  • Develop the team structure and coverage model as the business grows, with differentiated approaches for strategic sponsors and the broader PE market.
  • Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing partnerships team as the program expands.
  • Collaborate across Sales, Marketing, Revenue Operations, Corporate Development, and other functions to integrate PE partnerships into Navan’s go-to-market organization.

Who You Are

• 8+ years of relevant experience in one or more of the following: PE value creation, PE partnerships, or commercial roles at high-growth B2B software or technology companies.
• Experience building a PE partnerships program from the ground up, including channel strategy, partner activation, value-creation initiatives, and events.
• Track record leading commercial teams and consistently achieving pipeline and revenue targets.
• Experience hiring and managing high-performing teams.
• Established network across PE firms, operating partners, and portfolio-company finance leaders.
• Understanding of the PE investment lifecycle; M&A, acquisition, or carve-out experience preferred.
• Strong commercial judgment and analytical skills; able to prioritize with data and work with Sales on complex enterprise deals.
• Hands-on, independent operator who can build the systems and processes to scale a new program.
• Excellent communicator and relationship builder who earns trust while translating PE relationships into commercial outcomes.
• Willingness to travel regularly to engage sponsors and portfolio companies.