Partnerships Director

Who are we?

Lyka is an Australian founded pet wellness company that's shaking up an outdated industry and paving the way for happier, healthier pets. Despite medical advancements, animal lifespans are on the decline. Today, the average pet only reaches 37% of their full potential lifespan and statistics have shown us that many suffer from dental disease, cancer, and obesity. Simply put, the status quo is not enough.

As humans, we've experienced firsthand the positive impact fresh wholefoods can have on our health and wellbeing, and we believe our furry friends deserve the same. We're on a mission to do just that, starting with nutritionally balanced, wholefood meals delivered direct to doors around Australia. As the world's most sustainable pet wellness company, we're putting pets and our planet first - one bowl at a time.

Today, we are proud to share we've served 50 million meals to puppers and their parents across Australia, and this is just the beginning. Our vision is to create multiple nutritional products, adding disease prevention meals and supplements, and expand into new markets.

Currently, we have a team of 250+ pet-obsessed people and we're continuing to grow (yes, looking at you!). These carefully selected people are dedicated to building the next generation of technology and products to help empower pet parents to take control over their pet's wellbeing.

To date, we have raised over $60M in funding from venture capital investors and pet industry insiders, who believe in our mission and ability to drive change in a stagnant industry, providing nutrition that nourishes puppers from the inside out.

Are you ready to shake things up and give pets the life they deserve? Come join our pack!

Our Mission

The time we share with our pets is being cut short. Despite medical advancements, they're getting sicker earlier. They're dying prematurely. The industry has it backwards - prioritising treating symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. That's where we come in.

At Lyka, we take a preventative, holistic and personalised approach to pet care. We look at the full picture, factoring in the diet, lifestyle and environment of each individual animal.

We don't stop at symptoms, instead we dig for the root cause. We create nutrition plans unique to each pet, because it's not just about living longer, but living well too.

Our mission is to increase the lifespan of dogs and cats.

The Role

We're looking for a Partnerships Director who will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of pet nutrition. This strategic leader will drive our presence within the veterinary and breeder community, enhancing our brand reputation and expanding Lyka's market influence.

This role requires an innovative, commercially focused individual who can also be a figurehead for the team, our partners and the brand. If you're passionate about pet wellness and ready to lead in a dynamic, purpose-driven environment, this is your chance to make a meaningful impact!

What you'll do

• Forge a network of strategic, long-term partnerships across vets, breeders and pet focussed specialists spanning from individual collaborators to enterprise-level alliances.
• Collaborate with partners to drive significant brand reputation alongside commercial growth.
• Analyse market trends to implement innovative strategies that redefine the industry and support continuous channel growth.
• Elevate the channel tools and operations to improve scalability and service.
• Collaborate with numerous cross-functional teams - Engineering, Product, Customer Care, Strategy & Analytics, Growth, and Marketing - to drive seamless initiative execution.
• Set the channel's strategy, define ambitious targets, and focus the teams' resources on meeting these goals.
• Understand and own the channel P&L ensuring strong commercial governance.
• Lead, coach, and inspire a high performing, engaged sales and account management team.
• Live and work in accordance with Lyka's values and principles at the workplace.

• Experience: 8+ years of experience in sales, business development or partnership roles in high growth industries, with a focus in B2B or B2B2C organisations.
• Strategic Partnership Building: demonstrated ability to establish and grow strategic relationships to drive mutual value and brand credibility.
• Strategic Nous: have a track record of applying clear strategic principles to deliver big impact across your remit.
• Commercial Experience: experienced negotiating and managing commercial agreements with a range of partners from small independent operators to enterprise organisations.
• Project Management: proven ability to lead complex projects, leading cross functional teams effectively to deliver shared outcomes.
• Analytical and Results-Driven: proven ability to set, analyse, and achieve KPIs, with a data-informed approach to track commercial success and identify growth opportunities.
• Team Leadership: experience scaling teams and building a high-performance team culture, while also able to work effectively cross functionally.
• Communication/Relationship building: confident and clear communication, along with excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence across all levels.
• Industry Knowledge: up-to-date knowledge of trends, hands on best practices, and emerging technologies to enable the team.
• Company fit: able to work at pace, with change and ambiguity; comfortable operating at both a hands-on and strategic level.

• Work in a fast-growing start-up, experiencing what goes behind the scenes to sustain hyper-growth for a start-up with a physical product!
• Growth and Development - Lyka is growing extremely quickly, which means you will have the opportunity to experience different challenges every day and progressively acquire more responsibilities as our facility and team expands. We provide an annual budget for you to continue your personal development.
• Work for a sustainability focused company - we care about the health of our pets and our planet. We're proud to be Australia's only carbon-negative and plastic-negative pet company and we're always looking at ways for us improve sustainability practices.
• Be part of a diverse top talent team, coming from widely different backgrounds and geographies.
• Up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave top-up.
• Wellbeing assistance and tools to take care of your mental and physical wellbeing so you can do your best work.
• Hybrid working model - we have pet-friendly offices and industrial kitchens in Sydney and Melbourne.
• Pupper parent support to care for your furry friends - flexible arrangements for new pets, pet-friendly offices, discounts, and financial allowance for dog training & care to help them live their best life.

We are committed to building inclusive and diverse teams

Lyka is an equal opportunity employer devoted to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. We celebrate diversity, are devoted to creating an inclusive environment for all staff, and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application.