The Role
Lead Spyne's partner integration ecosystem: negotiate API access with DMS/CRM vendors, scope and deliver certified connectors, build processes and QA frameworks, hire and run an integrations pod, manage integrations end-to-end, and ensure dealer go-lives and long-term connector stability.
Summary Generated by Built In
Manager, Partner Integrations & Ecosystem
Run the Technical Integration Ecosystem of a Series B Company. Strategy to Execution.
Department: Product & Technology
Reports To: CTO / CPO
Location: Gurugram
Work timings: 6pm IST to 3am (US overlapping hours)
Team Stage: Series B
Key Partners: Executive Team, Product, Engineering, GTM, Customer Success, Finance
About Spyne
Spyne is building the AI operating system for automotive retail. Starting with visual merchandising and expanding into conversational AI, Spyne helps dealers move inventory faster, respond to buyers instantly, and run more of the dealership stack with AI.
Founded by operators from Amazon, Cox, and OYO, Spyne has grown 30x in under three years and now powers 1,500+ dealerships across the US. Its products, Studio AI and Vini AI, are coming together into a full-stack Retail AI platform for modern dealerships.
Backed by Accel, Vertex Ventures, and Storm Ventures, Spyne is emerging as one of the
category leaders redefining how dealerships operate in the AI era.
- Studio AI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0_CsQpCbwg
- Vini AI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFjhPWp6gJU
Why This Role Exists
Vini is only as powerful as the data it can touch. CRM, DMS, inventory feeds, website platforms, marketing stacks, finance tools, analytics suites - every system a dealership runs is a surface Vini needs to connect with, read from, and act on. Without those connections working reliably, Vini is just another chatbot. With them, it becomes the AI brain of the dealership.
This role exists because we are scaling rapidly across the US and EU dealer ecosystem in 12 months, and that cannot happen through one-off engineering heroics. It needs a leader who can negotiate partnerships with DMS giants like CDK and Reynolds, close API access deals, build a library of certified connectors, manage a technical pod end to end, and ensure every single dealer goes live on schedule.
You will be the first dedicated head of this function. You own the full integration lifecycle: partner
outreach and relationship building, API scoping and deal closure, engineering delivery, QA, go-live, and long-term connector health. If Vini's integrations are the operating system, you are the one who ships it and keeps it running.
What You’ll Build
- A certified connector library for every major dealer stack - CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, VinSolutions, DealerSocket, Elead, and 10+ more - so no new dealer starts from scratch.
- An end-to-end integration lifecycle: from first partner outreach and API negotiation through scoping, engineering, QA, go-live, and long-term monitoring.
- Strategic partnerships with DMS and CRM vendors - securing sandbox access, early API availability, and joint go-to-market arrangements that give Vini a technical moat.
- A standardised integration scoping and delivery process with clear stages, SLAs, and sign-off criteria - removing ambiguity for every stakeholder involved.
- An integration QA and validation framework that catches data mapping errors in staging, before a dealer ever goes live.
- A connector documentation standard - runbooks precise enough that any engineer on the team can support any live integration independently.
- A full integration pod - Integration Leads, Integration Engineers, and QA/Validation Analysts - hired, trained, and performing at pace.
Key Responsibilities
Partnerships & ecosystem
- Identify, approach, and close API access and integration partnerships with DMS, CRM, inventory, and marketing platform vendors.
- Negotiate commercial and technical terms - sandbox environments, production API access, rate limits, support SLAs - directly with vendor technical and business stakeholders.
- Build and manage long-term relationships with 15+ platform partners to keep Vini's connectors ahead of API changes, deprecations, and new features.
Integration delivery
- Own integration scoping for every new dealer onboarding - translating dealer tech stack realities into precise engineering specifications.
- Manage integration delivery timelines in lockstep with the onboarding team so dealer go-live dates are never blocked by an integration.
- Lead escalation response for live integration failures: data sync errors, API deprecations, third-party outages, and authentication breakdowns.
- Collaborate with Vini's product and engineering teams to productise the most frequently requested integrations and reduce per-dealer custom effort over time.
Team & operations
- Hire, lead, and develop the Integrations Pod: Integration Lead (×1→2), Integration Engineers (×3→10), and QA/Validation Analysts (×1→4).
- Define and track integration KPIs: delivery time, defect rate, post-live stability, API uptime, and connector coverage by dealer stack.
- Own all integration documentation - connector runbooks, API reference guides, scoping templates, and onboarding handoff specs.
- Report integration pipeline health, partner deal progress, and team capacity to the VP and CEO weekly.
Who You Are
Must-haves
- 6+ years across technical implementation, integration engineering, or solutions engineering - with 2+ years managing a technical team.
- Proven track record of owning partner or vendor relationships end to end: from outreach to signed agreement to live integration.
- Hands-on fluency with REST APIs, webhooks, OAuth, and data mapping - you can review specs, spot gaps, and explain trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders without a translator.
- Experience integrating SaaS products with enterprise third-party systems at scale - not one-off projects, but repeatable programmes.
- Project management backbone - you can run 15+ concurrent dealer integrations, surface blockers early, and keep every stakeholder aligned without a daily status meeting.
- Sharp written communicator - your scoping docs, runbooks, and partner briefs are complete, clear, and trusted by engineers and executives alike.
Nice to have
- Direct experience with automotive DMS or CRM platforms - CDK Global, Reynolds & Reynolds, VinSolutions, DealerSocket, or Elead.
- Experience building an integration partner programme from scratch - connector libraries, certification standards, partner tiers.
- Familiarity with conversational AI, agentic workflows, or LLM-powered product integrations.
- Light coding ability in Python or JavaScript - enough to review integration scripts, write simple transforms, and have credible technical conversations with your engineers.
What We Offer
- Ownership A new business to build from scratch - not a department to manage. Yours to define, prove, and scale.
- Autonomy Full freedom to operate like a founder, backed by Spyne’s platform, customers, and capital.
- Equity Meaningful equity reflecting a founding business leader role, structured for long-term wealth creation.
- Trajectory Clear path from EIR to Business Head with full P&L ownership as the business scales.
Skills Required
- 6+ years across technical implementation, integration engineering, or solutions engineering
- 2+ years managing a technical team
- Proven track record of owning partner or vendor relationships end to end
- Hands-on fluency with REST APIs, webhooks, OAuth, and data mapping
- Experience integrating SaaS products with enterprise third-party systems at scale
- Project management skills to run 15+ concurrent integrations and surface blockers early
- Sharp written communication for scoping docs, runbooks, and partner briefs
- Direct experience with automotive DMS or CRM platforms (CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, VinSolutions, DealerSocket, Elead)
- Experience building an integration partner programme (connector libraries, certification standards)
- Familiarity with conversational AI, agentic workflows, or LLM-powered integrations
- Light coding ability in Python or JavaScript
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The Company
What We Do
One of the biggest pain points for any online seller is to showcase their products in the best possible manner to grab customer attention and increase conversions. Spyne is transforming the way businesses create their catalog using state-of-the-art AI technology. No studio. No photography skills. No complex processes. Just Spyne to create stunning catalogs that drive 40% better conversions. We are building first-of-its-kind AI that would transform the way businesses will create high-impact catalogs without the need for a physical studio. We are building computer vision and AI technology to automate image processing workflows. This will help any business or marketplace shoot, edit, and publish product visuals at scale, at a fraction of the cost, and time. We are helping large e-commerce marketplaces in the automotive, food, fashion, real estate, and retail industry create and upgrade high-quality visual catalogs at scale. Founded in 2018, Spyne is headquartered in Gurugram, India serving 80+ customers across 15+ countries including Amazon India, Karvi, OLACars, and The Luxury Closet Dubai. We are backed by Accel Partners, Storm Ventures, and other marquee investors.
