Datadog is seeking a highly motivated Senior Corporate Development Lead to drive our AI product strategy, build strong relationships across the founder and VC ecosystem, and support high-impact initiatives including acquisitions, venture investments, and startup partnerships.
You will be part of a small, high-visibility team that reports directly to Datadog’s Founder/CEO. The ideal candidate is passionate about AI and developer tools, comfortable rolling up their sleeves, and excited to operate in a fluid, technically demanding environment. You will support evaluations, source promising AI startups, collaborate closely with internal product and engineering leaders, and help position Datadog as the preferred partner for the next generation of founders.
This role is ideal for someone who is hungry for increased responsibility, operates with authenticity and creativity, and prioritizes the company’s interests.
At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds, and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.
What You’ll Do:
Support Datadog’s AI product strategy by analyzing emerging technologies, market opportunities, and competitive dynamics.
Source high-potential AI startups for acquisition, investment, or partnership, and build a strong presence across the founder and VC ecosystem.
Attend meetups, conferences, and ecosystem events to expand Datadog’s visibility and pipeline opportunities.
Drive workstreams across diligence, valuation, financial modeling, strategic assessment, and internal recommendations.
Partner with Product and Engineering leaders to evaluate build/buy/partner opportunities aligned with Datadog’s AI roadmap.
Support negotiation processes, including term sheets and partnership structures.
Collaborate on integration planning with cross-functional partners after acquisitions or strategic deals.
Help attract early-stage AI companies into Datadog’s startup program.
Who You Are:
Demonstrated technical knowledge through past experience (software engineering, product management, VC, etc.) or a degree in Computer Science (or equivalent).
Some experience with financial modeling, forecasting, or analysis (willingness to learn; we can teach you).
Excited about building and maintaining a strong network across founders, VCs, and the broader AI ecosystem.
Self-starter who thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous, and technically challenging environments.
Excellent prioritization and ability to operate across multiple complex stakeholders and projects.
Strong communication skills and enthusiasm for developing negotiation capabilities.
Benefits and Growth:
- Best-in-breed onboarding
- Generous global benefits
- Intra-departmental mentor and buddy program for in-house networking
- New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)
- Continuous professional development, product training, and career pathing
- An inclusive company culture, able to join our Community Guilds and Inclusion Talks
Benefits and Growth listed above may vary based on the country of your employment and the nature of your employment with Datadog.
Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.
About Datadog:
Datadog is the leading observability and security platform for the AI era, providing businesses with unified visibility across the technology stack to manage complexity at scale. It brings applications, infrastructure, data, models, and security into one place, using AI to detect and resolve issues before they impact customers. Trusted globally by Fortune 500 companies and high-growth AI leaders, Datadog enables businesses to move faster with clarity and confidence. Learn more about #DatadogLife on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Datadog Learning Center.
Equal Opportunity at Datadog:
Datadog is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our Candidate Legal Notices for your reference.
Datadog endeavors to make our Careers Page accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please complete this form. This form is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
Privacy and AI Guidelines:
Any information you submit to Datadog as part of your application will be processed in accordance with Datadog’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice. For information on our AI policy, please visit Interviewing at Datadog AI Guidelines.
Skills Required
- Demonstrated technical knowledge via software engineering, product management, VC experience, or degree in Computer Science
- Experience with financial modeling, forecasting, or analysis (willingness to learn acceptable)
- Proven ability to build and maintain a network across founders, venture capitalists, and the AI ecosystem
- Experience or comfort leading diligence, valuation, and strategic assessment workstreams
- Strong prioritization and ability to operate across multiple complex stakeholders and projects
- Excellent communication skills and enthusiasm for developing negotiation capabilities
- Self-starter who thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous, and technically challenging environments
What the Team is Saying
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Datadog Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision coverage paired with dedicated mental‑health access (including free annual sessions for employees and dependents) and gender‑affirming care indicates robust healthcare support. Fitness reimbursements further reinforce preventative wellness.
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Parental & Family Support — Fully paid, gender‑neutral parental leave alongside family‑forming support (adoption, fertility, preservation, surrogacy) and childcare assistance shows strong backing for growing families. Pet‑related assistance in eligible offices expands family‑oriented offerings.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — An employee stock purchase plan with a discount and RSUs for many roles broaden access to ownership. This equity mix enhances total rewards beyond base pay.
Datadog Insights
What We Do
Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) is a global SaaS business, delivering a rare combination of growth and profitability. We are on a mission to break down silos and solve complexity in the cloud age by enabling digital transformation, cloud migration, and infrastructure monitoring of our customers' entire technology stacks. Built by engineers, for engineers, Datadog is used by organizations of all sizes across a wide range of industries. Together, we champion professional development, diversity of thought, innovation, and work excellence to empower continuous growth. Join the pack and become part of a collaborative, pragmatic, and thoughtful people-first community where we solve tough problems, take smart risks, and celebrate one another.
Why Work With Us
At Datadog, we learn from and celebrate each other daily - each win is a team win. Datadogs solve tough problems, innovate pragmatically, and grow together. We promote from within, provide mentorship and opportunities for career development, and support our colleagues in the process. Best of all? We truly love what we do.
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Datadog Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them and their team.
