Partnerships Manager, Zum
$150-200k
Salary range applies to CA only and may vary in other locations
More information about location
Student transportation services
Be an early applicant
Student transportation services
201-500 employees
Be an early applicant
$150-200k
Salary range applies to CA only and may vary in other locations
More information about location
201-500 employees
Company mission
To bring student transporation into a new era enabling greater safety, sustainability, equity, and transparency.
Role
Who you are
- We're looking for a seasoned business development and/or partnerships professional with experience in K-12 school districts, who is already known, and knows K-12 School District Leaders, including but not limited to Superintendents, Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), Chief Operating Officers (COOs), Business Officials, and Transportation Directors in IL and the Midwest and NY and the Northeast),who shape student mobility decisions
- You’ve spent time building relationships in the room with these stakeholders: at conferences, over dinner, on the phone at odd hours
- You understand the rhythm of public-sector budget cycles and RFPs, and you know how to move a relationship from a handshake to a signed contract without coming across as transactional
- 10+ years of partnerships, business development, sales, or government relations experience in student transportation, transit, or a closely related public-sector-facing industry
- Existing, active relationships with Superintendents, COOs, CFO / CBOs, Transportation Directors, and/or state transportation or education officials— this is a relationship-first hire, not a cold-start territory builder
- Demonstrated success managing long, multi-stakeholder public-sector sales cycles and competitive government RFP processes, including oral/interview presentations
- Strong consultative selling skills: ability to diagnose a district's pressures and position Zūm CMX credibly
- High degree of personal integrity and discretion. This role represents Zūm to public officials and must navigate procurement ethics rules and gift/hospitality policies correctly
- Existing membership or active involvement in state pupil transportation associations (e.g., TAPT in Texas, NYAPT in New York) or national bodies (NAPT, NSTA)
- Bachelor's degree, though relevant relationship depth and track record will outweigh formal education requirements
What the job involves
- This role is about relationships, not cold outreach
- You'll be on Zūm's front lines - building the pipeline, shaping the strategy, and earning business that lets Zūm reach more students
- Lead new-business growth for Zūm across a defined state or regional territory (e.g., New York or Illinois), building and executing a strategic account and government-relations plan
- Build and personally maintain deep, durable relationships with Superintendents, district Transportation Directors, Business/Finance Officials, and state-level transportation or education officials
- Represent Zūm in person — conferences, association events, district visits, and relationship-building engagements (dinners, site visits, industry functions)
- Identify and qualify new business opportunities by tracking district budget cycles, contract expirations, RFP calendars, and state policy or funding shifts that create openings
- Support competitive public-sector RFP processes, assembling and coaching internal teams through written responses and oral/interview presentations
- Serve as the trusted advisor and go-to relationship for named accounts even after close, ensuring smooth handoff to Operations and protecting the relationship through renewal
- Represent Zūm with state pupil transportation associations, school board associations, and relevant government affairs forums to build brand presence and credibility
Our take
The largest mass transit system in the US is student transportation, and it’s more than double the size of all others combined. It’s rife with inefficiencies, however: circuitous routes mean many students are spending more time travelling and less time sleeping, exercising, or participating in enrichment activities, affecting student outcomes and inequalities.
Zum is looking to overhaul school transport with the help of cloud computing and AI. It has a central hub from which it manages route planning and vehicle assignments across 4,000 areas and school districts in California, meaning fleet deployment, maintenance, and operational efficiency can be optimised. It also offers cameras and tracking in vehicles, and is committed to having a fully electric, 10,000-strong bus fleet by 2025.
It's an ambitious plan, but it’s clear that the US school busing system is in dire need of an overhaul. We’re seeing startups like Via offer a similar service to NY schools, gathering similarly strong momentum. With Zum having reached Unicorn status in 2024 thanks to new funding, and its California roll-out continuing without a hitch, it appears, for now, to be leading the modern student transportation startup pack.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
18% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 8 rounds)
Apr 2026
$100m
GROWTH EQUITY VC
Jun 2024
$32m
GRANT
Total funding: $468.8m
Company benefits
- Medical, dental and vision benefits, including paid membership to One Medical
- Unlimited vacation policy
- Free daily catered lunches + fully stocked kitchen at HQ
- Ability to have a huge impact at an early-stage, mission-driven startup
- Fun office culture and a team you would be proud to work with
Company HQ
Redwood Shores, Redwood City, CA
Leadership
Ritu Narayan
(Co-Founder & CEO)Worked as a Lead Product Manager at Yahoo!, eBay, then took up a Sloan Fellowship at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Vivek Garg
(Co-Founder & COO)Spent over a decade as a Major in the Indian Army, then went on to found and lead BAPAR, before taking up a Researcher role at Stanford University's SEED Institute.
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