How to apply for (Senior) Heartbeat AI Partnerships Manager (m/f/d)

About 1KOMMA5°

1KOMMA5° builds a virtual power plant that controls solar, batteries, heat pumps, and e-mobility as one integrated system connected to the electricity market in real time. The company aims to transition 1.5 million households to renewable energy by 2030 and has over 3,000 people across more than 80 locations. Working there means contributing to a concrete energy transition product, not just a service.

About the role

This role owns partnerships with hardware manufacturers that connect to Heartbeat AI. You find and excite new partners, negotiate agreements, ensure integrations are delivered, and manage the relationship long-term so it is a win-win. The position sits in the Heartbeat Tech domain and is remote and full-time.

A typical day

A typical day might include calls with a potential hardware partner to explain Heartbeat AI, internal meetings with engineering to check integration progress, and drafting or reviewing a partnership agreement. You would also spend time tracking open items with existing partners to make sure both sides deliver what they promised.

Who 1KOMMA5° is looking for

• Has experience managing technology partnerships, ideally with hardware manufacturers or IoT/energy devices.
• Can negotiate commercial agreements and also track technical integration delivery with internal teams.
• Understands energy systems, virtual power plants, or connected hardware enough to discuss integration requirements.
• Is comfortable working remotely and coordinating across time zones with partners and engineers.
• Speaks German and English (m/f/d listing and German-language job description suggest German is useful).

Tips for this application

• In your CV or cover letter, name specific hardware manufacturers or device categories you have partnered with before (e.g., inverters, batteries, heat pumps, EV chargers).
• Show that you can both negotiate a contract and follow an integration through to delivery. Give one example where you did both.
• Mention any experience with APIs, data protocols, or technical onboarding of third-party devices, even if you are not an engineer.
• Explain why you want to work on a virtual power plant and Heartbeat AI specifically, not just any cleantech company.
• If you have worked with German or European energy markets, say so. If not, state that you are willing to learn the market rules.

What to cover in your cover letter

Focus on: (1) a concrete partnership you closed and the integration that followed, (2) how you handle win-win negotiations with hardware makers, (3) your understanding of why connecting devices to a virtual power plant matters for grid and cost optimization, and (4) your ability to work remotely with technical teams and external partners.

Research before applying

• Read 1KOMMA5°'s product and tech pages to understand what Heartbeat AI does and which hardware it already connects to.
• Look up the company's virtual power plant and how it participates in electricity markets (balancing, spot markets, or similar).
• Check recent news or press releases about 1KOMMA5° partnerships, acquisitions, or expansion to see their current hardware ecosystem.
• Find out which hardware manufacturers are common in the German/European solar, battery, heat pump, and EV charging markets, since those are likely partner targets.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you identify and prioritize which hardware manufacturers to approach for Heartbeat AI integration?
• Describe a time you negotiated a partnership agreement where both sides had different technical or commercial priorities. How did you reach a deal?
• How do you make sure a partner integration is actually delivered after the contract is signed? Give a process you have used.
• What do you know about virtual power plants and how they interact with electricity markets?
• How would you handle a partner who is slow to provide technical documentation or firmware updates needed for integration?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing a generic cover letter that does not mention hardware partnerships, integrations, or virtual power plants.
• Claiming you can handle technical integration without giving any example of working with APIs, firmware, or device onboarding.
• Ignoring the German-language context of the job description and not stating your German language ability if you have it.