ABOUT THE ROLE
In this role, you will lead decisions on which partners are integrated into the company's portfolio and establish the terms of those partnerships. Reporting to the Head of Partner Strategy, you will apply four key tests—technology, industry, layer, and mutual fit—before presenting recommendations to the leadership team. Collaboration will be essential as you work with the CRO's technical principal and engineers for technical diligence, engage account teams for customer insights, and utilize Partner Sourcing and Intelligence to enhance your recommendations. Once a partner has been selected, you will coordinate with Legal, Finance, and the business to finalize the partnership model, contract framework, and commercial terms before handing over the signed partner to Partner Development for activation.
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YOUR MANDATE
- The right technology: Collaborate with engineering leadership to evaluate candidates’ architecture, maturity, security, and deployability, factoring in the engineering effort required.
- The right industry: Validate industry demand with account teams—confirming sectors, use cases, and accounts—before finalizing commitments.
- The right layer: Determine the partner's position in the stack and identify if that layer needs filling, strengthening, or should remain open.
- The right mutual fit: Assess strategic intent and commercial ambition while ensuring mutual commitment to joint investment and working methodologies.
- A portfolio that holds: Evaluate each partner's alignment with our roadmap and current partners, identifying gaps, overlaps, or competition to ensure a cohesive market offering.
- The model and the terms: Recommend a partnership model, negotiate terms—including go-to-market, delivery, revenue share, exclusivity, liabilities, and exit—working closely with leadership, Legal, Finance, and the business.
- Build the recruitment model: Collaborate with leadership and Partner Sourcing and Intelligence to establish partner profiles, assessment frameworks, recruitment processes, and the operational model for smooth partner transitions.
WHERE WE ALIGN
- Partnership record: Experience in assessing, structuring, and signing partnerships at a technology vendor, integrator, or within corporate development or consulting.
- Technical judgement: Ability to engage engineers concerning architecture, integration, and deployment; proficient in distinguishing strong technology from demonstrations.
- Industry sense: Comprehensive understanding of technology procurement and operational dynamics across various sectors, ensuring accurate judgment on value creation.
- Commercial structuring: Experience in designing channel/partnership models and negotiating revenue share or terms with larger counterparts.
- Portfolio and fit judgement: Established credibility with founders, engineers, Legal, and Finance, allowing for an accurate assessment of how partners positively contribute to the overall portfolio.
STRONG ADVANTAGE
- Ecosystem background: Prior experience within a technology vendor’s partner organization or a cloud provider’s ecosystem team.
- Deal experience: Exposure to venture investment, M&A, or joint ventures, including diligence and documentation processes.
- Sector knowledge: In-depth knowledge of sectors where the company leads, including government, energy, financial services, and healthcare.
- Arabic: Professional fluency in Arabic is preferred.
OUR VALUES
- Customer first: Focus on delivering customer outcomes as a primary measure of success.
- Ownership mentality: Take responsibility for outcomes from start to finish and proactively resolve issues.
- Clear communicator: Simplify complex concepts and clearly articulate the value of your work.
- Comfortable with ambiguity: Able to progress with limited data and navigate unclear environments effectively.
- Long-term builder: Invest in the organization's overarching success and provide insights to strategy and operations.
- Builds others: Evaluate success based on the development of others' capabilities.
THE SEAT
- Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Reports to: Head of Partner Strategy
- Travel: Limited travel expected
- Package: Competitive base salary, inclusive of housing, transport, education allowances, medical cover, and equity participation through the employee equity program. Detailed terms will be provided at the offer stage.
HOW WE WORK
- Start from the problem rather than focusing on the tool; approach unclear briefs or challenges with energy and a strategic plan.
- Curiosity: Maintain an ongoing commitment to learning about operational dynamics and stack evolution.
- Speed: Transition quickly from brief to actionable results; do not wait for perfect conditions to act.
- Rigour: Validate all claims with data and provide comprehensive explanations for all decisions made.
- Confidence & humility: Engaging in constructive challenges to enhance perspectives based on evidence without ego involvement.
- Autonomy: Make decisions and organize work effectively even when operating with incomplete information.
- Resourcefulness: Adapt and thrive in situations characterized by limited access, partial information, or unfamiliar organizations.
- Situational leadership: Demonstrate flexibility to lead or support as circumstances demand.
- A force multiplier: Utilize your playbooks, reviews, and mentorship to enhance the effectiveness of those around you.
- AI-native depth: Integrate AI tools in your processes for research, assessment, and negotiations, improving speed and efficacy in technology, market, and deal evaluations.
- Your role: As a senior partnership builder, you will evaluate across technology, industry, and commerce, influencing the development of the company's partner portfolio and the strategies that underpin it.
