A Head of Global Partnerships is a senior executive role responsible for architecting, building, and scaling a company's external alliance ecosystem to drive strategic growth. Professionals in these jobs sit at the intersection of business development, sales, product, and marketing, acting as the primary architect for how an organization leverages partnerships to enter new markets, amplify its product, and unlock significant revenue channels. This is a leadership position with high executive visibility, tasked with transforming partnerships from a tactical function into a core pillar of the company's go-to-market engine. The core mission of a Head of Global Partnerships is to develop and execute a comprehensive global partnership strategy. This involves identifying and prioritizing partner categories—such as technology integrations, solution providers, resellers, distributors, and strategic alliances—that align with the company's long-term objectives. They own the end-to-end partner lifecycle, from sourcing and high-level negotiation to onboarding, enablement, and ongoing performance management. A critical responsibility is designing scalable partner programs, which include defining tiering structures, creating co-marketing and co-selling frameworks, establishing incentive models, and building the necessary infrastructure (like partner portals and analytics) to support engagement at scale. Typical day-to-day responsibilities include leading and mentoring a global partnerships team, establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure ecosystem health and revenue impact, and fostering deep cross-functional alignment. They work closely with Product to influence roadmaps based on partner integrations, with Sales to embed partners into the sales cycle, and with Marketing to create joint campaigns. A significant part of the role is representing the partnership function at the executive level, providing strategic insights and advocating for resources, while also managing senior-level relationships with key partner organizations to negotiate complex deals and unlock mutual value. The typical skills and requirements for Head of Global Partnerships jobs are substantial. Candidates usually possess 10+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or alliances, often within SaaS, enterprise technology, or fintech. A proven track record of building and scaling a global partnerships organization from the ground up is essential. They must exhibit a rare blend of strategic vision and operational excellence—able to set a high-level ecosystem vision while also designing the processes and systems to execute it. Exceptional commercial acumen, negotiation skills, and executive presence are non-negotiable, as is the ability to influence internal stakeholders and external partners alike. A strong operational mindset, with experience in defining metrics and leveraging data to drive decisions, is crucial for success in these high-impact jobs. Ultimately, this role is for a builder who can create a category-defining partner ecosystem that becomes a durable competitive advantage and a primary engine for growth.
