A Head of Partnerships is a senior strategic leadership role responsible for building, scaling, and managing an organization's external alliance ecosystem to drive significant growth. This executive position sits at the intersection of sales, business development, and product strategy, focusing on creating symbiotic relationships that unlock new markets, amplify product value, and generate substantial revenue. Professionals in these jobs are architects of growth, moving beyond traditional sales to forge long-term, strategic alliances that are integral to the company's success. Typically, the role involves end-to-end ownership of the partnerships charter. This begins with defining the overarching ecosystem strategy, identifying key partner categories—such as technology (integration partners), solutions (resellers or implementers), and strategic (large-scale, transformative allies). The Head of Partnerships is responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and onboarding these high-impact partners. A core part of the job is designing and operationalizing scalable partner programs, which include enablement, certification, co-marketing, and co-selling frameworks to ensure mutual success. They establish clear metrics, accountability, and performance management systems to track the health and revenue impact of the partner ecosystem. Common responsibilities include leading and mentoring a global partnerships team, fostering a high-performance culture. They act as a key member of the go-to-market leadership team, working cross-functionally to embed partnerships into the core business engine, aligning closely with Product, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success. A significant portion of the role involves executive-level relationship management, both internally and externally, representing the partnerships function at the highest levels and nurturing C-suite relationships with partner organizations. Driving measurable business outcomes—specifically partner-sourced and partner-influenced revenue—is the ultimate accountability, making these jobs critical to scaling the business. The typical skills and requirements for these high-level jobs are extensive. Candidates usually possess over a decade of experience in partnerships, business development, or alliances within SaaS or enterprise technology. A proven track record of building and scaling a global partnerships organization from the ground up is essential. Success requires a strong operational mindset to design processes and implement scalable systems, coupled with exceptional commercial judgment and negotiation skills. Executive presence and the ability to influence senior stakeholders are paramount, as is a deep understanding of how to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder deals. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker, a collaborative leader, and a results-driven operator who can articulate a visionary ecosystem strategy and execute it to deliver tangible growth, making Head of Partnerships jobs pivotal roles in any ambitious company's leadership team.
