Partner Sales Director DACH

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SUSE is a global leader in innovative, reliable, and secure enterprise open source solutions, including SUSE Linux Suite, SUSE Rancher Suite, SUSE Edge Suite, and SUSE AI Suite. More than 60% of the Fortune 500 rely on SUSE to power their mission-critical workloads, enabling them to innovate everywhere – from the data center to the cloud, to the edge and beyond.

SUSE puts the "open" back in open source, collaborating with partners and communities to give customers the agility to tackle innovation challenges today and the freedom to evolve their strategy and solutions tomorrow. For more information, visit 

Job Description

Role Overview

The Manager of the Partner Executive Team leads a group of senior business development professionals dedicated to driving impactful partnerships and expanding SUSE's market reach through strategic alliances. This role involves guiding Partner Executives in achieving growth targets, optimising partner relationships, and enhancing team performance to drive mutual success with SUSE's partners. The ideal candidate will act as a key mentor, strategic advisor, and leader to ensure SUSE's solutions align seamlessly with partner objectives and that partnerships consistently contribute to pipeline growth, customer success, and revenue targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a cohesive partner management strategy that aligns with SUSE's regional and global business goals. Lead the team in crafting and executing joint business plans with strategic partners that advance SUSE's indirect sales model and foster mutual growth.

• Mentor and coach Partner Executives, fostering a high-performance culture. Set and evaluate performance goals, provide continuous feedback, and support professional development to build a knowledgeable, resilient, and motivated team.

• Guide the team in driving partner-led sales opportunities, ensuring effective collaboration and alignment with Account Executives. Monitor team performance metrics, partner contributions, and pipeline impact, aiming for consistent growth in revenue and customer success across key sectors.

• Oversee relationship-building activities with CXO-level executives and other key partner stakeholders. Serve as an escalation point and strategic consultant for high-value partner relationships, enabling the Partner Executives to strengthen partnerships and create value-driven alliances.

• Collaborate closely with SUSE's Marketing, Sales, and Technical teams to refine and expand partner programs. Work to optimise onboarding, enablement, and growth initiatives, ensuring partners are well-equipped to drive demand generation, certification programs, and go-to-market initiatives that align with SUSE's growth areas, including security, edge, and cloud.

• Lead the analysis of market trends, partner performance, and deal pipeline, using data insights to identify growth opportunities and adjust team strategies accordingly. Present findings to executive leadership and suggest actionable insights for enhancing SUSE's market presence.

• Represent the Partner Executive team in leadership meetings, advocate for partner needs within SUSE, and champion initiatives that elevate the partner experience, drive partner loyalty, and support SUSE's brand in the ecosystem.

• Actively engage in best-practice talent acquisition processes, with a focus on hiring a diverse team that reflects SUSE's values and fosters innovation. Collaborate with Talent Acquisition to define hiring needs, engage diverse candidate pools, and ensure an unbiased selection process that supports the inclusion of varied perspectives.

• Foster an inclusive team culture where all voices are heard, and team members feel valued. Encourage open communication, celebrate diverse perspectives, and promote practices that drive collaboration and innovation. Advocate for inclusion and diversity as essential factors that enhance team performance and customer engagement.

Skills & Experience

• Significant experience in a leadership role, overseeing a high-performance partner or business development team, ideally within the enterprise software or open-source technology space.

• Deep understanding of industry trends in software-defined infrastructure, cloud services, and open-source solutions. Ability to translate these insights into actionable strategies that drive team success and contribute to organisational growth.

• Expertise in fostering strong, influential relationships with partners and internal stakeholders, especially at the C-level. Skilled in conveying complex technical value propositions in ways that resonate with diverse audiences.

• Proficiency in enterprise sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDPICC), with a proven track record of guiding teams in navigating high-value, multi-stakeholder deals. Industry certifications in sales or IT are beneficial.

• Demonstrated ability to leverage CRM tools, such as Salesforce, to analyse partner performance data, refine team strategies, and enhance the impact of partnership initiatives on the sales pipeline.

• A growth mindset, eager to lead a dynamic team through evolving business conditions and support professional growth by encouraging continuous learning and skill development.

• Demonstrated experience in hiring diverse talent and creating inclusive team environments. Skilled in fostering a sense of belonging and valuing varied perspectives, with a focus on enhancing innovation, collaboration, and overall team performance.

Job

What We Offer 

We empower you to be bold, driving your career to create the future you want. We celebrate and reward your achievements.  

SUSE is a dynamic environment that is evolving rapidly, thus requiring agility, strong entrepreneurship and an open mind. 

This is a compelling opportunity for the right person to join us as we continue to scale and prosper.   

If you're a big thinker, obsessed by execution and thrive in a dynamic environment in which you can tangibly create a lasting legacy, then please apply now  

We give you the freedom to be yourself. You will work in a global community of unique individuals – like you – with different backgrounds, talents, skills and perspectives. A truly open community where everyone is welcome, has a voice and is encouraged to reach their full potential regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristics.   

Sounds like the right fit for you? Click Apply to submit your resume. A recruiter will contact you if your skills match our current or any future positions. In the meantime, stay updated on the latest SUSE news and job vacancies by joining our Talent Community.

SUSE Values 

• Choice

• Innovation

• Trust

• Community