Partner Executive - Cloud

About Us

SUSE is a global leader of enterprise open source software. By transforming community innovations into secure, sovereign and AI-ready solutions, SUSE empowers customers to escape vendor lock-in and regain control of their IT destiny. Through industry-leading Linux, Kubernetes, Edge and AI infrastructure solutions, SUSE delivers the flexibility to innovate everywhere—from the data center to multi-cloud and out to the edge. Only SUSE also manages many Linux and Kubernetes distributions. At SUSE, Choice Happens because we prioritize community, interoperability and relentless innovation. Discover how we power mission-critical resilience at www.suse.com. 

Partner Executive - Cloud

  

Job Description

   

Role Summary:

SUSE is seeking a Director of Ecosystem Sales to lead revenue growth and strategic execution across Independent Hardware Vendor (IHV) and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partnerships. This role sits at the intersection of ecosystem strategy, partner-led sales execution, and go-to-market alignment. The Director will be accountable for driving joint revenue, expanding solution adoption, and operationalizing SUSE’s ecosystem strategy across priority partners.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience working with enterprise infrastructure ecosystems, understands how to build repeatable co-sell motions, and can translate strategy into measurable commercial outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Ecosystem Sales Leadership

• Own ecosystem-sourced and ecosystem-influenced revenue targets across IHV and ISV partners.

• Build and execute joint sales motions with strategic partners, including account mapping, pipeline creation, and co-selling.

• Partner closely with regional sales leadership to embed ecosystem plays into field execution.

• Establish and track KPIs for partner performance, pipeline health, and revenue contribution.

IHV & ISV Partner Management

• Lead executive relationships with priority IHV and ISV partners, with a focus on Dell. (e.g., OEMs, cloud infrastructure, platform and software providers).

• Develop joint value propositions and solution messaging aligned to SUSE Linux, Rancher, Edge, SAP, and cloud-native portfolios.

• Drive partner enablement for sales, technical, and marketing teams to ensure consistent execution.

• Identify and onboard new partners aligned to SUSE’s strategic growth areas.

Ecosystem Strategy Execution

• Operationalize SUSE’s global ecosystem strategy through defined partner tiers, focus areas, and investment priorities.

• Translate corporate strategy into actionable regional and partner-level plans.

• Collaborate with Product Management and Engineering to influence roadmap priorities based on ecosystem demand.

• Support M&A and strategic initiatives by assessing ecosystem impact and integration opportunities.

Go-To-Market & Marketing Alignment

• Partner with Ecosystem Marketing to drive joint campaigns, solution launches, and field-ready assets.

• Support industry solutions and vertical plays through ecosystem collaboration.

• Represent SUSE at partner events, industry conferences, and executive briefings.

Leadership & Governance

• Provide leadership, mentoring, and direction to ecosystem sales managers or partner leads (where applicable).

• Establish operating cadence with partners, including QBRs, pipeline reviews, and executive steering committees.

• Ensure alignment with legal, finance, and operations on contracts, incentives, and compliance.

Success Metrics

• Ecosystem-sourced and ecosystem-influenced revenue growth

• Pipeline creation and conversion rates via partners

• Strategic partner satisfaction and engagement scores

• Number and impact of joint solutions and co-sell motions launched

• Field adoption of ecosystem plays

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in enterprise software or infrastructure sales, alliances, or ecosystem roles