VP Business Development - Strategic Partnerships

At SmartBear, we believe building great software starts with quality – and we’re helping our customers make that happen every day. Our solutions bring visibility and automation to software development, making it easier for teams to deliver high-quality software faster. SmartBear is trusted by over 16 million developers, testers, and software engineers at 32,000+ organizations – including innovators like Adobe, JetBlue, FedEx, and Microsoft.  

VP Business Development - Strategic Partnerships

The Vice President of Business Development- Strategic Partnerships will drive business expansion of SmartBear AI solutions through and with strategic partnerships including existing relationships with AWS and Atlassian and emerging partnerships with SAP, Salesforce, GitLab, and Microsoft.  This role requires a seasoned business development executive who can drive emerging AI product strategies, co-selling motions, co-developed solutions, and joint go-to-market strategies across multiple partner ecosystems. 

Key Responsibilities 

Partnership Management & Development 

• Develop and implement partnership strategies with targeted partners to advance new AI solution initiatives. 
• Cultivate executive‑level relationships and negotiate strategic collaboration agreements. 
• Support the strategic expansion of the AWS partnership, leveraging the Strategic Collaboration Agreement and AI‑driven growth initiatives. 
• Deliver clear, data‑driven reporting on partnership performance, including development, GTM, and sales metrics, for executive leadership. 
• Prioritize and allocate resources effectively across multiple high‑value strategic partnerships. 

Go-to-Market & Product Integration 

• Drive co-selling motions with partner field teams and advise on joint partner GTM solution campaigns  
• Lead marketplace product and sales strategies across target partner channels  
• Champion strategic product integrations across strategic partner initiatives  
• Partner with product teams to align roadmaps with partner priorities 

Sales Enablement & Business Development 

• Train SmartBear sales teams on partnership value propositions and co-selling processes  
• Build joint sales playbooks and coordinate with partner solution architects  
• Identify new opportunities within partner ecosystems (funding programs, marketplace incentives)  
• Negotiate commercial terms, deal registrations, and revenue-sharing arrangements 
• Monitor competitive landscape and drive customer adoption through partner channels 

Required Qualifications 

• 7-10 years managing strategic technology partnerships with enterprise software or cloud platform companies 
• Demonstrated success managing multiple concurrent partnerships and achieving revenue targets ($10M+ influenced) 
• Deep understanding of at least two ecosystems: AWS, Microsoft Azure, SAP, Salesforce, GitHub or leading AI platforms.  
• Strong executive presence with excellent communication and negotiation skills 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in software quality, testing, API management, CI/CD, or developer tools 
• Technical background with cloud platforms and enterprise software integrations 
• Existing relationships within target partner ecosystems 
• Experience with multiple marketplace platforms and partner management tools (WorkSpan, Crossbeam) 
• Track record building partnerships from inception to maturity 

Why you should join the SmartBear crew:  

• You can grow your career at every level.  
• We invest in your success as well as the spaces where our teams come together to work, collab