Skillsoft is seeking a Strategic Partners & Alliances Program Manager to join our NA/LATAM partner and alliances team. The successful
candidate will report to the Manager, Partner Success Consulting, and will be
an experienced leader who will manage our
relationship with strategic partners and alliances, including client relationship management, sales support and ongoing marketing and communication.
This position, which will have high visibility among the sales leadership
team at Skillsoft, serves as a strategic resource and specialist in
the areas of driving business and revenue and typically supports the most
strategic and highest priority partnerships.
The ideal candidate will possess a broad and deep expertise in the
world of partnerships and cloud solutions and will have a practical
understanding of working with large, complex system integrators and consulting
companies. They will possess demonstrated ability to think strategically about
new business models, solution selling and technical challenges to help build
compelling value propositions for partners and alliances as well as for their ecosystem
of customers and partners.
This position will work with key leaders through cross-functional
teams to influence, align and coordinate resources to deliver the desired results.
The candidate should have a proven track record of driving strategic outcomes
through an ecosystem: influencing innovation through a strategic partner
ecosystem and/or business development experience.
The successful candidate must balance strategic-thinking with
tactical execution; build effective and enduring partner relationships, drive
highly cross-functional processes, possess a sound technical understanding of Skillsoft’s
technology, and have an appreciation of the strengths of our partner business
strategy.
Position
Responsibilities
This position is a specialized role of sales support, solution
development consulting, project management, marketing and communications, relationship
building, and ongoing post-sales support. A vital part of the Skillsoft Partners
and Alliances team, the position contributes to the achievement of revenue
goals to both prospective and existing partners and alliances through
performance of the following responsibilities.
Product
Portfolio Planner/Manager
·
Evaluates business opportunities to define
and optimize the product portfolio through analysis and understanding of
targeted markets, market trends, new technology, customer business issues
and the competitive environment.
·
Applies broad knowledge of product
capabilities and service offerings with in-depth analysis of market position to
create, target and expand the portfolio of products and solution
alternatives.
·
Gathers and analyzes utilization/sales
statistics and provides strategies for ROI, client impact and overall
operational guidance
·
Offers
suggestions/best practice advice to adjust the offering as needed and based on
revenue production.
·
Works closely with product development and
marketing teams for the delivery of enhanced product designs and solutions for
the partner markets.
Project
(Client Services) Manager
·
Develops project plans designed to address partner/customer
needs and/or expand market share.
·
Coordinates all aspects of a product or
service offering project for a client, from inception to installation.
·
Identifies integration strategies that map to
client technical requirements while maintaining concerns of enterprise. Installations may involve integrations with
enterprise software systems or consulting projects/engagements.
·
Interacts with sales, systems engineering,
product development, and other members of cross-functional teams.
·
Oversees project schedules and provides input
into needed budgets to ensure project/goal attainment.
Marketing/Communications
Specialist
·
Consults with partner on the development of
the elements of a successful Skillsoft partner/alliance program.
·
Serves as an
integral part of the presales effort to identify and craft the right product
mix for partner target markets.
·
Researches and
provides sound advice on best practices for creating a successful go-to-market
strategy that includes elements of pricing, marketing, implementation and
ongoing support to their customer base
·
Provides expertise on industry trends and
product solutions
·
Assists partner in planning, designing and
manage marketing solutions utilizing available resources
·
Participates as subject matter expert for
client facing webinars, documentation and speaker engagements.
Partner
and Sales Support
·
Leverages
Skillsoft processes and tools, adapting those as needed for the partner market,
and become an expert trainer on those processes and tools
·
Creates processes and documentation and
provides training required to support standard and custom partner solutions
·
Leverages the technical
knowledge of the Customer Support and Application Engineering teams to provide
technical analysis, integration advice, and issue resolution.
·
Provides sales support for partner’s
prospecting activities as needed, assisting as learning specialist and extension
of their sales force
·
Coordinates and conducts routine business
reviews with partners to review the status of projects, to review progress
toward attainment of overall program goals, and to discuss strategies for
growing the partnership.
Desired
Skills and Experience
10+ year’s work experience with some specific experience
managing GSIs in the areas of business or Information Technology
(IT), specializing in consulting, project management, and account management
Software industry domain expertise (preferably SaaS),
and the ability to understand complex technology problems
Strong previous background in Strategic Partner and/or Alliance
Management
Effective at building strong relationships (internally
and with partners), collaborating, and influencing others; experience working
with senior executives/partners in cross-company projects
Strong communicator, able to convey complex ideas in a
clear, concise manner both verbally and in writing; comfort in business and
technical discussions
Effective teamwork skills in building relationships
(internally and with partners), collaborating, and influencing others;
experience working with senior executives/ partners in cross-company projects
Self-starter who enjoys working in a fast-paced, collaborative,
and high-growth environment
Ability to navigate complex business situations and
employ strategic thinking to understand the partner business and craft the
Skillsoft solution to best fit their needs
Superior skills in critical thinking, problem solving and
decision-making that balance analysis with responsiveness for independent,
solution-focused action
Ability to manage internal and external resources
to both business and technical goals
Strong grasp of Skillsoft value proposition and key
features/benefits for its products and platform, and demo Skillsoft products
and platform
Outstanding interpersonal skills, including relationship-building and
conflict resolution
Superior consulting, listening and communication skills
Refined virtual presentation skills and ability to speak publicly
Ability to be consistently precise, thorough and detail oriented yet
cognizant of the end goal
Strong project management, organizational and time management skills are
required to manage competing interests
Excellent skills in common MS applications (Word, Excel, Outlook,
PowerPoint)
Education
and Certifications
Bachelor’s Degree in business, education or related field; or equivalent
experience
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