Partner Executive

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. 

Job Description

Role Overview

Partner Executives serve as senior business development professionals who work closely with strategic partners to align SUSE solutions with partner objectives. Their role involves building strong relationships with partners, fostering business growth, and driving mutual success through creative and effective partnerships. By acting as ambassadors for SUSE’s indirect sales model, Partner Executives develop and execute business models with partners, enhancing SUSE’s presence in the market and expanding partner reach.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive pipeline development through partner led-opportunities, ensuring consistent communication and coordination with Account Executives to align partner strategies with regional business plans. 

• Develop and maintain joint business plans outlining shared goals, budgets, and strategies. Hold regular partner management meetings, including weekly and quarterly reviews, to ensure ongoing alignment with SUSE's sales strategy.

• Serve as a central point of contact for partner-related activities by building and expanding relationships with assigned strategic partners. Leverage SUSE's network to develop business models that align partner capabilities with SUSE's open-source solutions, fostering a collaborative approach to drive mutual success, enhance market presence, and achieve joint business goals.

• Track partner contributions to business growth by measuring key performance indicators such as incremental revenue generation,deal registration, certifications, upsell opportunities, and cross-sell success. Continuously improve partner impact on SUSE’s sales pipeline by setting and exceeding contribution targets.

• Maintain and develop strong relationships with key partner stakeholders, including CXO-level executives. Building key relationships - Economic Buyer (internal customer), Technical Buyer (our liaison), Coach & Executive Buyer (Champion).

• Manage initiatives to recruit, onboard, and engage new partners that align with SUSE’s growth areas, identify new business opportunities and integrate partners into SUSE’s broader ecosystem for long-term success.

• Motivate partners to engage in SUSE programs, drive sales, technical partner certifications, and demand generation through developing go-to-market solutions and tailored playbooks that align with SUSE’s growth strategies in areas like security, edge, and cloud, with a focus on customer success and revenue generation.

• Take proactive ownership of your professional development by staying curious and embracing a growth mindset. Focus on driving your success, advancing your skills as a Sales professional, and deepening your expertise in the SUSE value proposition.

• Collaborate with Marketing to create and promote compelling partner success stories, showcasing impactful business outcomes and enhancing brand visibility to support partner engagement and pipeline growth

Skills & Experience

• Experience in a partner-facing sales role, with understanding of ecosystems, customer needs and channel sales strategies in key industries such as cloud services, software-defined infrastructure, and open-source solutions.

• Analytical skills to assess market trends, partner performance, and business opportunities, using insights to refine partner strategies and maintain a competitive advantage.

• Expertise in managing customer and partner relationships from initial discussions to long-term strategic alliances, with the ability to build trust and rapport with C-level executives.

• Knowledge of the enterprise software industry - particularly solutions such as Linux Infrastructure, Hybrid Cloud, Container Management, Edge, Artificial Intelligence and Security

• Ability to apply enterprise sales methodologies, particularly MEDDPICC, or similar frameworks. Industry certifications in sales or IT are a plus.

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage and coordinate cross-functional teams across partner organisations, influencing decisions and driving mutual business success.

• Experience working with CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce, Clari) to manage pipelines and forecast sales accurately.

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, for articulating and translating complex technical solutions into business value propositions, to partners and internal teams, with the ability to guide strategic discussions with senior stakeholders.

• Problem-solving skills that focus on innovative solutions to partner challenges, ensuring both SUSE and its partners achieve their business goals in changing business conditions.

• Advanced sales negotiation and deal-closing skills for high-value, complex deals involving multiple stakeholders, with proven success in steering senior-level discussions and closing opportunities.

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 

SUSE's culture is centered on four key values - Choice, Community, Trust, and Innovation - which are deeply integrated with our open source ethos. SUSE fosters a diverse and inclusive environment where our people are encouraged to be themselves.

Choice: 

We are continuously making choice happen 

We are accountable for our choices 

We never get complacent

Community: 

Nobody is smarter than everybody 

We embrace diversity of thought 

We are “open source first, upstream first” where collaboration benefits all

Trust: 

We are trusted to deliver with integrity 

We offer trust by default, and do not wait for it to be earned

We foster an environment where everyone trusts each other 

Innovation: 

We foster a culture of experimentation, and embrace change by challenging the norm

We are committed to continuous improvement, creativity and adaptability 

Ideas are great, but without execution they are just ideas