Director, Global Partner Program & Strategy

Okta•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Okta is looking for an experienced Director of Partner Programs to strategically architect, implement, and manage a global partner program driving the company’s success while supporting multiple partner types. This person should have extensive experience leading program strategy, building and managing teams in a high growth SaaS environment. This individual will use a data driven approach while incorporating partner feedback and internal feedback to continuously optimize the Okta Partner.

Requirements

Minimum 10+ years of progressive work experience in a high-growth SaaS company (Cybersecurity preferred), with at least 3 years in a leadership role focused on Partner Program Strategy and Management across multiple geographies.
A proven track record of scaling partner programs during massive growth phases.
Strong experience in designing, launching, and managing successful global partner programs that support diverse partner ecosystems (e.g., Distributors, GSIs, Resellers, MSPs, Service Delivery Partners, System Integrators, and Technology Partners.
Proven expertise in leveraging major Cloud Marketplaces (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) as a scalable route-to-market and growth engine.
Highly organized, detailed oriented and capable of managing and prioritizing multiple complex, simultaneous projects.
Expertise in partner legal frameworks and executing adoption-focused strategies within the partner ecosystem.
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills with proven project management proficiency.
Highly motivated self-starter and excellent problem solver via collaboration.
Demonstrated experience working cross-functionally across organizations.
Exceptional integrity, business acumen and sound judgement.
Highly collaborative and committed to incorporating diverse perspectives and feedback into strategy and execution.
Comfortable with travel up to 10%.
BA/BS degree required; MBA or relevant Masters degree strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and manage a robust and competitive Partner Program structure that effectively supports and incentivizes multiple partner types (e.g., Distributors, GSIs, Resellers, Service Delivery Partners, System Integrators and Technology Partners) and supports Cloud Marketplaces.
Lead the design and execution of partner programs across AMER, EMEA, and APJ regions.
Serve as the strategic leader and primary point of contact for the global Partner team, driving initiatives for the continued evolution and success of the Okta Partner Program.
Develop and drive the long-term partner program strategy, requirements, and policy across the entire partner lifecycle, from recruitment to performance management.
Direct and mentor the Partner Program team, focusing on organizational design to support growth, scale, and effective prioritization aligned with long-term program goals.
Define and govern the framework for partner tiering, benefits, incentives, and requirements to ensure program value and growth.
Collaborate with Partner Experience and Ops team to integrate AI and automation to create a self-service environment for partners, reducing time-to-value (Operational Excellence).
Lead cross-functional engagements with internal stakeholders (Sales, Marketing, Legal, Finance, Product, Operations, and Systems ) to resolve complex business issues, define long-term program strategy, identify optimization opportunities and set policy for partner engagement. This role will serve as the central link between the partner organization and these teams, and requires the ability to effectively influence and build consensus with cross-functional leadership.
Provide clear, concise, and compelling communication to executive leadership on program strategy, performance, and risks, ensuring transparency and timely decision-making.
Monitor and report on global Partner Program performance, ensuring accountability for annual performance reviews and program effectiveness. This includes building global dashboards to act as a "Single Source of Truth" for partner performance (Data Leadership).
Oversee and provide requirements for the successful integration of program features into partner tools (PRM, CMS, etc.) in collaboration with Partner Operations.