Director, partner programs

Acumatica • Bellevue, WA

2d • $190,000 - $210,000

About The Position

Acumatica is seeking a leader to own the operations of five partner programs: Value Added Reseller (VAR), Independent Software Vendor (ISV), Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Services, and Alliance (referral). The Director will streamline program architecture, shift incentives toward growth, adoption, and customer outcomes, establish a trusted partner data and attribution model, and scale the ISV and marketplace motion. VAR and ISV programs carry the most revenue and strategic weight, while all five programs are expected to meet consistent standards for governance, economics, and accuracy. The role is accountable for how programs are structured, measured, operationalized, and used to incentivize and compensate partners.

The Director will work across partner management, recruiting, education, enablement, account management, Finance, Legal, and other functions. The role owns program frameworks, compliance, economics, data, infrastructure, and tools; presents proposals on program structure and economics to executive leadership; and establishes reporting and enablement mechanisms to help teams track partner success and address underperformance. The Director also oversees partner onboarding and offboarding and leads compliance efforts when partners do not meet standards. This role reports to the SVP, Partner Strategy and Programs.

Across the programs, the Director will design and evolve standards, eligibility, tiers, benefits, requirements, and operating practices; own program roadmaps and annual refreshes; maintain program documentation; conduct audits; manage partner pipeline qualification, onboarding, offboarding, agreements, deal attribution, conflicts, approval workflows, incentives, and payment processes; and build common partner data, metrics, reporting, and performance tools. Specific responsibilities include setting VAR tier, margin, discount, and profitability models; defining VAR productivity and coverage metrics; owning ISV admission, certification, marketplace listing, and commercial-model standards; and optimizing Alliance referral and co-sell frameworks.

The Director will also own ecosystem strategy and the multi-year plan, run partner advisory boards and executive sponsor programs, manage the partner technology stack and authoritative partner record, serve as the primary channel counterpart to Finance, FP&A, Revenue Accounting, Deal Desk, and Legal, and build and lead the programs and operations team. Success is measured by partner growth, volume, retention, expansion, influenced revenue, operational cycle times, scorecard adoption, and compliance results. The first 90 days involve auditing all five programs and agreeing on attribution definitions; 12-month goals include launching simplified, outcome-based programs and a single partner data model; and 24-month goals include measurable improvements in partner productivity, ISV attach, and retention while keeping program cost within plan.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in partner programs, channel operations, or channel management at a software company.
• 5+ years of experience leading teams.
• Demonstrated ownership of VAR or reseller programs, including tier, margin, and incentive design, and of ISV programs.
• Direct experience running an ISV or technology partner program, including eligibility criteria, solution certification or marketplace listing, and ISV agreements.
• Proven financial modeling skills for margin, discount, and incentive structures, with a track record of presenting them to senior finance leaders and executives.
• Hands-on command of PRM and CRM platforms and partner reporting.
• AI and Excel or equivalent analytical fluency.
• Experience writing and administering partner agreements and program policy in coordination with Legal.
• Experience at a company where the majority of revenue comes through indirect channels, and experience with services-led partners that implement the product.
• Experience rationalizing or sunsetting program elements and managing partner change, including grandfathering and communication.
• Executive communication skills, including preparing board-ready materials and clear written program documentation.
• Working knowledge of revenue recognition and control considerations for channel incentives such as rebates, MDF, and referral fees, or ability to partner effectively with Revenue Accounting.

Nice To Haves

• Experience designing referral programs and Alliance or systems integrator programs.
• ERP, SaaS, or vertical software channel experience.
• Experience with marketplace or app store platforms and technical certification of partner solutions.
• International or multi-region program experience.
• Experience in a company with a majority of revenue through indirect channels.
• Experience managing the contract negotiation process for redlining.

Responsibilities

• Design, govern, and evolve the VAR, ISV, OEM, Services, and Alliance programs, including standards, eligibility, tiers, benefits, requirements, and operating standards.
• Own the program roadmap and annual refresh cycle, incorporating partner feedback, competitive benchmarking, financial modeling, executive approval, and launch.
• Maintain consistent internal and external program documentation, including governance documents, program guides, policies, and FAQs.
• Conduct compliance reviews and audits to ensure minimum standards are met and benefits are awarded correctly.
• Build automation to manage prospective partner pipeline and initial qualification before candidates are introduced to recruiting teams.
• Oversee partner onboarding and offboarding, legal agreements, amendments, addendums, program transitions, rules of engagement, and partners participating in multiple programs.
• Oversee deal attribution, conflict resolution, payment rules, approval workflows, and exceptions across applicable programs.
• Own program economics, including margins, discounts, incentives, rebates, MDF, referral fees, revenue sharing, and contra-revenue; model P&L impacts before launch.
• Approve applicable MDF and referral fee payments and oversee and approve margin exceptions.
• Manage the incentive lifecycle from modeling and calculation through accrual, documentation, audit, reporting, and payment; partner with Finance on forecasts, payment accuracy, audit readiness, and margin targets.
• Equip account managers with scorecards, segmentation, business-plan frameworks, and a monthly performance cadence.
• Maintain a common partner data model and metrics framework across Sales, Finance, and Marketing, and report partner-sourced and partner-influenced revenue, customer attach, partner health, retention, program ROI, and program-specific metrics.
• Own VAR tier, margin, discount, and partner profitability architecture; define productive-partner ratio, partner concentration, and time-to-productivity metrics; and conduct annual portfolio reviews with Channel Management.
• Align VAR incentives with net-new ACV, installed-base expansion, retention, and ISV or product attach; define geographic and segment coverage and white-space analysis with Channel Management and RevOps.
• Partner with ISV business development on admission decisions; own solution certification standards for architecture, security, and privacy, including reviews, renewals, and removal; govern marketplace listing standards and lifecycle; define referral, resale, and revenue-share models; and conduct strategic ISV business reviews.
• Manage Alliance referral frameworks, joint business-plan standards, co-sell rules, and governance cadence; manage lead and opportunity tagging, referral fees, and payment timing.
• Own ecosystem strategy and the multi-year plan, including market coverage, partner mix, priority ISV categories, geographic expansion, segment investment, and build-versus-partner decisions.
• Run partner advisory boards and executive sponsor programs and translate feedback into program improvements.
• Own the partner technology stack, including PRM/portal, CRM, deal registration, certification, marketplace listings, referral tracking, and reporting, maintaining one authoritative partner record.
• Serve as the primary channel counterpart to Finance, FP&A, Revenue Accounting, Deal Desk, and Legal; present data-backed program economics and margin decisions to executive leadership and the board as required.
• Build, lead, and develop the programs and operations team; set priorities, manage budgets, and hold the team accountable for measurable outcomes.
• Coordinate execution with RevOps, Education, Recruiting, Enablement, Legal, and Channel Management.
• Complete a current-state audit of all five programs in the first 90 days, baseline relevant metrics, and agree on attribution definitions with Sales, Finance, and Marketing.
• Launch a simplified program framework with outcome-based incentives, a single partner data model, a decision-rights matrix adopted by Sales and Finance, and a defined ISV and marketplace roadmap by 12 months.
• Demonstrate measurable improvements in partner productivity, ISV attach, and partner retention, with program cost as a percentage of channel revenue at or below plan, by 24 months.

Benefits

• Healthcare benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents.
• Employer-paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability coverage.
• Employer-paid Basic life coverage.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Flexible time off.
• Sick and safe leave.
• Certain roles may be eligible for an annual bonus and stock awards based on individual performance.
• Certain roles may have the opportunity to earn sales incentives based on revenue or utilization, subject to plan terms and role.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed