Director, Strategic Partner Business Development & Practice Creation

Cohesity•Dayton, OH

5d•$259,080 - $323,850•Hybrid

About The Position

Cohesity is seeking a Director, Strategic Partner Business Development & Practice Creation to lead a single, high-impact team that builds and drives partner practices and Specializations across our Elite Tier and Strategic Resellers, Global System Integrator (GSI), Managed Service Provider (MSP), and OEM partners, while running complex business development (BD) and go-to-market (GTM) motions across our GSI, MSP, and OEM partners. This is a player-coach leadership role. The Director owns the team charter, priorities, and executive alignment; directly supports GSI and MSP leadership; and drives the cross-functional engagement required to stand up new partner practices and Specializations and monetize them at scale. The role is central to converting elite and strategic partner opportunities into repeatable, revenue-generating practices and Specializations. The Director reports to the VP, Global Channel Programs & Distribution, and leads a globally distributed team that includes: AMS Practice Creation & OEM BD - Thought leader and SME driving the Practice-Building/Creation model, partner benefits, and value messaging for the Americas, and owning complex BD & GTM for Embedded and Technology OEM partners globally. INTL Practice Creation & Solution Stand-up - Thought leader and SME driving the practice-building model and value messaging for International, and partnering with the VP, MSP & Services Creation to develop and bring service offerings to market. (Dotted line) GSI and MSP Dedicated Channel Ops Manager - Embedded from Channel Operations to support GSI & MSP tactical and operational execution.

Requirements

10+ years in channel, alliances, partner business development, or GTM strategy, with significant experience across Reseller, GSI, MSP, and/or OEM ecosystems.
Proven track record building and scaling partner practices, Specializations, or service offerings that drive measurable revenue.
Experience leading and developing distributed cross-regional teams (people-leadership required).
Strong executive presence and the ability to build and defend a business case with senior leadership.
Deep understanding of complex BD and GTM motions in enterprise software or data management / cloud infrastructure.
Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills across Sales, Product, Marketing, Legal, Finance and Channel Operations.
Comfort operating with ambiguity in a fast-moving, high-growth environment.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; willingness to travel globally as needed.
Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools to enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and support decision making.
Professional English language proficiency for customer and internal communication

Responsibilities

Own the team charter, priorities, and roadmap; set direction and secure executive alignment across Sales, Channel, Product, and Marketing leadership.
Lead, coach, and develop a team of (2) Practice-Creation and BD specialists across the Americas and international regions.
Build and scale the partner Practice-Creation model - Defining Specializations, partner benefits, enablement, and value messaging that drive partner adoption across Elite and Strategic resellers, GSIs, MSPs, and OEMs.
Directly support GSI and MSP leadership, driving complex BD and GTM motions that grow partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline, ARR, and bookings.
Own complex BD and GTM for embedded and technology OEM partners and opportunities on a global basis.
Champion partner adoption directly (partner facing) and through Channel Development Managers (CDMs) and Cohesity field teams.
Partner with the VP, MSP & Services Creation to develop new service offerings and bring them to market within the Practice-Creation and Specializations initiative.
Drive cross-functional engagement to remove barriers, operationalize incentives and programs, and ensure opportunity-level tracking and reporting.
Build the business case for partner investments - Quantifying expected cost, return, and growth targets - And represent it to senior leadership.