Indirect Route to Market Strategy Leader

SAS•Cary HQ, NC

About The Position

We’re a leader in data and AI. Through our software and services, we inspire customers around the world to transform data into intelligence – and questions into answers. If you’re looking for a dynamic, fulfilling career with flexibility and a world-class employee experience, you’ll find it here. We’re recognized around the world for our inclusive, meaningful culture and innovative technologies by organizations like Fast Company, Forbes, Newsweek and more. About the job The Channel Strategy, Programs & Readiness team is looking for a Global Indirect Route-to-Market (RTM) Strategy Lead to proactively shape how our products and solutions are designed, packaged, and launched for scalable, partner-led growth—ensuring indirect strategy is embedded early and executed seamlessly across the ecosystem. Our team is the engine behind how our global channel ecosystem scales—operating at the intersection of long-range strategy and execution. We don’t just enable launches; we plan ahead of them. Indirect RTM Strategy sits out in front of the business, anticipating market shifts, influencing product direction, and designing future-ready routes to market that accelerate revenue, empower partners, and position our ecosystem for sustained, AI-forward growth. Acts as the primary channel stakeholder/representative in the product development lifecycle, assessing new products and enhancements to identify products optimized for an indirect route to market, using pre-defined channel-ready criteria. Partners with product development, product marketing, launch, and partner readiness teams to maximize the success of indirect sales channels. This role plays a critical part in SAS’s broader companywide transformation. It ensures that distributor and partner program requirements are embedded early in product decisions, informs how new offerings can be scaled through the indirect ecosystem, and provides upstream guidance that aligns product strategy with SAS’s shift toward a more efficient, leveraged, and scalable partner driven business model. By connecting product innovation with channel capability and readiness, this role helps SAS accelerate indirect revenue growth, improve partner adoption, and ensure new offerings enter the market fully optimized for distribution scalability. As an Indirect RTM Strategy Leader, you will: Product Development Lifecycle Participation Serve as the key channel representative in product development lifecycle (PDLC) processes, providing requirements and feedback to ensure new products and features are designed to be sold, fulfilled, managed and delivered by partners. Define and maintain channel-ready criteria, including packaging, documentation, support, and partner readiness assets, and ensure these are ready before launch. Advocate for channel perspectives in product planning and prioritization, and educate Product Management and Product Marketing on partner needs and focus sales plays. Ensure RTM considerations and distribution scalability requirements are incorporated early in the PDLC to support SAS’s broader transformation goals. Product Launch Planning & Readiness Align launch readiness with indirect RTM strategy to ensure new offerings can be effectively activated through distributors and resellers. Coordinate with the Channel Sales Excellence Leader to identify, develop, and launch sales plays that are a strong fit for channel resellers. Maintain and publish calendar of product launches and sales plays, published to the Channels Org Channel Feedback & Continuous Improvement Gather structured feedback from partners and internal channel teams on product fit, readiness, and competitive positioning; communicate gaps and opportunities to product teams. Track and report channel results (revenue, pipeline, adoption) to stakeholders, and recommend improvements to readiness processes, channel-ready criteria, and RTM validation. Document stakeholder decisions and continuously refine processes to support scalable indirect growth and operational efficiency. Embrace curiosity, passion, authenticity and accountability. These are our values and influence everything we do.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years of experience in product, product marketing, channel strategy, or related roles in the technology sector.
Bachelors degree in preferably in Business, Marketing, Computer Science Accounting or related field.
Proven understanding of indirect routes to market (resellers, distributors, MSPs) and how to scale revenue through partners.
Strong working knowledge of product development lifecycle (PDLC) and go-to-market processes in a technology environment.
Proven ability to advocate for channel needs and influence product, marketing, and engineering stakeholders without direct authority.
Strong cross-functional collaboration and project management skills in a matrixed organization.
Strong business mindset, including the ability to assess opportunity and scale using concepts such as TAM, SAM, and SOM.
Strong executive-level communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information into clear, concise insights and recommendations that inform decision-making and drive alignment.
Strong cultural/emotional intelligence to operate effectively in a global environment.
Equivalent combination of related education, training and experience may be considered in place of the above qualifications.
Decision Making: Identifying and understanding problems and opportunities by gathering, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative information; choosing the best course of action by establishing clear decision criteria, generating and evaluating alternatives, and making timely decisions; taking action that is consistent with available facts and constraints and optimizes probably consequences.
Influencing: Using effective involvement and persuasion strategies to gain acceptance of ideas and commitment to actions that support specific work outcomes.
Planning and Organizing; Establishing an action plan for self and others to complete work efficiently and on time by setting priorities, establishing timelines, and leveraging resources.
Communication: Conveying information and ideas clearly and concisely to individuals or groups in an engaging manner that helps them understand and retain the message; listening actively to others.
Experience synthesizing cross-functional data and feedback into actionable recommendations that influenced product roadmap or GTM execution.

Nice To Haves

Pragmatic Marketing training or certification, with demonstrated application in product or channel strategy initiatives.
Experience defining and operationalizing channel-ready criteria or partner enablement assets that have measurably improved partner adoption or revenue.
Experience launching products through global indirect channels, with measurable results in adoption, revenue contribution, or partner engagement.
Exposure to SaaS subscription models and demonstrated ability to translate product and partner metrics into actionable channel strategies.

Responsibilities

Product Development Lifecycle Participation Serve as the key channel representative in product development lifecycle (PDLC) processes, providing requirements and feedback to ensure new products and features are designed to be sold, fulfilled, managed and delivered by partners.
Define and maintain channel-ready criteria, including packaging, documentation, support, and partner readiness assets, and ensure these are ready before launch.
Advocate for channel perspectives in product planning and prioritization, and educate Product Management and Product Marketing on partner needs and focus sales plays.
Ensure RTM considerations and distribution scalability requirements are incorporated early in the PDLC to support SAS’s broader transformation goals.
Product Launch Planning & Readiness Align launch readiness with indirect RTM strategy to ensure new offerings can be effectively activated through distributors and resellers.
Coordinate with the Channel Sales Excellence Leader to identify, develop, and launch sales plays that are a strong fit for channel resellers.
Maintain and publish calendar of product launches and sales plays, published to the Channels Org Channel Feedback & Continuous Improvement Gather structured feedback from partners and internal channel teams on product fit, readiness, and competitive positioning; communicate gaps and opportunities to product teams.
Track and report channel results (revenue, pipeline, adoption) to stakeholders, and recommend improvements to readiness processes, channel-ready criteria, and RTM validation.
Document stakeholder decisions and continuously refine processes to support scalable indirect growth and operational efficiency.
Embrace curiosity, passion, authenticity and accountability. These are our values and influence everything we do.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental and vision plans.
Medical plan options include: PPO with low annual deductible and copays.
HDHP combined with a health savings account with a contribution from SAS (no access to on-site health care center).
Onsite Health Care Center (HQ) that’s free to employees and family members enrolled in the PPO plan.
There’s a pharmacy too!
Not local to HQ? The pharmacy will ship prescriptions for no additional charge!
An industry-leading 401k plan.
Tuition Assistance Program and programs and resources to support your development
Generous time away including vacation time, a variety of paid holidays, and our much-loved U.S. Winter Wellness Break between December 25 and January 1.
Volunteer Time Off, parental leave and unlimited paid sick days.
Generous childcare benefits for all full-time employees.