Partner Alliance Program Specialist - 2284

Kioxia•San Jose, CA

About The Position

KIOXIA America, Inc. is seeking a Partner Alliance/Technical Ecosystem Project Manager Specialist to develop and grow the company’s SSD business through ecosystem development. Reporting directly into the SSD Business Unit, this role combines strategic negotiation, technical expertise, and marketing skills. The specialist coordinates cross-functional teams on ecosystem and technical support strategies and works directly with industry ecosystem leaders across hardware, including CPUs and PCIe-related peripherals, and software, including operating systems, storage drivers, virtualization software, and software-defined storage. The role manages ecosystem strategy at tactical and strategic levels in collaboration with customers, sales, product and business development managers, technical marketing and support, business operations, and other teams. Key activities include aligning roadmaps with ecosystem partners, planning SSD samples, coordinating SSD validation testing, and developing execution strategies for joint marketing and collaboration. The position offers involvement in SSD ecosystem growth across NVMe, software-defined storage, and emerging markets such as AI/ML, blockchain, and autonomous driving. It may require future cross-segment flexibility, with an opportunity to rotate between Client (OEM/Notebook) and Hyperscale/Data Center SSD Product Management.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in ecosystem development, partnerships, or program management within the semiconductor, storage, or broader data center technology industry.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related field.
Proven ability to manage complex cross-functional programs and influence without authority across global teams.
Strong communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, including experience engaging technical and executive audiences.
Solid understanding of Enterprise, Data Center, and Client SSD architectures, including NVMe, PCIe Gen4/5/6, and EDSFF form factors.
Solid understanding of storage systems and infrastructure, including RAID, distributed storage, and hyperscale architectures.
Solid understanding of software-defined storage, virtualization, and operating systems such as Linux, Kubernetes, and VMware.

Nice To Haves

MBA or Master’s degree.
Familiarity with AI/ML infrastructure trends, including GPU-based systems, storage tiering, and data pipelines.
Familiarity with interoperability standards and industry bodies such as NVMe, OCP, and SNIA.
Familiarity with qualification processes (AVL), validation flows, and system-level integration challenges.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact for KIOXIA’s ecosystem strategy and lead the development, expansion, and management of strategic partnerships with global technology companies.
Build and execute a scalable ecosystem strategy aligned with KIOXIA’s product roadmap, market priorities, and revenue objectives.
Work cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Sales, and Technical Support teams to operationalize ecosystem initiatives.
Drive SSD sampling programs, AVL qualification, and interoperability testing with ecosystem partners.
Plan and execute joint workshops, plug-fests, and validation events to accelerate solution readiness and customer adoption.
Align technology roadmaps and reference architectures with hyperscalers, OEMs, and platform partners.
Support customer engagements with ecosystem-backed solutions and joint value propositions.
Lead KIOXIA’s ecosystem presence at industry forums and customer-facing events, maintaining strong technical and strategic positioning.
Bridge technical and commercial domains to enable communication across engineering, business, and partner teams.
Identify, prioritize, and onboard strategic partners to expand KIOXIA’s ecosystem footprint in AI, hyperscale, and enterprise markets.
Develop and track ecosystem success KPIs, including design wins, qualifications, joint solutions, and revenue influence.
Drive go-to-market alignment with partners, including joint messaging, solution briefs, and co-marketing initiatives.
Coordinate roadmap alignment, SSD sample planning, validation testing, and execution of joint marketing and collaboration activities.