Partner Development Manager, Strategic Partnerships

BambooHR • Arizona | Remote, SC

7d • Remote

About The Position

We are seeking a highly driven, strategic “hunter” to identify, recruit, and activate new referral and marketplace partners that accelerate revenue growth and expand our ecosystem. This role sits at the intersection of business development, partnerships, and strategy—owning partner acquisition end-to-end, from sourcing through negotiation, contracting, and activation. The ideal candidate is a strong negotiator, commercially minded, and deeply attuned to market opportunities.

Requirements

• 5–10+ years in partnerships, business development, or channel roles
• Proven success in a hunter role (net-new partner acquisition, not just account management)
• Exceptional negotiation skills with experience structuring complex deals
• Experience owning or influencing contracts, commercial terms, and partner economics
• Strong track record of driving pipeline and revenue through partnerships
• Ability to operate cross-functionally with Legal, Product, Sales, and Marketing
• Experience in HCM, HR tech, payroll, or adjacent SaaS ecosystems preferred
• Familiarity with CRM/PRM systems and proficiency in key tools such as Salesforce
• Strong strategic thinking with ability to translate market insights into execution

Nice To Haves

• Consistently lands high-value partners that materially impact revenue
• Builds a repeatable partner acquisition engine, not just one-off deals
• Negotiates favorable, scalable deal structures
• Identifies ecosystem gaps early and fills them with smart partnerships
• Creates a balanced portfolio of partners (revenue + product + channel leverage)

Responsibilities

• Identify, target, and recruit net-new referral, marketplace, and strategic partners
• Build and execute a partner acquisition strategy aligned to revenue and product priorities
• Develop a strong pipeline of high-impact partners that drive: Direct revenue generation, Channel support and distribution, Product ecosystem expansion
• Lead end-to-end deal execution, including: Commercial terms, Revenue share models, Partnership frameworks
• Serve as the primary negotiator for all new partner agreements and renewals
• Partner closely with Legal to structure and finalize contracts
• Ensure agreements align with company financial and strategic objectives
• Own partner-sourced pipeline targets and revenue contribution
• Track and report on partner performance and ROI
• Drive accountability for partners to deliver measurable business impact
• Manage and track partner progress utilizing appropriate tools, ensuring clear visibility and communicating impact to all relevant internal stakeholders.
• Leverage market insights, competitive intelligence, and customer needs to inform partner strategy
• Identify gaps in product, distribution, or capabilities and source partners to fill them
• Translate external trends into actionable partnership opportunities
• Partner with Product to align on integrations and ecosystem priorities
• Collaborate with Sales and Channel teams to ensure partner-sourced opportunities convert
• Work with Marketing to support partner launches and GTM activation
• Act as a key liaison between external partners and internal stakeholders

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, life, and disability insurance
• Generous leave policies that include 4 weeks of vacation, 12 company holidays, parental leave, and volunteer time off
• 401k plans with up to 6% company match
• $2000 Paid-Paid Vacation bonus
• EAP through Headspace

What This Job Offers

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