Senior Director, Partner Programs (R6239)

Shield AI•Dallas, TX

About The Position

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Director, Partner Programs to build and execute its strategic global partner program across influence, transacting, and OEM partnerships. The role owns the onboarding, governance, enablement, and accountability metrics for named partners, with responsibility for establishing partner relationships that generate measurable pipeline and revenue for both sides of the channel. The position establishes partner onboarding processes, coordinates agreements with Legal and Deal Desk, implements operational and commercial structures, and supports partners through initial revenue. It helps develop a global program covering partner tiering, agreements, rules of engagement, deal registration, regional execution, and the operating cadence for partner relationships. The role also facilitates incentive, margin, and rebate structures; develops both Shield AI-reselling partners and OEM partners whose products Shield AI resells; and equips partners through onboarding content, certification paths, joint business plans, and quarterly business reviews. The Senior Director defines and tracks partner performance measures, including pipeline, revenue, margin, onboarding cycle time, incentive ROI, productivity, and partner health. The role reports results quarterly and uses performance insights to guide partner tiering, incentives, and investment decisions. Current priorities include onboarding named partners on a predictable cadence, expanding two-way channel coverage in priority international markets, establishing partner analytics and reporting, and systematizing onboarding and partner management. Regular international travel of approximately 40% is required.

Requirements

10+ years of experience building and managing global partner programs, channel programs, or strategic alliances in B2B technology.
Direct, end-to-end ownership of named partner relationships.
Experience designing partner incentives, margin structures, and rebate programs and demonstrating their return through data.
Experience managing global partnerships across hardware and software, including both OEM resale by the company and resale of the company's products by partners.
Strong analytical capabilities, including hands-on experience building partner performance reporting and using data to guide tiering, incentives, and investment decisions.
Willingness and ability to travel internationally regularly, approximately 40% of the working calendar.
Strong presentation and communication skills and ability to influence internal leadership and partner principals.
Ability to build programs around how partners sell and deliver.
Ability to manage partner onboarding predictably across multiple regions and complex workstreams.
Ability to translate strategy and partner input into practical agreements, incentive structures, and enablement programs.
Ability to define meaningful partner KPIs and use performance data to demonstrate results and improve the program.
Ability to collaborate with GTM Strategy, Legal, Deal Desk, and Sales leadership without requiring direct authority over those functions.
Outcome-focused approach that prioritizes partner-driven pipeline and revenue over partner count.

Nice To Haves

Defense, dual-use, or public-sector partnership experience is strongly preferred.
Familiarity with long sales cycles, complex stakeholder environments, export and compliance considerations, and program-driven buyers.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end onboarding for named strategic global partners, including onboarding plans, agreements, operational and commercial structures, and progress to initial revenue.
Coordinate partner agreements with Legal and Deal Desk.
Help develop and evolve the global partner program, including in-region execution, partner tiering, agreements, rules of engagement, deal registration, and operating cadence.
Maintain consistency across regions while accommodating individual market requirements.
Facilitate the two-way flow of information about program incentives, margins, and rebate structures, and drive partner accountability for aligned outcomes.
Develop both partners that resell Shield AI products and OEM partners whose hardware and software Shield AI resells; manage dependencies and align the combined portfolio with go-to-market priorities.
Develop partner onboarding content, certification paths, and joint business plans to improve partner productivity.
Lead quarterly business reviews and maintain accountability and governance standards across named partner relationships.
Define, track, and report partner performance metrics, including sourced and influenced pipeline, revenue, margin, onboarding cycle time, incentive ROI, productivity, and partner health.
Use partner performance data to inform partner tiering, incentive structures, onboarding priorities, and investment decisions.
Onboard the current group of named strategic partners on a predictable cadence and develop a repeatable onboarding playbook and operating calendar.
Build two-way channel coverage in priority international markets in alignment with GTM Strategy's market priorities.
Establish a single source of truth for partner performance and transform one-off partner activities into a repeatable, versioned program with standardized agreements, enablement resources, and QBR structures.
Travel internationally on a regular basis, approximately 40% of the working calendar.