Sr. Director, Partner Programs (R6239)

Shield AI•Washington, DC

4d•$216,000 - $324,000

About The Position

Shield AI is hiring a Senior Director, Partner Programs to own its strategic global partner program across influence, transacting, and OEM partnerships. This is a program-building and execution-focused role. The primary deliverable is to establish a functioning partner program by signing and onboarding partners, developing effective incentive and margin structures, providing partner sales enablement, and producing analytics that demonstrate partner performance. The role owns partner onboarding, governance, enablement, and accountability metrics. Success is measured by onboarding named partners on a predictable timeline, governing the program through data, and building partnerships that generate measurable pipeline and revenue for both sides of the channel. The Senior Director will develop and evolve the global partner program, including in-region execution; establish partner tiering, agreements, rules of engagement, deal registration, and operating cadence; and develop both channel directions: partners reselling Shield AI products and OEM partners whose products Shield AI resells. The role also establishes performance reporting and uses insights to inform partner tiering, incentives, investment decisions, and onboarding priorities. The position requires regular international travel of approximately 40% of the working calendar. The listed salary range is $216,000–$324,000 per year. The full-time regular employee offer package includes pay within the listed range, bonus, benefits, and equity. Offers are contingent on a cleared background check and possible reference check.

Requirements

10+ years of experience building and managing global partner programs, channel programs, or strategic alliances in B2B technology, with direct end-to-end ownership of named partner relationships.
Proven experience designing partner incentives, margin structures, and rebate programs, and demonstrating their return through data.
Experience managing global partnerships across hardware and software, including company resales of OEM products and partner resales of the company's products.
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 on a regular basis, approximately 40% of the working calendar.
Strong presentation and communication skills, with the ability to influence internal leadership and partner principals.
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.
Focus on partner-driven pipeline and revenue outcomes rather than partner count.

Nice To Haves

Defense, dual-use, or public-sector partnership experience is strongly preferred, including familiarity with long sales cycles, complex stakeholder environments, export and compliance considerations, and program-driven buyers.
Partner-first approach that builds programs around how partners actually sell and deliver rather than relying solely on predefined templates.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end onboarding for named strategic global partners, coordinating agreements through Legal and Deal Desk, implementing operational and commercial structures, and bringing partners to initial revenue on a predictable timeline.
Collaborate on the development and evolution of the global partner program, including partner tiering, agreements, rules of engagement, deal registration, and an operating cadence that supports consistency across regions while accommodating local market requirements.
Facilitate the two-way flow of information about program incentives, margins, and rebates, and drive partner accountability so incentives and behaviors align with business outcomes.
Develop both channel directions: partners reselling 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; lead quarterly business reviews and maintain partner accountability and governance standards.
Define, track, and report partner performance metrics, including partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline, revenue, onboarding cycle time, incentive ROI, and partner health.
Onboard the current group of named strategic global 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 pipeline, revenue, margin, onboarding velocity, and incentive ROI by partner, and use insights to guide program governance, tiering, and investment decisions.
Systemize partner onboarding and management through standardized agreements, enablement resources, and QBR structures.
Travel internationally regularly, approximately 40% of the working calendar.