Sr. Director, Channel Partnerships

We are looking for a Director of Channel Partnerships to build and scale our partner ecosystem with a focus on cloud-native and AI-focused channel partners. You’ll be responsible for identifying and onboarding high-potential partners (VARs, MSPs, ISVs, SIs, and consultancies) who serve digital-native enterprises, while also building a world-class channel sales team. This is a strategic, high-impact role that will accelerate revenue through indirect channels and amplify DigitalOcean’s position in the cloud and AI ecosystems.

As a Director of Channel Partnerships at DigitalOcean, you will join a dynamic team dedicated to revolutionizing cloud computing and AI. 

What You’ll Do:

Partner Strategy & Development

• Define, lead and execute DigitalOcean’s channel and partner strategy, with a focus on recruiting, growing and monetizing relationships with cloud-native and AI-centric partners serving digital-native businesse
• Identify and recruit strategic, high-potential partners focused on AI and digital-native businesses (startups, SaaS, generative AI, Web3, etc.).
• Develop joint GTM strategies and commercial models in partnership with product and revenue operations that incentivize partner engagement and drive pipeline and revenue growth

Go-To-Market & Revenue Generation

• Partner with internal Sales and Marketing teams to design and execute joint marketing campaigns, co-selling programs, and event strategies that drive partner-led pipeline and customer acquisition.
• Enable partners to deliver AI workloads and modern application solutions on DigitalOcean’s platform, leveraging products like Droplets, Kubernetes, App Platform, Spaces, and GPU offerings.
• Track and report on pipeline generation, deal velocity, and close rates from the channel to ensure visibility and accountability across the org.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Product, Engineering, AI GTM, and Developer Relations teams to align on product-market fit and co-innovation opportunities with partners.
• Collaborate with the AI GTM and developer advocacy teams to align on key partnerships and ecosystems.
• Be a thought leader and internal advocate for the value of partnerships, driving integration of channel efforts into core sales and marketing motions.

Partner Enablement & Success

• Lead strategic negotiations and co-sell motions with top-tier partners; manage executive-level relationships to ensure alignment and joint investment.
• Work with partner program manager to create scalable onboarding, certification, and enablement programs to ensure partners are technically and commercially equipped to succeed with DigitalOcean.
• Develop and manage partner tiers, incentive structures, and deal registration processes to support partner growth, alignment, and fairness.

Operational Excellence

• Own forecasting, reporting, and operational KPIs for the partner channel.
• Work with systems and ops teams to define partner workflows, tooling, and performance tracking.

What You’ll Add to DigitalOcean:

• 7+ years of experience in channel partnerships, business development, or indirect sales within the cloud infrastructure, SaaS, or AI/ML ecosystem, with a strong track record of building and scaling partner programs that deliver measurable revenue impact.
• Proven success recruiting, onboarding, and managing different types of partners — including VARs, MSPs, system integrators, ISVs, AI solution providers, and consultancies — ideally with experience in both global and regional partner landscapes.
• Understanding of cloud computing concepts and technologies (IaaS, PaaS, containers, Kubernetes, developer tools, AI/ML frameworks, GPU workloads) and the ability to credibly engage with both technical and commercial stakeholders.
• Familiarity with the needs and buying behaviors of digital-native companies, such as SaaS startups, AI-first businesses, e-commerce platforms, Web3 companies, and dev-centric teams. Experience in GTM motions targeting these segments is a strong plus.
• Demonstrated ability to at first be a player/coach, and build and lead a high-performing partner sales team, with experience hiring, coaching, and developing partner managers and partner solution architects.
• Strong strategic thinking and business acumen — able to develop joint value propositions, co-selling frameworks, and partner programs aligned with revenue goals and customer value.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product, Legal, and Customer Success teams to deliver cohesive and scalable partner experiences.
• Operationally strong — capable of defining and managing channel performance metrics, partner tiering structures, incentive models, lead routing processes, and reporting infrastructure. Familiarity with CRM and PRM tools (e.g., Salesforce, Crossbeam, Impartner, PartnerStack, etc.) is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and executive engagement skills — able to influence both internally and externally at the C-level.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort navigating ambiguity, solving complex problems, and executing quickly in a fast-scaling, resource-constrained environment.
• Bachelor's degree in business, technology, or a related field required; MBA or advanced technical degree is a plus.

Why You’ll Like Working for DigitalOcean

• We innovate with purpose. You’ll be a part of a cutting-edge technology company with an upward trajectory, who are proud to simplify cloud and AI so builders can spend more time creating software that changes the world. As a member of the team, you will be a Shark who thinks big, bold, and scrappy, like an owner with a bias for action and a powerful sense of responsibility for customers, products, employees, and decisions. 
• We prioritize career development. At DO, you’ll do the best work of your career. You will work with some of the smartest and most interesting people in the industry. We are a high-performance organization that will always challenge you to think big. Our organizational development team will provide you with resources to ensure you keep growing. We provide employees with reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education. All employees have access to LinkedIn Learning's 10,000+ courses to support their continued growth and development.
• We care about your well-being. Regardless of your location, we will provide you with a competitive array of benefits to support you from our Employee Assistance Program to Local Employee Meetups to flexible time off policy, to name a few. While the philosophy around our benefits is the same worldwide, specific benefits may vary based on local regulations and preferences.
• We reward our employees. The salary range for this position is $191,920 - $287,880 based on market data, relevant years of experience, and skills. You may qualify for a bonus in addition to base salary; bonus amounts are determined based on company and individual performance. We also provide equity compensation to eligible employees, including equity grants upon hire and the option to participate in our Employee Stock Purchase Program. 
• We value diversity and inclusion. We are an equal-opportunity employer, and recognize that diversity of thought and background builds stronger teams and products to serve our customers. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.

*This is a remote role

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