Partner Account Manager

We are looking for a detail-oriented Program Manager to oversee and streamline our partner programs for IBM. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical skills where they are able to forward think with the ability to communicate effectively across multiple teams to ensure alignment and maximize company, program, and deal profitability.

This position will be approximately 75% Partner Programs and 25% Go-To-Market.

• Proficiency and Certification Tracking: Work strategically and collaboratively to identify which proficiencies would be most beneficial. Identify the reason why.  Complete, track and report proficiencies and certifications accordingly.
• Marketing and MDF: Coordinate with AHEAD stakeholders on IBM demand gen campaigns and events to build strategic and intentional growth plans.
• Enablement: Coordinate with the engineers and sales team on IBM enablement activities to grow AHEAD’s collective skills on IBM’s portfolio.
• Services: Coordinate with the AHEAD services team to build a practice around key IBM solution areas to support client’s needs.
• Sales Strategy Collaboration: Work with sales teams to develop strategies to grow existing business while still maximizing margins and providing creative deal structuring.
• Lead and New Business Development – Identify, assign and pursue opportunities to expand into new product categories, customer segments, and lines of business to drive revenue growth.
• Quoting & Pricing Expertise – Develop and maintain expert-level knowledge of the quoting tool, including pricing structures, SKU management, product configurations, and quoting processes to ensure accurate and efficient proposals.
• Rebate and Investment Reporting: Record, track, monitor and report on monthly, quarterly, and annual rebates, and other partner-related programs and investments.
• Program and Incentive Management: Learn, utilize, track and report on various programs, ensuring all relevant metrics are captured.  We would want to capture not only yearly programs, but quarterly and/or brand incentives.
• Internal Content Creation and Communication: Create, publish, and effectively communicate internal content to maintain current processes, facilitating enablement for Operations, Engineering, and other relevant teams through newsletters and team meetings.

 

• Pipeline Tracking: Regularly meet with in-house teams, partner channel teams, and distributors to progress and track the pipeline and ensure accurate forecasting to establish what needs to be done to get an opportunity booked.
• Alignment Oversight: Investigate and resolve misaligned deals to ensure proper hygiene and optimizemargins, incentives, and profitability to progress deals.
• Registration Tracking: Monitor weekly pipeline and registration additions, ensuring that all terms and conditions (T&C’s) are met for compliance.
• Sales Support: Maintain rapid responsiveness to sales teams (CDs, COSs, CSAs) for deal support as needed.Provide alignment support for new and existing sales teams including account mapping and introductionsvia emails/calls.
• Strategic Partnership Oversight: Ensure Strategic Partnership KPI’s, milestones and commitments are met,and report on progress based on a required schedule.
• Customer Growth – Review our existing customer base to identify opportunities to grow each account through expanded use of current product lines and the introduction of new products and solutions.
• Compliance & Audits – Serve as the subject matter expert on customer and manufacturer compliance requirements by understanding compliance audits, being able to identify gaps, and implement best practices to ensure we can successfully pass an audit.
• Strategic Thinking – Assess situations and opportunities with a forward-looking perspective to identify risks, recommend solutions, and drive the appropriate next steps. 
• Strong Communication Skills: Demonstrate urgency and effective

communication, being well-connected internally to facilitate collaboration.

• Support for Partner Managers: Assist partner managers on unique projects related to strategic partner go-to-market initiatives.
• Partner Advantage – understand, manage and oversee IBM’s Partner Advantage program.

• Proven experience in program management, partner management, or a related field.
• Excellent organizational skills with a strong attention to detail.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in tracking metrics and reporting.
• Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to engage effectively with various stakeholders.
• Experience in sales support or business development is preferred.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple priorities.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field (preferred).
• Occasional travel to support partnership, as appropriate.