Braun Board

Strategic Alliance Director

Actian · Remote · US

Base
Not disclosed
OTE
Not disclosed
Posted
25d ago

Still open · checked 2h agoon Actian's careers page

The job

What you'd do
Recruit and manage 6-8 consulting firms in North America, like Deloitte and Accenture, that bring customer deals to Actian's sales team. About 70% of your pay depends on how many of those deals close.
Who you'd sell to
Consulting and systems integration partners at a short list of very big companiesIn their words: “build and scale 6-8 NA consulting/SI partners as a primary revenue engine”
Where deals come from
Mostly you. Expect a lot of outbound: cold calls, emails and LinkedIn.

The Braun Read

Ask hard questions

Too much is left unsaid. Make them answer before you invest.

Pay
No pay listed at all.
Transparency
Says nothing about quota, attainment, deal size, territory or sales cycle.
Time on market
Open 25 days. Normal, but not fresh.
Company hiring
2 sales roles open, hiring at a steady pace.

Based only on what the posting says. Lights are a starting point for your first call, not a final judgment.

Questions to ask on the first call

Built from what this posting leaves out. How they answer tells you as much as what they say.

  1. 1.

    What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?

    OTE is what you could earn. This is how likely you are to earn it.

  2. 2.

    What are the base and the OTE for this role?

    No point investing hours before you know the number.

  3. 3.

    What's the annual quota, and how was it set?

    A quota built from real data is a target. Otherwise it's a hope.

  4. 4.

    What share of last year's closed deals did reps source themselves?

    Shows how much pipeline you'll have to build on your own.

  5. 5.

    How long is ramp, and what's the quota during it?

    Full quota on day one means you start behind.

  6. 6.

    Why is this role open? Did someone leave, or is it new?

    New headcount is growth. A replacement means someone left. Ask why.

› When the offer comes

Save these for later. They land better once they've said yes to you.

  1. 1.

    Can I see the full comp plan in writing, including clawbacks and accelerators?

    What's in writing is what gets paid. Read it before you sign.

  2. 2.

    Can I see the actual comp distribution for the team last year, not just the OTE?

    The spread shows what most reps really take home. OTE is just the target.

  3. 3.

    I'd be walking away from earned commission to join. Is there room for a sign-on bonus to help cover that?

    Leaving money behind is a fair reason to ask. The worst answer is no.

Josh's top five questions for any sales interview →

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Full posting
Actian is the leader in hybrid data management, cloud data warehouse, and data integration technology. We're experiencing exponential growth and expanding our go-to-market engine through strategic partnerships. We're seeking a  Strategic Alliance Director to build and scale 6-8 NA consulting/SI partners as a primary revenue engine. Own the end-to-end partner lifecycle: selection, onboarding, GTM strategy, enablement, and revenue delivery. You'll be measured on partner-sourced customer opportunities and deal closure. Reports to: Global Head of Partnerships  |  Works with: NA Sales Leader and regional reps across all NA sales regions   Compensation & Accountability 70% of annual quota is based on partner-sourced opportunities delivered to Actian sales. This is a revenue-accountable role where success is measured by the volume, quality, and closing rate of customer opportunities your partner relationships generate for the field sales team. The remaining 30% focuses on partner enablement, solution co-creation, GTM strategy, and ecosystem management. What You'll Do • Identify, qualify, and onboard 6-8 strategic NA partners (Deloitte, Accenture, EY, KPMG, Slalom, etc.); establish governance with monthly reviews, quarterly QBRs, and clear success criteria • Co-develop partner business plans with pipeline targets and regional account lists; drive partner prospecting aligned to Actian sales territories • Attend joint customer discovery meetings with NA sales leader and regional reps; own deal registration, pipeline tracking, and quarterly performance reviews • Build partner enablement programs (sales training, technical certifications, monthly webinars); create and maintain partner resource portal • Build partner-specific GTM strategies and vertical focus; co-create solutions and execute joint campaigns (webinars, case studies, co-marketing) • Partner with NA Sales Leader on territory mapping, regional alignment, and quarterly regional business reviews • Gather competitive intelligence from Snowflake and Databricks partners; share win/loss insights with Actian sales and product What Success Looks Like (Year 1)   • 6-8 partners onboarded with business plans and SLAs • $3M-5M+ partner-sourced pipeline; 40-50+ joint customer meetings; 20-30% deal conversion; 90%+ deal registration compliance • 70%+ partner certification rate; 2-3 co-created solutions; 3+ joint GTM campaigns launched • Zero territory conflicts; 80%+ of sales reps actively pursuing partner pipeline • Competitive intelligence relationships established; quarterly briefings to leadership Our Ideal Strategic Alliance Director Will Have • 7+ years in strategic alliance management, partner business development, or SI/consulting channel sales • Proven success building and scaling 5+ key partner relationships with Deloitte, Accenture, EY, KPMG, Slalom, or similar firms • Direct experience managing partner-originated pipeline, customer meetings, deal conversion, and partner business plans • Demonstrated success designing and executing partner enablement programs and GTM strategies • Field sales or channel experience; comfortable with sales cycles, deal qualification, and working alongside sales reps • Background in data/cloud/analytics ecosystem; familiarity with Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery strongly preferred • Understanding of consulting partner sales models, margin structures, and incentive alignment Skills & Attributes • BS/BA degree required; MBA preferred • Revenue accountability mindset – quota-driven with personal accountability for pipeline • Partner business planning and enablement program design expertise • GTM strategy, negotiation skills, and strong executive communication • Strategic business acumen; understand partner economics and co-selling models • Excellent sales collaboration – you enable reps without complicating their world • High initiative and self-directed relationship builder with a sales edge 30%+ travel: partner offices, customer sites, Actian sales offices. Based in major NA markets (SF, NYC, Chicago Colorado, Texas, preferred). Why Actian • Direct revenue impact – 70% quota tied to partner-sourced pipeline • Build the channel; shape partner strategy and GTM at a critical inflection point with all the resources needed from technical to marketing • Work with elite partners – Deloitte, Accenture, Slalom, and other top-tier SI firms, plus Snowflake, Databricks • Field-forward culture – 30%+ time with partners, sales teams, and customers • Sales enablement role – you're a force multiplier for NA Sales Leader and regional reps • Hyper-growth opportunity in mission-critical data infrastructure
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