Strategic Partnerships Manager - SaaS Industry

Location: Chandler, AZ

Company: AvaHR

Experience Level: Senior (5+ years required)

About AvaHR

AvaHR empowers small business owners to compete with top-tier talent through Culture Marketing™, our proprietary hiring and job distribution platform. We help growing companies attract A-Players without enterprise complexity.

As we scale, partnerships are a core growth lever, not a side project. We’re hiring a Strategic Partnerships Manager who has already built, negotiated, and scaled partnerships in a SaaS or technology ecosystem and is ready to do it again—this time with ownership, influence, and real impact.

This is not an entry-level partnerships role. We are intentionally hiring someone who has done this before.

The Role: Strategic Partnerships Manager

As our Strategic Partnerships Manager, you will own the end-to-end lifecycle of partnerships—from identifying opportunities to negotiating agreements to launching and scaling one-to-many channel partnerships.

You will build relationships with:

• SaaS and technology platforms

• Industry associations and communities

• Influencers and ecosystem partners

• Strategic distribution and referral partners

Your mission: create repeatable, scalable partner channels that drive sustained revenue and customer adoption.

What You’ll Do

• Build and scale strategic partnerships with SaaS platforms, technology vendors, associations, and ecosystem partners

• Independently source, negotiate, and close partnership agreements that materially impact growth

• Develop one-to-many partner channels (platform, referral, co-marketing, integrations, alliances)

• Work cross-functionally with product, engineering, marketing, and leadership to design partner-led growth initiatives

• Translate complex partnership structures into clear business cases and executive-level summaries

• Launch and optimize partner marketing initiatives, including co-branded campaigns and go-to-market motions

• Serve as the internal subject-matter expert on partnerships, channels, and SaaS ecosystem trends

• Maintain discipline and integrity—saying no to partnerships that don’t align strategically

Who We’re Looking For (Must-Have Experience)

We are specifically looking for someone who has already succeeded in a similar partnerships role.

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, channel partnerships, alliances, or business development (SaaS or technology required)

• Proven experience building and scaling partnerships, not just managing existing ones

• Hands-on experience with:

  • Channel partnerships

  • Partner marketing

  • SaaS ecosystems

• Strong negotiation skills with the judgment to walk away from bad deals

• Experience working cross-functionally with product, engineering, and marketing teams

• Excellent written and verbal communication (technical + conversational)

• High ownership mindset — you take responsibility for outcomes, not just activity

Ideal Background

• Previous role titles may include:

  • Strategic Partnerships Manager

  • Channel Partnerships Manager

  • Alliances Manager

  • Partner Marketing Manager

  • Business Development Manager (Partnerships)

• Experience in HR tech, SaaS for SMBs, or B2B platforms is a strong plus

• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, founder-led environment

Why You’ll Love Working at AvaHR

• Culture-first company — it’s literally our product (Culture Marketing™)

• Flexible work environment — results matter more than location

• Family first — our #1 core value

• Real growth opportunity — recognized as winners of Arizona’s Innovation Challenge and G2’s Most Admired Software

• High trust, high impact role — partnerships are a strategic priority, not an afterthought

Our Hiring Process (Simple & Human)

1. Every resume reviewed by a real human (no bots)

2. Introductory phone conversation

3. Structured Zoom interview

4. Practical discussion / technical review

5. Offer

Fast, transparent, and respectful of your time.

Ready to Build Partnerships That Actually Matter?

If you’ve already built and scaled partnerships and are ready to own a high-impact role at a growing SaaS company, we’d love to meet you.

Apply now and tell us about the partnerships you’ve built before.