Head of Partner Ecosystem - India

We help the world run better
At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed. 

The role

Responsible for the development and management of selected sales partners of SAP.  Key activities include partner portfolio management, sales and services program execution and engagement, as well as partner readiness and enablement, with a clear mid-term perspective. Evangelizes company products, drives new solutions and develops marketing tactics with partners.  Stays abreast of current competition within assigned accounts and implements strategies to block competitive advancement.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Value and Business Development

• Responsible for the holistic management and representation of the Partner to SAP, and for proactively managing and developing the partner following a disciplined business planning process to expand their partner's business with SAP
• Ensures understanding of partner's basic financial structure and key drivers which influence their business and decisions in the team
• Supervises PBMs to develop active and long-term partner relationships across all roles in the partner (executives, sales, marketing, technical), and keeps up to date with all major changes to the partners' organization as well as with the changing environment at SAP
• Proposes changes to partner's organization to strengthen their business execution
• Articulates the relevant SAP portfolio in terms of the customer value proposition and the partner value proposition (including partner economics, partner ROI, advise the partner on investments into various solutions as is seen fit, using available SAP experts)
• Translates SAP opportunities (i.e. new product, new solutions area) into financial terms including potential revenue, required partner investment, break-even, and return on investment to gain partner adoption; mainly focusing on extending the partner's sweet spot (vs. entering completely new business areas)
• Actively supports partners in building transformational plans to differentiate themselves and add value to customers
• Identifies economic trends and use industry knowledge to guide PBMs where they channel their partners' investment in developing their SAP business and to gain trusted advisor status
• Ensures effective joint annual business planning with partners to deliver proper planning and execution of Sales, Marketing, and Enablement
• Works on investment and expansion plans
• Documents partner's commitments and investments
• Holds partners accountable and measure (and report) results and ROI on documented marketing and demand generation plans regularly (i.e., quarterly updates and reviews)
• Utilizes existing experts within SAP to prepare, deliver and follow up on the business planning
• Ensures proper planning and execution of Sales, Marketing and Enablement including investment and expansion commitments by all available means
• Regularly assesses partner portfolio in the area of responsibility across all relevant dimensions, and proper measures of development (extension, reduction or re-positioning of current partner portfolios)
• Proactively provides professional preparation and leadership of partner/SAP meetings
   

Overall: Revenue Generation and Leadership

• Responsible for sales of SAP software licenses with and through partners across SAP's portfolio and establishing an advisory relationship with the partner and SAP teams
• Enables PBMs to drive partner execution to revenue commitments to SAP and measures and reports progress
• Ensure that partners receive training to develop high level of sales skills on successful sales strategies and on individual opportunities
• Guides partner on the sales landscape and how SAP solutions complement other software and technologies that the partner sells to increase size of opportunities and the partner's margin
• Oversees collaboration of PBMs with SAP teams (Account Executive, Inside Sales Executive, General Business Sales Executives, etc.) acting as a strategic liaison between the partner and SAP to ensure effective communications, aligned strategies, and sales successes; ensure partner uses full SAP resources effectively (executives, solution experts, sales, support, field services, etc.)
• Takes on responsibility for clean, correct and updated data from partners in relevant SAP systems and in communication with SAP teams (e.g. PRM, ISEs, Account Executives)
• Anticipates and prevents conflicts between PAM and partners. Support PAMs to take action and resolve conflicts as they occur and escalate as needed

Partner Demand Generation and Pipeline Creation

• Responsible for partner's pipeline development; driving to SAP's expectation of pipeline multipliers, and leveraging SAP marketing and business development resources and tools
• Provides leadership in knowledge management, by developing and sharing best practices for demand generation and pipeline creation with partners
• Encourages PBMs to facilitate expansion of their SAP footprint to the innovation solution portfolio where relevant, and incorporate the new solutions in pipeline building and demand generation plans
• Ensures that partners' overall demand generation plans to align with SAP's current go-to-market messaging
• Generates a partner environment in which partners collaborate to build and execute joint demand generation activities with SAP regional, industry and national Sales, Business Development and Marketing Teams to grow a mutual pipeline
• Ensures forecast accuracy and sales linearity (quarter after quarter, month after month) across partners.
   

General Partner Management 

• Responsible for the overall success of a partner with SAP, and for partner compliance with SAP PartnerEdge program requirements and SAP's Chanel Operating Policies. Support for complex deals in accounts
• Manage CCFLEX program for the partners
• Optimizes partners' engagement and investment in the SAP ecosystem and portfolio
• Provides PBMs with new and innovative solutions in managing partners
• Envision new strategies to better leverage and extend SAP's ecosystem
• Feel responsible to consistently improve and innovate SAP's partner management approach
• Monitors if PartnerEdge requirements are met and take corrective action as necessary, if required with GPO management
• Ensures identification of underperforming partners as well as corrective action
• Engages in HR oriented topics concerning performance assessment, compensation and development of PAMs
• Ensure that partners, PAMs and SAP teams operate in a professional and ethical manner and take action or escalate if professionalism and ethics standards are not being met
   

Experience

• 15-18 years working experience in the software industry with knowledge of managing partner in Public Sector and Volume SME business, including significant experience in a People Management role
• 8-10 years in a customer/partner facing role (ex. Customer Service, Sales, Consulting); experience working at a SAP partner is a ‘plus'
• Demonstrated partnering and sales leadership skills 
• Relevant experience in cloud / HANA topics
• Business development planning and execution experience in driving sales pipeline, demand gen, and enablement with partners
• Strong analytical competencies
• An ability to identify and champion win-win scenarios
• High energy - brings innovative ideas to the team and champions best practices
• Proven capability to work in a team and collaborate; with independent accountability
• High expertise and acumen in forging initiatives and go-to-market sales pipeline development plans with business partners Local market knowledge and understanding (software industry, trends, vertical market industries, etc.)
• Business level English

Education

• Bachelor Degree or equivalent
• Master Degree or equivalent (preferred)

Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.  

We win with inclusion
SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone – regardless of background – feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: [email protected].

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity,  gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local legal requirements.

Successful candidates might be required to undergo a background verification with an external vendor.

We are ethical and compliant
Our leadership credo: Do what’s right. Make SAP better for generations to come. We believe that great leadership extends far beyond the mere pursuit of business goals. We value and foster leadership that is driven with purpose and integrity. Our leaders are role models who uphold SAP’s values and shape SAP’s culture of integrity, by demonstrating and championing ethical and compliant behavior towards all stakeholders.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

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Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: 445871  | Work Area: Sales  | Expected Travel: 0 - 30%  | Career Status: Management  | Employment Type: Regular Full Time   | Additional Locations:  #LI-Hybrid