Director of Ecosystem Sales

About Us

Always open. Our code, our culture, our opportunities. Leading open innovation without limits. We are SUSE.

SUSE is a global leader in innovative, reliable, and secure enterprise open source solutions, including SUSE® Linux Suite, SUSE® Rancher Suite, SUSE® Edge Suite, and SUSE® AI Suite. More than 60% of the Fortune 500 rely on SUSE to power their mission-critical workloads, enabling them to innovate everywhere – from the data center to the cloud, to the edge and beyond.

SUSE puts the “open” back in open source, collaborating with partners and communities to give customers the agility to tackle innovation challenges today and the freedom to evolve their strategy and solutions tomorrow. For more information, visit www.suse.com.

Director of Ecosystem Sales

Job Description

Role Summary

SUSE is seeking a Director of Ecosystem Sales to lead revenue growth and strategic execution across Independent Hardware Vendor (IHV) and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) partnerships. This role sits at the intersection of ecosystem strategy, partner-led sales execution, and go-to-market alignment. The Director will be accountable for driving joint revenue, expanding solution adoption, and operationalizing SUSE’s ecosystem strategy across priority partners.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience working with enterprise infrastructure ecosystems, understands how to build repeatable co-sell motions, and can translate strategy into measurable commercial outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Ecosystem Sales Leadership

• Own ecosystem-sourced and ecosystem-influenced revenue targets across IHV and ISV partners.
• Build and execute joint sales motions with strategic partners, including account mapping, pipeline creation, and co-selling.
• Partner closely with regional sales leadership to embed ecosystem plays into field execution.
• Establish and track KPIs for partner performance, pipeline health, and revenue contribution.

IHV & ISV Partner Management

• Lead executive relationships with priority IHV and ISV partners (e.g., OEMs, cloud infrastructure, platform and software providers).
• Develop joint value propositions and solution messaging aligned to SUSE Linux, Rancher, Edge, SAP, and cloud-native portfolios.
• Drive partner enablement for sales, technical, and marketing teams to ensure consistent execution.
• Identify and onboard new partners aligned to SUSE’s strategic growth areas.

Ecosystem Strategy Execution

• Operationalize SUSE’s global ecosystem strategy through defined partner tiers, focus areas, and investment priorities.
• Translate corporate strategy into actionable regional and partner-level plans.
• Collaborate with Product Management and Engineering to influence roadmap priorities based on ecosystem demand.
• Support M&A and strategic initiatives by assessing ecosystem impact and integration opportunities.

Go-To-Market & Marketing Alignment

• Partner with Ecosystem Marketing to drive joint campaigns, solution launches, and field-ready assets.
• Support industry solutions and vertical plays through ecosystem collaboration.
• Represent SUSE at partner events, industry conferences, and executive briefings.

Leadership & Governance

• Provide leadership, mentoring, and direction to ecosystem sales managers or partner leads (where applicable).
• Establish operating cadence with partners, including QBRs, pipeline reviews, and executive steering committees.
• Ensure alignment with legal, finance, and operations on contracts, incentives, and compliance.

Success Metrics

• Ecosystem-sourced and ecosystem-influenced revenue growth
• Pipeline creation and conversion rates via partners
• Strategic partner satisfaction and engagement scores
• Number and impact of joint solutions and co-sell motions launched
• Field adoption of ecosystem plays

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in enterprise software or infrastructure sales, alliances, or ecosystem roles
• Proven track record driving revenue through IHV and/or ISV partnerships
• Strong understanding of enterprise Linux, cloud-native platforms, Kubernetes, and hybrid/multi-cloud environments
• Experience working with global sales organizations and regional execution models
• Executive presence with the ability to influence internally and externally
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into execution

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with open source ecosystems and community-driven business models
• Familiarity with SUSE portfolio (SUSE Linux Enterprise, Rancher, Edge, SAP, AI, or Cloud)
• Prior leadership experience managing partner or alliance teams
• MBA or equivalent business education

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinking with strong operational discipline
• Partner-centric mindset with commercial rigor
• Cross-functional leadership and collaboration
• Data-driven decision making
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills

Why SUSE

At SUSE, we empower open innovation. You’ll work with some of the world’s largest technology partners and customers to shape the future of enterprise open source. We offer a collaborative culture, global impact, and the opportunity to build ecosystems that matter.

For US Only - US Pay Transparency Disclaimer
If this role is filled in the United States of America, the starting base salary is expected to be between 130,000 and 237,000. In addition to this base salary, we offer a commission plan and an attractive benefits package. US benefits include a comprehensive medical plan, life and disability insurance, 401k, Employee Assistance Programme and generous paid time off and leave policies.

Actual compensation will be determined by factors such as experience, skills, geographical location, internal equity, and budget. Please note that this salary information is applicable to the US only.

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What We Offer

We empower you to be bold, driving your career to create the future you want. We celebrate and reward your achievements.

SUSE is a dynamic environment that is evolving rapidly, thus requiring agility, strong entrepreneurship and an open mind.

This is a compelling opportunity for the right person to join us as we continue to scale and prosper.

If you’re a big thinker, obsessed by execution and thrive in a dynamic environment in which you can tangibly create a lasting legacy, then please apply now!

We give you the freedom to be yourself. You will work in a global community of unique individuals – like you – with different backgrounds, talents, skills and perspectives. A truly open community where everyone is welcome, has a voice and is encouraged to reach their full potential regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristics.

Sounds like the right fit for you? Click Apply to submit your resume. A recruiter will contact you if your skills match our current or any future positions. In the meantime, stay updated on the latest SUSE news and job vacancies by joining our Talent Community.

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