Sr. Alliance Manager

SLSQ227R839

The Team

The Partner Development Center (PDC) develops Databricks' C&SI partner ecosystem at scale. We accelerate the growth of Rising 100 and active Bronze partners through structured, high-touch engagement, while driving systematic activation of Bronze partners through AI-powered automation.

Rising 100 partners receive business plan-led, white-glove engagement: structured development plans, biweekly cadence, and accountability to measurable GTM milestones.

Active Bronze partners are engaged through cohort-based programs designed to build the next generation of high-performing Databricks partners.

The Role

This India-based Sr. Alliance Manager is the dedicated PDC resource for EMEA and APJ. You will manage approximately 50 Rising 100 C&SI partners across both regions, with additional accountability for Bronze-tier cohort activation.

You will own the full partner development lifecycle: joint business plan design and coaching, Bronze-to-Silver progression mechanics, and co-sell coordination with field sales. Daily work involves AEs, Solution Architects, Partner Marketing, Enablement, Legal, and Ops across multiple time zones.

This role reflects Databricks' deepening investment in India. As we expand COE partnerships with leading global SIs, this hire is the face of that investment for our EMEA and APJ partner ecosystem.

What You'll Do

Rising 100 White-Glove Engagement

• Build and manage Joint Business Plans (JBPs) with ~50 Rising 100 SI partners: quarterly KPI setting, milestone tracking, and biweekly coaching cadences.
• Drive partners against Rising 100 health metrics: sourced MRR trajectory, certification milestones, 90-day pipeline activity, and Partner Value Score (PVS) lift.
• Own the opt-in commitment model: partner selection, goal-setting, and entry/exit criteria enforcement within your regional cohort.
• Act as the regional escalation point for Rising 100 partners. Track where each partner stands against their next milestone before they ask.

Bronze Scale Motion and Cohort Activation

• Design and run cohort-based engagement programs for Bronze-tier partners pursuing Silver. Use regional data signals to sequence and prioritize outreach.
• Drive partner adoption of milestone-based onboarding: Learning Path completion, Sales Badge attainment, deal registration, and first high-intent lead.
• Leverage Salesforce, Outreach, and partner portals to manage engagement at scale. Human touchpoints are allocated based on partner readiness and commercial potential.

PDC Operations and Cross-Functional Coordination

• Own PDC Office Hours and regional partners@ alias management for EMEA/APJ.
• Coordinate co-sell opportunities with field AEs, driving partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline with local country sales and alliance leaders.
• Work with Ops and Enablement to identify and remove onboarding friction for India-based development center partners navigating Brickbuilder, certification tracks, and deal registration workflows.
• Bring the voice of the EMEA/APJ partner ecosystem into PDC program design. Distinguish systemic issues from coaching gaps.

What We Look For

Non-Negotiable

• 8+ years in Partner Sales or Partner Management at a top-tier or high-growth enterprise tech company, with direct, external, partner-facing responsibility.
• Demonstrated track record designing partner engagement programs: KPI setting, cohort design, tier progression mechanics, and accountability to business outcomes.
• Cloud ecosystem fluency: working experience with at least one hyperscaler partner program (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including tier mechanics, certification tracks, deal registration, and co-sell motions.
• Measurable partner outcomes on record: sourced pipeline, certification attainment, tier progression, or equivalent program KPIs.
• Ability to operate autonomously across global time zones with no local PDC team.

Strongly Preferred

• Direct Databricks ecosystem exposure: Brickbuilder program, Partner Value Score (PVS), Bronze/Silver tier requirements, or Databricks Academy certification tracks.
• Experience managing segmented partner populations using data signals to sequence and prioritize outreach across a large cohort.
• India-based SI/consulting ecosystem familiarity: how GSIs like TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Persistent, or Nagarro structure their delivery practices, certification investments, and hyperscaler alliance programs.
• Proficiency with Salesforce, Outreach, partner portals, and BI or analytics tools (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent).
• Experience facilitating virtual enablement sessions: office hours, 1:few partner workshops, webinars.

The Person

• Commercial orientation: you read business plans and ask what is actually driving the number. You know when a partnership is performing and when it is coasting.
• Connector: you know which conversation to have and who needs to be in the room. You bring field AEs, partner leadership, and Databricks product teams to the same table when it matters.
• Truth-seeker: you go to the source. When data and anecdote conflict, you ask why. You surface what is systemic versus what is fixable through coaching.
• Partner experience: you think about what this program feels like from the partner's side. Friction in onboarding, slow follow-up, and vague milestone criteria are not small things.
• Autonomous operator: you identify what needs to happen, align the right stakeholders, and move. You follow up before being asked.

What Success Looks Like in the First 90 Days

• Joint Business Plans reviewed and refreshed for all active Rising 100 EMEA/APJ partners.
• Regional partner scorecard established: PVS baseline, sourced MRR pipeline, certification count, and deal registration volume per cohort.
• Bronze cohort engagement sequence designed and piloted for at least one EMEA segment.
• Key cross-functional relationships established with regional field AEs/SAs, local country alliance leaders (including EMEA Alliance team), and Partner Marketing.
• PDC Office Hours running on a cadenced schedule for EMEA/APJ time zones.