Director / Senior Director of Business Development & Partnerships

Job description

**About Us**ZeroTier leads the world in next-generation connectivity and cybersecurity. Our platform provides highly secure, peer-to-peer virtual networks relied upon by millions of users and businesses - from individual users and startups to mid-scale enterprises and Fortune 500 companies. We’re backed by awesome investors including Battery Ventures, Bonfire Ventures, and Anorak Ventures. **The Role** As ZeroTier continues growth, we're expanding our go-to-market reach through strategic alliances, technology partnerships, and channel relationships. This is an opportunity to help shape how a category-defining networking platform scales globally. ZeroTier has found significant success through multiple sales vectors. As we've expanded, we've seen growing interest from MSPs, distributors, resellers, technology partners, and other organizations looking to build services and businesses around our platform. We're now looking for a Global Director of Business Development & Partnerships to help turn that momentum into a scalable growth channel. You'll help define our partnerships strategy, launch and expand our MSP program, build key channel and VAR relationships, and create the foundations of a partner ecosystem that drives meaningful revenue and market expansion. You will work closely with executive leadership, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Experience teams to build scalable partnership programs, establish strategic relationships, and identify new opportunities for growth. Success in this role requires the ability to navigate complex partner environments, develop repeatable and scalable programs, negotiate strategic agreements, build executive relationships, and identify new revenue opportunities that accelerate market adoption and company growth. As one of the first dedicated leaders focused on partnerships, you'll have the opportunity to define strategy, influence company direction, and build the foundation for a global partner organization as ZeroTier enters its next phase. ### What You’ll Do ### **Strategy & Ownership** - Own and execute ZeroTier's global business development and partnerships strategy, building the partner motion from the ground up into a scalable, revenue-generating growth engine. - Lead the go-to-market strategy and execution for ZeroTier’s MSP offering, partnering closely with Sales, Marketing, Product, Customer Success, and Leadership to drive adoption, partner readiness, pipeline creation, and long-term program success. - Own partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline targets while identifying strategic opportunities with priority accounts and ecosystem partners. ### **Partner Acquisition & Relationship Management** - Build and grow a high-value partner network across MSPs, resellers, distributors, and technology partners globally. - Cultivate executive-level relationships with key partners and strategic accounts. - Develop partnership plans that identify logos, revenue opportunities and clear paths to expansion. - Negotiate partnership agreements that align partner incentives with ZeroTier's growth goals. ### **Partner Programs & Execution** - Design and continuously improve scalable partner programs, including partner tiers, incentives, deal registration, sales enablement, certification, MDF, co-selling motions, partner onboarding, and ongoing performance management. - Establish clear performance metrics, reporting frameworks, and operating cadences for partnerships and business development efforts, regularly communicating pipeline, revenue performance, market insights, risks, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership. ### **Cross-Functional Leadership** - Collaborate closely with AEs, SEs, Product, Marketing, Customer Success, Operations, Finance, and Leadership to ensure alignment across partner strategy, pipeline development, enablement, forecasting, and customer experience. - Serve as the internal voice of partners and the external voice of the market, translating partner and customer feedback into actionable recommendations across product roadmap, pricing, packaging, tooling, enablement, and operational processes. ### **Building the Future** - Develop the long-term operating model, resource plan, and hiring roadmap for a future global partnerships, channel, and business development team as the function scales. ### What We’re Looking For - Proven track record of creating and executing channel and/or partnership strategies that drive meaningful logo pipelines, reach, and revenue. - 10+ years of experience in B2B SaaS sales, business development, channel sales, or partnerships, with strong experience in building and scaling partner motions from the ground up. - Strong understanding of partner economics, co-selling models, incentive structures, and revenue-driving partnership mechanics, including modeling and analysis. - Strong success in new business development, account acquisition, and relationship-building across enterprise and mid-market organizations. - Experience selling or partnering within networking, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and/or related enterprise SaaS ecosystems. - Existing network of relationships with distributors, resellers, MSPs, ecosystem partners, and strategic technology stakeholders. - Ability to operate effectively as both a strategic builder and a hands-on executor. - Demonstrated success engaging executive and C-level stakeholders. - Strong analytical and communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functionally. - Experience working in fast-paced startup or scale-up environments. - Familiarity with CRM, collaboration, and modern sales enablement tools such as HubSpot, Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, and AI-powered productivity and research platforms including Claude, and related GTM tooling. - BA/BS degree or equivalent professional experience, MBA strongly preferred - Willingness and ability to travel domestically and potentially internationally on a periodic basis. ### Benefits - Hybrid office / remote work environment - Competitive salary and available equity compensation - Generous employer-paid health insurance, including preventative dental care for adults - 401K Plan with employer matching - Flexible PTO policy - Flexible work hours (subject to management approval) - Career enhancement funds - Employee Referral Bonus