Strategic Partnerships Manager - SaaS Industry

Location:

Chandler, AZ

Company:
AvaHR

Experience Level: Senior (5+ years required)

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.

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.

• 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

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

• 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

• 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

• 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

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.