Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager

Job Description

This role is an expert individual contributor responsible for designing and executing enterprise sourcing and external partnership strategies that enable growth, innovation, and supply resilience. The role leads complex, cross‑functional efforts and drives measurable business outcomes through strategic partnerships across the external manufacturing ecosystem.

Hybrid schedule: 3 days onsite at the Green Bay, Wisconsin Home Office and 2 days remote.

Relocation benefits: $10,000 relocation bonus and a generous relocation package if relocating more than 50 miles.

• Define and operationalize multi‑year sourcing and external partnership strategies aligned to innovation, commercialization, and supply network priorities.
• Establish enterprise frameworks for make‑vs‑buy, external manufacturing, and supplier ecosystem design.
• Ensure optimal balance across cost, resilience, speed to market, and strategic flexibility.
• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of strategic partnership opportunities, including co‑manufacturers, co‑developers, and emerging suppliers.
• Conduct market analysis and ecosystem mapping to identify capability gaps, innovation opportunities, and competitive threats.
• Proactively source and develop new partnership models to support growth and new product commercialization.
• Own the full lifecycle of partnerships including identification, evaluation, negotiation, onboarding, performance management, and renewal/exit.
• Lead complex partnership negotiations, including commercial terms, SLAs, and risk‑sharing models.
• Ensure strong integration of partners into internal processes, systems, and supply network execution.
• Define and implement KPIs, governance models, and performance scorecards across the partner base.
• Lead quarterly business reviews (QBRs) and continuous improvement initiatives with key partners.
• Drive accountability on service, quality, cost, innovation, and risk performance.
• Develop and oversee financial models for make‑vs‑buy and external manufacturing decisions.
• Drive cost optimization, productivity initiatives, and value capture through partnerships.
• Track and report ROI, savings, and growth contribution from strategic partnerships.
• Align partnership strategies with financial planning, margin objectives, and capital allocation.
• Enable joint innovation and product commercialization through supplier and partner capabilities.
• Lead development of co‑manufacturing and co‑development models that accelerate speed to market.
• Integrate external partners into R&D and product pipeline processes to enhance innovation outcomes.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior and executive leadership on sourcing, partnerships, and supply network decisions.
• Lead cross‑functional initiatives across Commercial, R&D, Operations, Finance, and Quality.
• Influence enterprise trade‑offs across margin, capacity, risk, and growth priorities.
• Lead contracting, compliance, and risk management frameworks for external partnerships.
• Ensure adherence to regulatory, quality, ESG, and ethical sourcing standards.
• Develop contingency strategies for supply disruption, geopolitical risk, and supplier concentration.
• Establish playbooks, tools, and governance frameworks to scale sourcing and partnership excellence.
• Lead partner enablement and onboarding models to improve speed and effectiveness of integration.
• Provide enterprise‑level coaching, mentorship, and expertise in sourcing strategy and partnerships.
• Recognize as a subject matter expert internally and externally.

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Sales, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in strategic sourcing, supply chain strategy, or external manufacturing.
• Proven track record leading complex, enterprise‑level sourcing initiatives.
• Experience in strategic sourcing and supplier ecosystem management, make‑vs‑buy strategy and advanced cost modeling, external manufacturing/co‑manufacturing strategy.
• Broad understanding of commercial strategy, product innovation, supply chain network design, financial modeling, and long‑term capital vs. variable trade‑offs.
• Ability to solve…