Director, GSI Partnerships

Job description
This is an exciting opportunity to join a newly formed Strategic Partnerships organization at Kiteworks and lead strategic GSI partnerships that turn executive relationships into delivered joint solutions, repeatable practices, and new growth opportunities. This is not a sales role. It is a Strategic Partnerships role focused on building partner-led solutions, ecosystem leverage, and business opportunities through GSIs such as Accenture, Deloitte, Leidos, and Booz Allen Hamilton. This person is expected to roll up their sleeves as part of the team, proactively anticipate what Kiteworks, GSI partners, and internal stakeholders will need next, and take action early so the partnership ecosystem is better prepared, better coordinated, and built to scale.
Reporting to the SVP, Strategic Partnerships and Strategy, the Director, GSI Partnerships executes Kiteworks' Global Systems Integrator (GSI) partnership strategy by building senior relationships inside priority GSIs and converting those relationships into joint solutions, field-ready practices, and measurable pipeline influence.
Regional account mapping and day-to-day deal execution belong to Sales and Channel Alliances. This role owns the GSI partnership strategy, executive alignment, joint solution development, and field handoff readiness that enable those teams to execute.
This leader works hand-in-hand with the Director, Technology Partnerships and Director, Partner Architecture to position Kiteworks plus partner integrated solutions with the GSIs. The role also collaborates with Product Management, Partner Operations, Marketing, Legal, Finance, Support, Customer Success, Sales, and Channel Alliances to ensure GSI engagements are commercially sound, technically supportable, field-ready, and executed with clear ownership across teams.
The ideal candidate has existing, leverageable executive relationships inside the major GSIs, deep experience navigating large consulting and systems integration organizations, an understanding of the federal and enterprise procurement landscape, and a track record of turning GSI partnerships into delivered joint solutions and pipeline.

What you'll do
Strategic GSI relationship management

• Translate the SVP's GSI strategy into partner plans with clear owners, milestones, mutual commitments, and execution timelines for each assigned strategic GSI partner.
• Build and maintain multi-threaded relationships across partner organizations, including practice leaders, solution architects, business development teams, and executive sponsors, up to and including C-level sponsorship on both sides.
• Leverage existing relationships inside the GSIs to open doors with decision makers and accelerate partnership formation and joint opportunity creation.
• Conduct regular business reviews with GSI partners to evaluate partnership health, pipeline contribution, and opportunities for deeper engagement.

Practice building and joint solution development

• Work with GSI partners to embed Kiteworks into their delivery methodologies, service offerings, and implementation playbooks, so the platform becomes a repeatable, scalable component of how GSIs deliver joint solutions to their clients.
• Partner with the Technology Partnerships leader to package Kiteworks plus technology-partner integrated solutions for GSI delivery into client engagements, including solutions with CrowdStrike, ServiceNow, Palo Alto Networks, AWS, Microsoft, and similar partners.
• Partner with Partner Architecture and Product Management to define reference architectures, delivery accelerators, and joint solution blueprints, including AI- and agent-driven patterns (APIs, Model Context Protocol (MCP), Agentic AI, AI Skills), that GSI partners can operationalize to differentiate their client engagements and accelerate Kiteworks adoption.

Cross-functional execution

• Partner with Partner Architecture and Product Management to ensure every GSI-driven integration has a clear technical owner, agreed architecture, roadmap alignment, documented next steps, and a path to delivery, while surfacing GSI partner and end-customer needs for prioritization.
• Coordinate technical enablement sessions for GSI implementation teams so they can position, deploy, and support Kiteworks consistently in client environments.
• Partner with Legal on partnership agreements, joint solution terms, and contracting matters; partner with Finance on partnership economics, joint investment cases, and pipeline contribution models.
• Partner with Partner Operations on program administration, partner onboarding, documentation, field training, and CRM hygiene across the GSI ecosystem.
• Work with Kiteworks Support and Customer Success to ensure GSI-delivered implementations have clear supportability, escalation paths, and post-deployment ownership between Kiteworks, the GSI, and the end customer.

Enablement of sales, channel, and go-to-market

• Hand off GSI-built joint solutions and opportunities to Sales and Channel Alliances for regional execution, providing the partner context, positioning, and relationship maps they need to be successful in the field.
• Work with Sales and Channel Alliances to support co-sell and influence motions with GSI partners across enterprise and public sector accounts.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Partner Operations on joint go-to-market activity, including co-branded assets, joint case studies, solution briefs, webinars, events, and speaking engagements.
• Support the tracking and reporting of partner-sourced and partner-influenced revenue from GSI relationships, in partnership with Sales, Channel Alliances, Finance, and Partner Operations.

Federal and compliance alignment

• Ensure joint solutions and partnership activities align with federal compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, CMMC, ITAR, NIST, etc.) and other relevant regulatory and contractual requirements, working closely with Kiteworks' compliance and legal teams.
• Stay informed on federal procurement trends, contract vehicles, and regulatory changes that may impact GSI partner strategies.

Executive alignment and reporting

• Provide regular updates to the SVP and Kiteworks executive team on status, progress, risks, required decisions, and next steps for each GSI partnership.
• Escalate partnership risks and blockers with clear recommended actions, owners, and timing to resolve them.
• Maintain and update the GSI partnership dashboard in close alignment with Partner Operations to ensure data accuracy for executive reporting.
• Deliver quarterly partnership scorecards measuring pipeline contribution, deal influence, practice adoption, and relationship health, and present a consolidated GSI business review to the executive leadership team that clearly shows what is working, what is blocked, and where executive support is needed.
• Protect confidential business information and partner data, ensuring secure sharing practices and compliance with data protection agreements and ISO 27001 controls.

What you'll bring

• Executive Partnership Leadership. Ability to navigate complex, matrixed GSI organizations and build trust-based relationships up to and including the C-suite on both sides.
• Leverageable GSI Network. Existing executive relationships inside one or more major GSIs that can be used to open doors and accelerate partnership development.
• Practice and Solution Orientation. Track record of embedding a software platform into GSI practices, reference architectures, and delivery methodologies, not just signing partnership agreements.
• Federal and Public Sector Knowledge. Understanding government procurement, compliance requirements, and the role of systems integrators in public sector IT.
• Cross-Functional Leadership. Ability to align and mobilize internal teams across Product, Engineering, Partner Operations, Marketing, Legal, Finance, Technology Partnerships, Sales, and Channel Alliances around GSI partnership objectives with clear ownership and delivery accountability.
• Modern Integration Awareness. Understanding of how APIs, MCP, AI Skills, and AI-driven workflows are reshaping joint GSI solutions and delivery models.
• Execution Excellence. Discipline in managing complex partner engagements with multiple concurrent workstreams, deliverables, and stakeholders, while driving decisions, follow-through, and measurable outcomes.
• Business Acumen. Understanding of enterprise and federal sales cycles, channel economics, and partner-driven revenue models.
• 12+ years of experience in strategic alliances, partnerships, or systems integrator-facing roles, with a minimum of 5 years leading GSI relationships at a Director or Sr. Director level.
• Demonstrated track record in enterprise software, cybersecurity, or data protection of embedding a software platform into GSI practices and delivery methodologies, building joint solutions, and driving measurable pipeline contribution.
• Existing executive-level relationships within one or more Tier-1 GSIs (e.g., Accenture, Deloitte, Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, KPMG, EY, PwC) that can be leveraged from day one.
• Strong understanding of federal acquisition, contract vehicles, and public sector go-to-market motions.
• Familiarity with modern integration paradigms (APIs, MCP, AI Skills, and AI-driven joint solutions) and how GSIs operationalize them in client engagements is preferred.
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

About Kiteworks
The Kiteworks single-tenant-by-design virtual appliance delivers full data sovereignty, governing employees’ and AI agents’ access to, use, and sharing of sensitive data under the same identity, policy, encryption, and audit controls. Compliance is built in, not bolted on.
 
The values that define us

• Execution – We deliver results with focus, ownership, and consistency. Our teams take initiative, solve challenges proactively, and continuously optimize how we work to create meaningful impact for our customers.
• Transparency – We communicate openly and clearly, ensuring stakeholders have the information they need to make informed decisions. We foster a culture of trust, welcome feedback, and embrace accountability in everything we do.
• Integrity – We uphold the highest standards of honesty and responsibility. Our teams act ethically, consistently honor commitments, and build trust through principled, reliable actions.

Compensation range  

• Annual Base Salary Range of $250,000 – $280,000 
• Base pay depends on many factors, such as location, education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Kiteworks competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity, and bonuses. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

 
Benefits & perks 
Equity - stock options to share in company success 
healthcare  

• 3 Cigna plans (PPO, EPO, HDHP)
• 90% covered (PPO/EPO) + $0 premium HDHP
• $1,200–$2,400 HSA contribution
• 100% covered dental & vision

Savings & retirement  

• FSA + Dependent Care FSA
• 401(k) with 100% match (up to $5K), immediate vesting

Coverage - Fully paid life & disability insurance 
Family benefits  

• 16 weeks (birthing) / 8 weeks (non-birthing)
• $10K lifetime reimbursement fertility benefit

Care & support - One Medical membership + EAP counseling 
Time off & flexibility  

• Unlimited PTO + 10 holidays
• 10 work-from-anywhere days

Perks - Catered lunches + in-office massage days 
 
Commitment to equal opportunity & inclusion
Kiteworks is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances.

Other requirements
Ability to meet Kiteworks, customer, and/or government security screening requirements for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings.
Kiteworks Background Check
This position requires passing the Kiteworks background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. Please note that this role is open to individuals who already have U.S. work authorization. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.