GM/VP, Strategic Partnerships
Xero is a beautiful, easy-to-use platform that helps small businesses and their accounting and bookkeeping advisors grow and thrive.
At Xero, our purpose is to make life better for people in small business, their advisors, and communities around the world. This purpose sits at the centre of everything we do. We support our people to do the best work of their lives so that they can help small businesses succeed through better tools, information and connections. Because when they succeed they make a difference, and when millions of small businesses are making a difference, the world is a more beautiful place.
How you’ll make an impact...
The GM, Strategic Partnerships will have responsibility for coordinating and leading Xero’s Partnerships activity across a curated set of strategically significant partnerships.
These partnerships will “move the needle” in the context of Xero’s global and regional strategy. Each will help Xero and our partners create greater value for customers and shareholders - and do so in a sustainable, differentiated way.
These may include partnerships predicated on product development, access to technology, marketing, key industry associations, tailored go -to-market strategies, events or innovation, to name a few.
Each therefore requires its own carefully crafted strategy and account plan, and will typically involve investing-in and growing a broad set of relationships, very much including the C-Suite.
The role will require orchestration and collaboration across a wide set of Xero stakeholders, from strategy and product teams, to the global partnerships function, and regional in-market resources charged with supporting and executing partnerships at a local level.
What you'll do
- Work with the leaders of Xero’s key functions to understand strategy objectives to be realised through partnerships.
- Lead a team of Partnerships Managers and other staff as required to support the creation and execution of our partnerships plans.
- Play a key personal role in leading cycles with Xero’s most strategically important partners globally.
- Apply and improve methodologies to qualify and prioritise partner engagements.
- Develop a strategy focussed on expanding our relationship with each partner in ways that create differentiation and support our overall company objectives.
- Identify, develop and communicate breakthrough opportunities that catapult us to the top of our partners’ agendas.
- Establish protocols and processes for cross company engagement with each partner that help ensure all Xero interactions are well considered, deliberate and co-ordinated.
- Work to elevate our relationship with each partner to the most influential levels in order to facilitate decision making and action in identified areas of opportunity.
- Bring best practice to Xero in the area of strategic relationship management.
- Drive collaboration across multiple parts of Xero’s business - harmonising focus and optimising the deployment of resources - always according to a well laid-out plan.
- Sponsor knowledge sharing and Executive engagement across our business as it relates to enhancing our relationship with each strategic partner.
- Ensure our investments yield tangible results and valuable differentiation.
- Work closely with go-to-market channels to craft plans to maintain and grow acquisition for Xero and our partners.
- Continuously review client and market landscape to recommend, develop, and implement new and creative approaches to ensure Xero and its strategic partner’s objectives are met.
- Build relationships with key partner contacts (directly and indirectly, via others across Xero) to educate them on the Xero value proposition and ensure they are strong Xero advocates.
- Collaborate with relevant leaders to establish and execute regular planning and review sessions to establish, monitor and report progress against agreed objectives.
- Support other parts of our business including Xero’s Emerging Businesses and Product teams, in leveraging our partnerships and knowledge base to design and build better products.
What You'll Bring With You - Critical Competencies
- Ability to build relationships and negotiate with various stakeholder groups, at the most senior levels
- Excellent communication skills
- Strong commercial acumen
- Dealmaker and strategic thinker with an ability to execute in an evolving, ambiguous, fast paced environment
- Understand how large tech and fin services companies operate and how to motivate and work complex organisations
- Proven ability to understand the needs and agenda of P&L leaders in large, global companies and jointly meet objectives through partnerships
- An ability to cope with change in a fast paced dynamic environment experiencing growth and expansion
- Ability to negotiate deal terms, build value for all parties and create long term partnerships of scale
- Positive and energetic with a keen sense of urgency and results orientation
- Strong problem-solving skills
- Ability to motivate and lead teams across multiple functions
- Team player
What You'll Bring With You - Experience
- 15+ years in a relevant and senior business development or partnerships role servicing large, global companies
- Experience “solution” selling, including preparing and presenting ideas and investment propositions to large global companies
- Proven track record developing and growing strategic partnership relationships
- Experience in one or more senior leadership roles with a proven ability to increase sales or investment through the effective development of strategies and high performance teams
- Must be comfortable dealing with C-Suite down and identifying areas of shared objectives around which to design and propose solutions
- Demonstrated capability to manage complex, multidimensional relationships at the executive and working levels - including the ability to establish collaboration, credibility and confidence
- Commercial experience in planning, modelling, negotiating and contracting agreements with strategic partners
- MBA or BA/BS degree
About Xero?
Diversity of people brings diversity of thought, and we like that. A collaborative and inclusive environment is important to us. Working at Xero will provide you with a diverse and inclusive environment alongside people who will respect, challenge and support you to have fun while you do the best work of your life. We are a place where personal development, innovation, and well-being are not just inspired but celebrated.
We value our people and offer a wide range of compelling benefits and perks, including Xero shares. Xero’s collaborative culture is underscored by our values - #Ownership, #Challenge, #Beautiful, #Human and #Team - which empower us to understand and serve customers, attract top talent and continuously innovate. From the moment you step through our doors, you’ll feel welcome and supported to do the best work of your life.