Lead Partner Operations Specialist – Global Alliances & Channels

Appian; Chennai District; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Appian in Chennai, India is seeking a Lead Partner Operations Specialist for Global Alliances & Channels to oversee the local team and drive excellence in deal registrations, approvals, and CRM accuracy. You will partner with the alliance team and field sales to accelerate partner growth and ensure Stage 2 qualification.

You’ll optimize registration processes, transform data into insights, and support onboarding and enablement for global partner initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 3–5+ years of channel, sales operations, or deal desk experience, with at least 1+ year in a lead/supervisory role.
• Strong experience with Salesforce CRM.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication.
• Strong organizational skills and critical thinking across time zones.

Responsibilities

• Own the deal registration lifecycle for global partners.
• Serve as the primary conduit between partner deal submitters, the alliance team, and field sales to facilitate approvals and Stage 2 qualification.
• Review processes to identify bottlenecks and drive operational efficiency.
• Generate and analyze deal registration reports to identify trends and gaps in partner performance.
• Provide ad-hoc operational support for onboarding and enablement of global partner initiatives.
• Manage day-to-day operations for the local Chennai team, mentoring staff and handling escalations.
• Assist Global Alliances leadership with expense reports and calendar logistics.

Skills

English proficiency

Leadership experience

Critical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree (BA/related field)

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.

Lead Partner Operations Specialist – Global Alliances & Channels

Drive operational excellence and accelerate global partner growth by optimizing our ecosystem's lifecycle for our premier AI-Powered Process Automation platform.

Location: Chennai, India | Work Model: On-site

About the Team

The Global Alliances and Channels team at Appian is a fast-paced, dynamic organization that plays an integral role in driving Appian's growth globally. We are passionate about driving digital transformation by bringing Appian solutions that provide the speed, agility, and efficiency needed for enterprises to compete and grow. Our team is dedicated to supporting an extraordinary global network, ensuring our partners are fully equipped to deliver Enterprise-Grade Orchestration at scale.

The Opportunity

At Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards, approach challenges with ambition, and hold ourselves accountable to achieve the best results. As a Partner Operations Lead, you will oversee local team members in Chennai while also delivering high-value operational support, executive administrative assistance, and improvements to support our global alliances experience.

What You’ll Do

• Own the deal registration lifecycle for global partners, including deal eligibility validation, status monitoring, and escalation to ensure timely approvals, accurate CRM attribution, and program compliance.
• Act as the primary conduit between partner deal submitters, the alliance team, and field sales representatives to facilitate seamless communication, approvals, and conversion to Stage 2 qualification.
• Optimize the partner experience by reviewing existing registration processes to systematically identify bottlenecks, reduce errors, and drive operational efficiency.
• Transform data into actionable insights by generating and analyzing deal registration reports to identify emerging trends and partner performance gaps.
• Provide ad-hoc operational support for global partner initiatives, such as new partner onboarding and long-tail enablement and support.
• Manage day-to-day operations for the local team by setting priorities, mentoring staff, handling escalations, and ensuring deliverable completion.
• Assist Global Alliances leadership with administrative activities, such as expense reports and calendar logistics.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 3–5+ years of experience in channel operations, sales operations, or deal desk support, with at least 1+ years in a lead, supervisory, or senior coordinator role.
• Demonstrated experience navigating, updating, and maintaining enterprise CRM systems, with a strong proficiency in Salesforce.
• Exceptional verbal and written English communication skills, with a proven ability to interact professionally with diverse global stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills and Critical Thinking, with the ability to manage multiple tasks independently in a fast-paced environment across different time zones.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working within a global software-as-a-service (SaaS) or enterprise software environment.
• Knowledge of channel programs, structures, and partner portal management.
• Proficiency with enterprise expense and travel platforms (e.g., Concur) and reporting tools.
• We value experience with enterprise platforms such as Salesforce or ServiceNow, as these skills translate well into our Enterprise-Grade Orchestration

#ChannelOperations #Salesforce #SalesOperations #GlobalAlliances #SaaS

Tools and Resources

• Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires.
• Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities.
• Community: We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company.

Benefits

Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support, life and disability insurance, an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), a retirement/pension plan, wellness dollars, tuition reimbursement, family-forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by country—please ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to.

About Appian

Appian provides AI automation for mission-critical work. We automate complex processes in large enterprises and governments. Our platform is known for its unique reliability and scale. We’ve been automating processes for more than 25 years and understand enterprise operations like no one else. For more information, visit appian.com. [Nasdaq: APPN]

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Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at [e-mail]. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

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