Director/Senior Director, Ecosystem

Socket.dev; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Rancher Government Solutions (RGS) in Reston, VA seeks a Director/Senior Director of Ecosystem to lead alliance strategy across the U.S. Federal market. You will build relationships with FSIs, OEMs, ISVs, CSPs, MSPs, and channel partners to drive revenue and influence across government programs.

Ideal candidates combine strategic business development with hands-on deal execution in complex Federal procurement cycles, scaling GTM motions including co-sell and managed services.

Qualifications

• Progressive leadership in Federal business development or partner ecosystems.
• Experience selling into U.S. Federal sector with complex procurement cycles.
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes, cloud-native architectures, and security controls.
• Proven success building partner programs that generate pipeline and revenue.
• Familiarity with major contract vehicles and acquisition lifecycles.
• Ability to travel to engage customers, partners, and industry events.

Responsibilities

• Lead alliance strategy and execution across US Federal market and regulated industries.
• Develop joint business plans and proactive capture strategies with named partners.
• Drive co-sell, resale, OEM, embedded software, and MSP models.
• Interface with C-suite and cross-functional teams to align capabilities and GTM.

Skills

Federal biz development

Partner ecosystem management

C-suite engagement

Kubernetes / cloud-native

Contract vehicles familiarity

Travel availability

Job description

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Rancher Government Solutions (RGS) addresses the unique security and operational needs of the U.S. Government and military by providing world‑class solutions to support application modernization, hybrid cloud deployments, container security, and Kubernetes distribution management.

As a leading Enterprise Kubernetes Software Platform Suite, Rancher addresses the operations and security challenges of managing multiple Kubernetes clusters at scale, while providing DevOps teams with integrated tools for running and securing containerized workloads.

RGS supports the entire Rancher Kubernetes Platform Suite through U.S. Citizen, U.S. soil‑based support representatives. A large majority of RGS employees maintain security clearances and currently support mission‑critical programs across the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and Federal Civilian agencies.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director / Senior Director, Ecosystem leads RGS strategic alliance strategy and execution across the U.S. Federal market and regulated industries. Reporting to executive leadership, this role drives partner‑sourced and partner‑influenced revenue by building high‑impact relationships with Federal Systems Integrators (FSIs), OEMs, ISVs, Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), Managed Service Providers (MSPs), and channel partners. The ideal candidate combines strategic business development expertise with hands‑on deal execution across complex Federal procurement cycles, scaling go‑to‑market (GTM) motions including co‑sell, resale, OEM, embedded software, and managed services.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Partner Management & Alliance Strategy

• Develop joint business plans, technology roadmaps, and proactive capture strategies across named partner accounts.

• Drive diverse partner motions across resale, OEM, embedded software, cloud, and Managed Service Provider (MSP) models.

• Act as the internal ecosystem SME, aligning RGS Sales, Product, and Marketing teams on partner capabilities and "Powered by RGS" initiatives.

• Collaborate with Solutions Architects to deepen technical integrations, refine reference architectures, and scale joint solutions.

Business Development & Capture

• Build senior executive relationships across top-tier Federal Systems Integrators and alliance partners to drive program access, pipeline, and long‑term positioning.

• Lead co‑sell efforts by training partner sales and technical teams on RGS joint value propositions, ROI messaging, and mission alignment.

• Monitor Federal solicitations and map partner capabilities to active agency priorities, strategic technology initiatives, and Programs of Record.

• Gather insights across the Federal landscape to help inform RGS product, marketing, and direct sales strategies.

• Partner with RGS Account Executives and Solutions Architects to identify key agency programs, offices, and strategic capture opportunities.

Sales Growth & Account Strategy

• Maintain accountability for quarter‑over‑quarter revenue growth and strategic sales target achievement for named accounts.

• Lead the full sales process lifecycle for partner‑driven opportunities, from initial demand generation and proof‑of‑concept (POC) pilots to deal closure.

• Serve as a primary partner‑and customer‑facing advocate, solving complex technical and business challenges.

Industry & Technical Domain Leadership

• Articulate the business and mission value of Kubernetes, cloud‑native architectures, container security, and AI/ML to executive and technical stakeholders.

• Guide partner strategy around U.S. Federal security frameworks, including FIPS compliance and air‑gapped deployment requirements.

• Navigate Federal acquisition processes, contracting mechanisms, and commercial/federal procurement vehicles to support proactive capture strategies.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in Federal business development, strategic alliances, direct sales, or partner ecosystem management within enterprise software, cloud‑native, or open‑source technologies.

• Demonstrated success building and scaling partner programs that generate measurable pipeline and revenue growth in the U.S. Federal sector.

• Deep familiarity with Federal acquisition lifecycles, strategic program capture, and major contract vehicles.

• Solid understanding of Kubernetes, containerization, cloud‑native architectures, federal security controls (FIPS, air‑gap), and open‑source/SaaS business models.

• Strong executive presence with proven ability to interface, negotiate, and collaborate with C‑suite leadership and cross‑functional teams.

• U.S. Citizenship required.

• Ability to travel as needed for customer, partner, and industry engagements.