Global Alliance Director

Tech Sales Jobs; North Carolina; On-site; USD 205,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

SUSE is seeking a Global Alliance Director to lead the 30+ year partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise. You will shape the global alliance strategy, drive sell-with and sell-through motions, and align SUSE and HPE sales teams across geographies to accelerate joint revenue in AI, HPC and virtualization.

The role requires 10+ years in enterprise infrastructure software, deep familiarity with HPE, and proven MDF management plus executive-level presentation skills. Travel up to 30% is expected.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in enterprise infrastructure software with alliance/partner leadership experience.
• Deep familiarity with HPE ecosystem is highly desired.
• Proven experience managing Market Development Funds (MDF) and global funded headcount programs.
• Strong presentation and training skills for executive audiences and global sales teams.
• Excellent commercial acumen with track record in multi-year enterprise frame contracts and alliance agreements.
• Natural cross-functional leader who can connect internal and external partners for field execution.
• Technical fluency in AI infrastructure, Kubernetes, virtualization, and HPC to engage with engineering teams.
• Willingness to travel up to 30%, including global travel.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive the global alliance strategy with HPE, building on SAP and SLES/Linux foundations.
• Design and drive joint GTM plays, aligning SUSE and HPE sales motions to accelerate revenue.
• Strategically manage MDF budgets and global funded headcount across geographies for ROI.
• Lead negotiations and ongoing management of frame agreements and amendments.
• Serve as central point of contact for regional SUSE sales leadership and enablement.
• Stay technically fluent to collaborate with HPE’s engineering-focused teams.

Skills

Strategic alliances

GTM orchestration

MDF management

Contract management

Executive presentation

Cross-functional leadership

AI infra knowledge

Kubernetes & HPC

Travel readiness

Job description

Global Alliance Director - HPE

Location: Texas, United States of America, Utah, United States of America, South Carolina, United States of America, North Carolina, United States of America

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

About Us

SUSE is a global leader of enterprise open source software. By transforming community innovations into secure, sovereign and AI-ready solutions, SUSE empowers customers to escape vendor lock-in and regain control of their IT destiny. Through industry-leading Linux, Kubernetes, Edge and AI infrastructure solutions, SUSE delivers the flexibility to innovate everywhere—from the data center to multi-cloud and out to the edge. Only SUSE also manages many Linux and Kubernetes distributions. At SUSE, Choice Happens because we prioritize community, interoperability and relentless innovation. Discover how we power mission-critical resilience at www.suse.com.

Job Description

How You’ll Contribute

• Strategic Alliance Leadership: Own, develop, and drive the global alliance strategy for SUSE's 30+ year relationship with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). You will build upon our foundational legacy business (SAP and SLES/Linux) to drive explosive growth in modern solutions, particularly around HPE’s AI factory solutions, virtualization, and high-performance computing (HPC) environments.
• Go-To-Market Orchestration (Sell-With & Sell-Through): Act as the primary orchestrator—the "spider in the web"—connecting HPE and SUSE sales organizations. You will design, implement, and drive joint sales plays, ensuring alignment between field teams to accelerate "sell-with" and "sell-through" revenue.
• MDF & Funded Headcount Management: Strategically manage a significant Market Development Fund (MDF) budget. You will direct a global virtual team of "funded heads" (HPE-badged resources dedicated to SUSE) across various geographies, optimizing their placement and activities to drive maximum ROI and field execution.
• Commercial & Contract Management: Lead the negotiation, modernization, and ongoing management of complex frame agreements, contracts, and historical amendments. You will navigate commercial nuances and ensure smooth operational cadence with your global HPE counterparts.
• Internal Sales Alignment & Enablement: Serve as the central point of contact for regional SUSE sales leadership. You will help resolve compensation and alignment queries, drive field excitement, and conduct high-level training and presentations on joint sales plays.
• Technical & Market Fluency: While a dedicated Solution Architect handles technical design, you must be highly conversant in modern infrastructure trends. You will navigate HPE’s highly engineering-focused culture, understanding how SUSE fits into their control planes, at-scale platforms, and neo-cloud provider hardware.

What You’ll Bring

• A seasoned professional with 10+ years of experience in the enterprise infrastructure software industry, with significant tenure in global alliance, partnership leadership, or channel ecosystem roles.
• Deep familiarity with the HPE and their ecosystem is highly desired.
• Proven success managing million-dollar Market Development Funds (MDF) and directing globally distributed, partner-badged "funded headcount" or virtual overlay teams.
• Exceptional presentation and training skills. You must be highly capable of standing in front of executive audiences and global sales teams to deliver compelling joint value propositions and actionable sales plays.
• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of untangling, negotiating, and managing complex, multi-year enterprise frame contracts and alliance agreements.
• A natural orchestrator and cross-functional leader capable of building networks at all levels. You excel at matchmaking between internal sales leaders and external partner organizations to drive field-level execution.
• Technical conversancy in Artificial Intelligence infrastructure, Kubernetes, Virtualization, and High-Performance Computing (HPC) to effectively collaborate with HPE's engineering-centric teams.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 30%, including global travel.

This position is subject to a background check(s), including criminal, credit, and/or employment references. The candidate is required to complete the background check(s) once an offer has been accepted. This will be conducted by SUSE’s external provider, where legally permitted.

For US Only - US Pay Transparency Disclaimer

If this role is filled in the United States of America, the starting base salary will be within the applicable pay range displayed below. In addition to base salary, this position may be eligible for a commission plan and a competitive benefits package. US benefits include comprehensive medical coverage, life and disability insurance, a 401(k) plan, an Employee Assistance Program, and generous paid time off and leave policies.

Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, geographic location, internal equity, and budget. This pay transparency information applies to US-based roles only.

Base Pay Range Min & Max

205000225000

Job

Sales

What We Offer

We empower you to be bold, driving your career to create the future you want. We celebrate and reward your achievements.

SUSE is a dynamic environment that is evolving rapidly, thus requiring agility, strong entrepreneurship and an open mind.

This is a compelling opportunity for the right person to join us as we continue to scale and prosper.

We give you the freedom to be yourself. You will work in a global community of unique individuals – like you – with different backgrounds, talents, skills and perspectives. A truly open community where everyone is welcome, has a voice and is encouraged to reach their full potential regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristics.

SUSE Values

Choice:

We are continuously making choice happen

We are accountable for our choices

We never get complacent

Community:

Nobody is smarter than everybody

We embrace diversity of thought

We are “open source first, upstream first” where collaboration benefits all

Trust:

We are trusted to deliver with integrity

We offer trust by default, and do not wait for it to be earned

We foster an environment where everyone trusts each other

Innovation:

We foster a culture of experimentation, and embrace change by challenging the norm

We are committed to continuous improvement, creativity and adaptability

Ideas are great, but without execution they are just ideas