Global Frontier Alliances Lead

SoftwareOne; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

SoftwareOne in Houston seeks a strategic alliance leader to define and scale frontier partnerships with Anthropic and OpenAI. This is a build role: no existing playbook, you will stand up certification and delivery infrastructure, shape the sales motion, and personally manage early anchor deals.

You will coordinate globally across Sales, Cloud, Data & AI, and regional teams, provide executive updates, and plan a future Frontier Alliances team while traveling up to 40% to partner HQs and

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the strategy to achieve top tier/preferred partner status with Anthropic and OpenAI by January 2027.

Job description

Job Summary

SoftwareOne is scaling from a trusted software and cloud partner into the global distribution and delivery engine for frontier AI. Anthropic and OpenAI are building the most capable AI models in the world - but neither has global reach, delivery depth, nor enterprise trust that SoftwareOne has built across 80,000+ customers in 70+ countries. We're creating this role to close that gap.

This is a build role, not a maintain role. There is no existing team, no established playbook, and no inherited partner-management motion for this mandate. You will define the strategy, stand up the certification and delivery infrastructure, build the sales motion, and personally carry both relationships - while building the case to grow a founding team as the practice earns the right to scale.

Role & Responsibilities

• Define and execute the strategy to achieve top tier/preferred partner status with Anthropic and OpenAI by January 2027.


• Build the foundational alliance infrastructure from the ground up, including certification plans, co-sell governance, deal registration, partner reporting, and internal operating rhythms.


• Launch the go-to-market and revenue motion across resale/distribution, advisory, implementation, and managed services; personally help secure early anchor deals to prove the model.


• Serve as SoftwareOne's primary relationship owner with Anthropic and OpenAI, representing the company in senior partnership, business development, and tier-review discussions.


• Coordinate globally across sales, marketing, Cloud, Data & AI, Managed Services, Finance, and regional teams to ensure delivery readiness keeps pace with commercial commitments.


• Provide clear executive and board-ready updates on progress, risks, milestones, revenue impact, and resourcing needs.


• Build the business case, budget, and hiring plan for a future Frontier Alliances team as the practice reaches its initial milestones.


• Must be able to work across time zones to support global (EMEA, APAC, LATAM) alliance and delivery teams.


• Regular domestic and international travel expected, including to partner headquarters and regional SoftwareOne offices. Travel up 40%