Partnership Manager

Do you love the thrill of closing a new partner, but also get real satisfaction from watching that relationship grow, quarter after quarter? Are you the kind of person who owns your number and knows exactly which levers to pull to hit it? Do you want a book of business that's entirely yours — no handovers, no shared credit — from the first cold outreach through every renewal after? And do you like variety, where prospecting a new market one day and working with a partner to unlock more revenue the next is just part of the job?

AIHR is looking for a Partnership Manager to build, own, and grow our global commercial partner network within our Sales Department. This is not a marketing position.

About AIHR

Founded in 2016 with the mission to future-proof HR, AIHR (Academy to Innovate HR) has become the world’s market leader in online training for HR professionals. We serve a global customer base across 140+ countries, including companies like Unilever, Reckitt, Goldman Sachs, Philips, Deloitte, Nike, Heineken, and UBS — and we’re on a mission to upskill and empower 1,000,000 HR professionals.

We’re an international team of 90+ people from 30+ nationalities, driven by excellence, innovation, and a hunger to grow in everything we do. We’re also a genuinely friendly, enthusiastic group who like working together. Being a fast-growing company, working at AIHR means taking on real responsibility fast, with plenty of room to develop yourself and shape your own role.

Role and Responsibilities

As Partnership Manager, you own the growth of our commercial partner network end to end — a global portfolio of 50+ partners driving primarily single-seat e-commerce sales, with real upside to unlock B2B business through the same relationships. This is a full-cycle, quota-carrying role: you prospect and sign new commercial partners, then you keep them. There’s no handover once a partner is onboarded — you stay their main point of contact for as long as they’re in the network.

Your target is built from two connected levers, and hitting it means working both:

• Acquisition — bringing new, high-quality commercial partners into the network through disciplined prospecting, sharp discovery conversations, and closed partnership agreements.

• Expansion — growing the partners already in your portfolio so their revenue contribution increases year over year, through strong onboarding, regular QBRs, and hands-on commercial account management.

On a Typical Day

On a typical Monday morning, you start by working through your pipeline and CRM notes from the week before — flagging which partner conversations need a nudge and which QBRs are coming up. You block an hour for outbound prospecting in a market you’re trying to break into, then jump on your first discovery call of the day with a promising new prospect, walking through their business, commercial potential, and how a partnership with AIHR could work for both sides.

The next day looks different: you’re prepping for a QBR with one of your strongest commercial partners, pulling together their numbers and a couple of ideas for what could drive more revenue through the partnership. Before the call, you sync quickly with Marketing to confirm the new partner materials they’ve been building are ready to share. On the call, you review targets together, agree on two concrete actions, and set a date to check back in. Not every QBR goes that smoothly — sometimes a partner’s numbers have dipped and you have to have a direct, honest conversation about what isn’t working. It’s not always the easiest part of the job, but the partners who trust you enough to hear it are usually the ones who turn things around.

Later in the week you’re back in acquisition mode, following up on a negotiation with a new commercial partner who’s asked for better terms — deciding what you’re willing to give, and what you’ll ask for in return. You close out the week updating your forecast and walking your manager through where acquisition and expansion numbers stand. Friday afternoon wraps with a quick team catch-up and, if you’re in the Rotterdam office, our regular Friday drinks — a good reset before the next push begins.

Your Target

This is a quota-carrying role. Your number is built from two levers working together: new-partner revenue from the commercial partners you acquire, and growth revenue from the partners already in your book. In your first year, that means a steady flow of newly signed commercial partners, every active partner on a QBR cadence, and measurable year-over-year growth across your existing portfolio.

What We Offer

• Competitive, benchmarked compensation, including a commission plan tied to your target

• A high degree of autonomy in a vibrant, result-driven, inclusive, and international team

• A beautiful office right across Rotterdam Central Station (Millenniumtoren), with a satellite office in Amsterdam

• 26 paid holidays per year

• Exchange any 2 public holiday days for 2 other days of your choice

• Work-from-anywhere policy: up to 20 days a year working abroad

• Pension plan

• Access to the OpenUp mental health platform

• Personal development budget, training, and we pay for the books you read

• All public transport expenses covered (NS Business Card)

• MacBook + all other equipment you need to do your work

• Daily lunch prepared by a chef, weekly drinks, and fun team activities

• Free access to the office gym

Get a taste of AIHR experience and check out our AIHR Benefits Guide!

Who You Are

• 3+ years of experience in both commercial partnership acquisition and partnership/account management, ideally in SaaS, e-commerce, EdTech, or another B2B environment

• Comfortable owning a revenue target and being accountable for hitting your number

• Proven experience building your own pipeline through outbound prospecting and converting opportunities into signed commercial agreements

• AI-first mindset to drive & improve operational efficiencies

• A natural relationship builder — people trust you and want to keep working with you

• Highly organized and execution-oriented, able to manage 50–80 concurrent partner relationships without dropping the ball

• Commercially sharp, comfortable negotiating agreements, setting targets with partners, and having direct conversations when performance needs to move

• A strong, clear communicator in English

• Available to work at least 3 days a week from our Rotterdam office

Nice to have

• Experience with HubSpot

• Background in HR tech, EdTech, or SaaS industry

• Experience in channel sales, partnerships, business development, or account management

Apply for the Job

Are you excited to become our Partnership Manager? We’d love to hear from you!

P.S. Research shows that men tend to apply for a role once they meet around 60% of the requirements, while women often wait until they meet closer to 100%. If you think you could do this job but don’t tick every box above, please apply anyway — we’d love to see if you’re a great fit.