Partnerships Director (Channels) – UK & Emerging Markets

What you’ll do

• Deal-Driven Strategy & Execution: Partner closely with cross-functional leaders to identify, build, and operationalise new distribution channels that directly contribute to Xero's customer acquisition goals. You'll be instrumental in defining and delivering on the quarterly and annual OKRs that reflect these growth objectives.
• High-Impact Strategic Partnerships: Cultivate and leverage senior-level relationships with new and existing strategic partners to originate and execute deals that drive significant customer acquisition. This requires a strong ability to understand partner needs and align them with Xero's strategic imperatives.
• Partnership Advocacy: Act as a passionate internal and external champion for strategic partnerships across the UK and Xero’s Emerging Markets. You'll represent Xero at key events, evangelising the value of our partnerships and continually seeking new deal opportunities.
• Operational Excellence: Consistently deliver against aggressive strategic and financial objectives tied to your deals and channels. You'll proactively identify and mitigate risks associated with your partnerships, ensuring all activities comply with relevant regulatory obligations to protect Xero's interests and maximise deal success.

Success looks like

• Strategic Deal Alignment: You consistently forge strong alignment with cross-functional leaders across the company, ensuring your pipeline and deal objectives are directly integrated with Xero's overarching strategic priorities for customer acquisition and market expansion.
• Robust Deal Pipeline Generation: You expertly identify, qualify, and cultivate a robust pipeline of high-potential channel partnership opportunities across key categories.
• Delivered Deal Impact & ROI: You consistently develop, execute, and operationalize key partnerships that demonstrably deliver significant impact for Xero and our partners, securing favorable economics and directly achieving key regional and company OKRs related to customer acquisition and growth.
• Values-Driven Deal Execution: You consistently embody and amplify Xero's Values, fostering trust and long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.

What you’ll bring with you

• Demonstrated success in a deal-centric role. This includes a clear track record of identifying, negotiating, and closing complex, high-value partnerships that drive measurable revenue growth and customer acquisition.
• Deep understanding of technology, with extensive experience within the SaaS industry. You possess a sharp commercial acumen, enabling you to identify opportunities and structure compelling deals.
• A solid track record of addressing complex partner needs and market gaps through the creation and execution of innovative partnership solutions. You're adept at uncovering win-win scenarios that not only benefit Xero but also drive substantial value for our partners.
• Experience within consulting, strategy and/or operations also favourable. 
• Possess a strong sense of ownership and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, consistently pushing for tangible deal outcomes and adapting quickly to evolving market conditions and Xero's strategic priorities.
• Possesses a strong strategic mindset, including business and product strategy. Expertise in assessing the commercial viability of deals through sophisticated modeling (e.g., ROI, LTV, payback period, NPV), cost/benefit analysis, and understanding the growth objectives they enable.
• Have a strong focus on market and competitive intelligence – Able to proactively identify and analyse emerging market trends, competitive landscapes, and partner ecosystems to uncover untapped deal opportunities and inform Xero's partnership strategy.
• Demonstrate strong executive influence to drive deal momentum and secure buy-in from key stakeholders. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Proficient in structuring and negotiating complex commercial agreements and contracts to maximize value for Xero.