Alliance Director

About this role

ADD Req ID: SLSQ427R333 While candidates in the listed location(s) are encouraged for this role, candidates in other locations will be considered. You will serve as the business development engine for Databricks' Gold-tier and Rising Silver partner portfolio in EMEA, owning the motions that convert partner relationships into partner-sourced pipeline and consumption growth. Your primary mandate is intentional market-making: moving partners from delivery-first behaviour into structured demand creation through Big Bet account engagements, joint GTM campaigns, Brickbuilder solution plays, and scalable co-sell execution. You will work closely with Partner Sales Managers (PSMs), Partner Solutions Architects (PSAs), as well as Partner and Field Marketing to plan, execute, and advance partner GTM and to build the GTM capability within partners that makes this motion repeatable. You will report to the EMEA Partner Manager Leader. The impact you will have: • You will own the business development motion for a defined portfolio of Gold-tier and Rising Silver partners in EMEA, co-developing structured GTM plans with the partners that drive partner-sourced pipeline volume (early-stage opportunity creation) and velocity aligned to the partner-sourced contribution targets. • You will lead a targeted number of partner industry workshops per partner per year and run a defined number of structured partner GTM campaigns per quarter, moving partners from opportunistic co-selling to programmatic, campaign-driven demand generation aligned to Company and GTM Priorities. • You will translate the Databricks Brickbuilder program into live partner GTM plays — identifying the right use cases, qualifying partners for Specialization and Brickbuilder eligibility, and connecting partner solution IP to Databricks sales programs and customer outcome maps for the key industries. • You will execute the Power-of-3 motion (SI + ISV + Cloud) within your partner portfolio, brokering joint account engagements that combine your partners industry depth with cloud hyperscaler funding, and ISV capability to create multi-workload, multi-year customer outcomes. • You will build GTM capacity inside your partner portfolio — driving sales badge completion, sales masterclasses, partner champion development, and Specialization progression — moving partners from certified to market-making, with the goal that each priority partner has a dedicated Databricks GTM team operating at the Databricks field standard. • You will own the partner-facing governance model for your portfolio: Plan-on-a-Page and Partner Cockpit discipline, deal registration and SLA compliance, cadenced partner business updates, and the CRM hygiene that ensures partner-sourced and delivery pipeline is correctly marked and credited. • You will run co-marketing investment decisions for your portfolio (MDF, Accelerate, co-sponsored demand gen), applying ROI discipline — strategic impact over activity volume — aligned to the principle that investment is intent, not incremental spending. • You will operate as a Partner First leader in the field, treating priority partners as extensions of the Databricks sales team: setting accountability expectations, recognizing and scaling what works, and being the first call for partners who are creating net-new pipeline in accounts. What we look for: • Partner business development or channel sales experience : a demonstrated track record of driving partner-sourced or partner-initiated pipeline — not just co-sell support — with tangible evidence of moving a partner from reactive delivery to proactive demand creation. • Campaign and programmatic GTM execution : experience designing and running structured joint campaigns with partners, not one-off events; ability to connect partner solution IP (e.g. Brickbuilder-style accelerators) to sales programs and customer outcome narratives. • Partner portfolio management : experience managing a defined portfolio of regional or national SIs, selecting and prioritizing partners by commercial fit and growth potential, and building Joint Business Plans that produce measurable sourced pipeline outcomes. • Operational rigor : comfort owning deal registration hygiene, KPI/OKR tracking (sourced, conversion, campaign attribution, etc.), pipeline review cadence, and partner governance (Plan-on-a-Page, Cockpit, etc.) with the discipline to keep metrics correct, analyze, using AI tools in your daily work , and act on what the data shows. • Cross-functional collaboration : ability to work across PSM, PSA, Field Marketing, and Field Sales and Pre-Sales Leaders, to qualify, advance, and close partner-sourced opportunities. Experience navigating Sales and partner team alignment around co-sell priorities and partner accreditation. • Value selling and partner enablement : ability to help partners build an outcome-focused, industry-specific narrative for C-suite and LoB buyers — not just pitch the platform — and to run sales masterclasses and capability sessions that improve partner sales confidence and conversion. • Domain knowledge : understanding of mid-tier SIs' business models, how their P&L is structured, and what "partner-sourced" means operationally in their context; awareness of the EMEA data/AI competitive landscape, including the hyperscaler dynamics (AWS, Microsoft, GCP) that shape partner investment decisions. • Ambition and execution pace : comfort operating in a high-growth, fast-moving environment where the operating model is still being built, and contributing to building it. The ability to move fast on Big Bet account engagements and campaigns without waiting for perfect conditions. About Databricks Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn , X , YouTube , and Instagram . Benefits At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here . Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics. Compliance If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.