Partner Sales Director

Join to apply for the Partner Sales Director - IHV Alliances role at Canonical. Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors. Company Culture The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office‑based roles. Teams meet two to four times yearly in person, in interesting locations around the world, to align on strategy and execution. The company is founder‑led, profitable, and growing. Role Summary We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced IHV Alliance Sales Director to join our strategic partnerships team. The Director will lead IHV Alliances in the EMEA or APAC regions, reporting to the Head of IHV Alliances and working closely with IHV and Canonical teams to develop and maintain strong relationships with senior executives at strategic partner organizations. Responsibilities Manage and grow a team of Business Development Managers, helping them identify and pursue new business opportunities with IHVs to drive revenue growth and market expansion. Develop and execute go‑to‑market strategies for joint offerings, oversee day‑to‑day management of alliances, including contract negotiations and performance tracking. Build trusted relationships with IHV partners, increasing Canonical market share and attach rate, evangelising the partnership, and leading all business interactions from engineerxO. Run customer workshops focused on particular initiatives, attend sales events, give public presentations, and lead executive engagements.Lead partnerships in APAC with companies such as Lenovo, Huawei, Quanta, Fujitsu, Inspur, H3C, NEC, Asus, and in EMEA with Ericsson, Nokia, Bull, Siemens; also lead apex partnerships in the Americas with Dell, HPE, IBM, Supermicro. Collaborate closely with marketing, sales engineering, and product management to deliver on targets, objectives, and provide a voice the partner. Lead executive interlocks between IHV and Canonical leadership, traveling regularly—including internationally—to drive partnerships in person. Qualifications Experience in alliance or indirect sales management roles. Autonomous, disciplined, hands‑on, get‑it‑done mentality. Ability to capture customer requirements, evaluate gaps, identify and create opportunities. Passionate about Ubuntu products and mission. Comfortable in fast‑paced and high‑pressure environments with measurable goals. Experience with Linux, virtualization, containers, and other cloud technologies. Excellent communication and presentation skills. Deep understanding of the Linux and cloud software ecosystem and of large, complex organizations. Benefits Compensation reviewed annually with performance‑driven bonuses or commissions. Competitive base pay shaped by location, experience, and performance. Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year. Annual compensation review and recognition rewards. Annual holiday leave, maternity and paternity leave. Team Member Assistance Program & Wellness Platform. Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues. Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long‑haul company events. Canonical is an equal opportunity employer. We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background create a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration. #J-18808-Ljbffr