Strategic Alliances Lead

About the role

As a results-orientated Strategic Alliances Lead, you will have a dynamic approach that enables you to develop and execute Zellis’ strategy for our Strategic Partnerships Program. You will focus on creating and building on long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with key partners to enhance our market reach, drive innovation, and accelerate business growth.

As the Strategic Alliances Lead, you will be at the forefront of developing high-value alliances and working cross-functionally to enable successful collaborations and delivery of Zellis’ products and services through our strategic partners.

Role Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Partner Strategy & Development:

• Define and execute the strategic alliances roadmap, identifying high-value partners that align with Zellis’ business objectives, growth plans and values.
• Cultivate a deep understanding of industry trends, customer needs, and competitor activities to inform partnership strategies.
• Engage with senior leadership to align partnership goals with overall business strategy.

Relationship Building & Management:

• Build and nurture strong relationships with C-level executives and key stakeholders within partner organisations.
• Be the primary point of contact for strategic partners, managing communication, expectations, and alignment throughout the partnership lifecycle.

Go-to-Market Collaboration:

• Collaborate closely with sales, marketing, and product teams to develop joint go-to-market strategies, campaigns, and offerings that drive revenue and market expansion.
• Lead on developing new revenue streams through partnerships/alliances that could add £5-10m per annum to the business.
• Validate that partner solutions are integrated effectively with Zellis’ offerings to deliver value to customers.

Partnership Execution & Governance:

• Lead the negotiation and establishment of partnership agreements, validating clear terms, KPIs, and success criteria.
• Oversee the execution and performance of partnerships, enabling alignment with agreed-upon goals and continuous optimisation of collaboration.

Partner Enablement & Support:

• Develop partner enablement programs, including sales training, marketing resources, and tools, to enable partners to be equipped to effectively sell and support Zellis’ solutions and our commercial teams to sell partner solutions and services.
• Provide ongoing support and guidance to partners to drive success and overcome any challenges.

Performance Monitoring & Reporting:

• Track and report on the performance of strategic alliances, validating that partnerships are delivering value and meeting agreed-upon targets.
• Provide regular updates and reports to internal stakeholders and leadership on alliance progress, results, and opportunities.

Market Intelligence & Thought Leadership:

• Stay ahead of emerging trends and opportunities in the marketplace, using insights to guide partnership decisions and innovations.
• Represent Zellis at key industry events, conferences, and partner forums to build relationships, promote brand visibility, and share thought leadership.

Skills & Experience

• Five+ years of experience in strategic alliances, business development, or partner management, with a strong track record of successfully developing and managing strategic partnerships.
• Experience in HR, payroll, and WFM technology or SaaS industries, with an understanding of the partner ecosystem and sales cycles.
• Exceptional relationship-building and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and manage complex partnerships.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to measure, track, and report on partnership performance and ROI.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and problem-solving abilities.
• A strategic thinker with the ability to execute on detailed plans and drive results. Proven ability to work cross-functionally with sales, marketing, product, and leadership teams to achieve shared goals.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field; MBA or equivalent advanced degree is a plus.

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to travel as required to meet with partners, attend industry events, and support strategic initiatives.
• Knowledge of Zellis’ product portfolio, solutions, and value propositions (or similar technology-driven platforms) is a plus.

Benefits & Culture

At Zellis we create market-leading HR & Payroll products and services, to power exceptional employee experiences so that you and your people do better. Our multi-award-winning products pay over five million employees a year, with almost half (42%) of the FTSE 100, 50% of the top retailers, and 30% of the top universities in the UK & Ireland as customers, making us the largest provider of Payroll and HR software and managed services.

Our vision is to be the clear leader in pay, reward, analytics, and people experiences. We're passionate about creating an environment where people want to join, belong to, and be part of a progressive organisation. Our values, defined with input from all of our 2,000 colleagues, are:

• Unstoppable together.
• Always learning.
• Make it count.
• Think scale.

Our people are critical to our ongoing success; we’re proud of our inclusive culture that gives you the platform to grow, challenge the status quo and play a crucial role in further enhancing our market position as the leading provider of HR & Payroll software and services. With Zellis you’ll have the chance to stretch and challenge yourself in an environment that’s varied, flexible and hugely supportive.

We also love to reward and recognise our brilliant colleagues. As part of your benefits package, you’ll receive:

• A competitive base salary.
• 25 days annual leave, plus your birthday off and the opportunity to buy additional holiday.
• Private medical insurance.
• Life assurance 4x salary.
• Enhanced pension scheme with company contributions up to 8.5%.
• A huge range of additional flexible benefits across financial & personal wellbeing, lifestyle & leisure.