VP of Strategic Partnerships & Channel Sales, Forward Networks
$390-420k
Office located in Santa Clara, CA
Mathematically-accurate network modeling
Be an early applicant
Mathematically-accurate network modeling
201-500 employees
Be an early applicant
$390-420k
Office located in Santa Clara, CA
201-500 employees
Company mission
To transform networks to be agile, predictable, and secure.
Role
Who you are
- 12+ years in channel/partner sales, with at least 6+ years in leadership, including hands-on selling, not just program management
- Proven experience build the channel & partner function — you've built or substantially scaled a channel & partner function, ideally at a startup or small team where you didn't have existing playbooks or tooling to lean on
- Consistent performance against partner goals for revenue, pipeline generation and closed won conversion rates
- An existing network of relevant partners and connections in your ecosystem that you can leverage across MSPs, Systems Integrators, Resellers and technology partners
- Builder / Architect mentality — You can move seamlessly from strategy to execution, driving real outcomes in the field. You bring the urgency, ownership, and accountability required to transform a partner function into a growth engine
- Strong cross-functional collaboration with product, marketing, and direct sales
- Excellent communication — credible with both a partner's CEO and their reps in the field
Desirable
- Experience in Networking or Security tools
- Familiarity with PRM and channel tooling (e.g., Crossbeam, PartnerStack, Salesforce PRM)
- Experience navigating channel conflict in a company running both direct and indirect motions
What the job involves
- We're looking for our first VP of Strategic Partnerships & Channel Sales to design, launch, and scale Forward's partner ecosystem from the ground up
- You will be responsible for designing, building, and scaling a world-class partner ecosystem that includes Managed Service Providers (MSPs), System Integrators, Commercial & Government Resellers, Technology and Strategic Partnerships
- Architect our MSP/Systems Integrator strategy. Develop and execute partnerships with MSPs & Systems Integrators to ensure Forward is the preferred autonomous networking solution to support their customers
- Lead our global channel strategy. Ensure that regional resellers and distributors are equipped with the technical and sales resources needed to identify and close "Land & Expand" opportunities
- Develop strategic partnerships with key technology companies. Identify and cultivate relationships with complementary technical partners that supports product integrations and drives incremental revenue
- Establish C-level relationships across top partners and act as the executive face of Forward within our partner ecosystem
- Design & manage our partner program. Build the foundations from scratch — tiering, margins and incentives, deal registration, co-sell motions, enablement, and the tooling needed to run it. Build partnerships where their teams can both sell and deliver our technology
- Drive revenue. Partner closely with sales to drive sell-to and sell-through opportunities. Ultimately, own a partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline number and the closed revenue that follows
- Work cross-functionally. Work with Product, Sales, Operations, Finance & Marketing on various activities including partner-ready packaging, co-marketing and lead-gen, co-selling rules of engagement and partner enablement
Our take
The rapid flow of data from inside and outside organisations has rendered top-down planning difficult, and often ineffective, especially in an enterprise network setting. Forward Networks provides a solution by creating digital twins of a company's network architecture so planners and developers can see how their activities will affect operations across the entire network.
Although digital twinning is relatively new, there is already intense competition for this space. Forward Networks has carved out a unique niche in focusing on enterprise networks rather than the organisation as a whole, a focus which is needed given the complexity of modern hybrid networks which can span several cloud environments.
In 2023, Forward Networks completed a Series D funding round led by MSD Partners, with participation from Goldman Sachs, one of its long-term customers. This investment has supported the business in further developing its product, expand the services available to its customers, and scaling its core team.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
95% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 4 rounds)
Jan 2023
$50m
SERIES D
Oct 2019
$35m
SERIES C
Total funding: $112.5m
Company benefits
- We’re an agile team and early-stage company with plenty of opportunities to grow, as a company and as individuals.
- Every team member receives a compensation package that includes equity, so we can grow together.
- We offer top-grade insurance, with medical, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family.
- Vacations, holidays, family days. With no tracked time off, you can go as long as it’s okay with your manager.
Company HQ
Santa Clara, CA
Leadership
David Erickson
(Co-Founder & CEO)Was Director of Course Content and Instructor at SDN Academy, a Graduate Research Assistant at Stanford University and Member of Technical Staff at big switch networks.
Brandon Heller
(Co-Founder & CTO)Was Director of Course Content and Instructor at SDN Academy. Prior to that, they interned at Google, Hewlett-Packard and Emerson Motor Company.
Nikhil Handigol
(Co-Founder & Chief AI Officer)Was Director of Course Content and Instructor at SDN Academy, as well as a Member of Technical Staff at ON.Lab and Research Assistant at Stanford University.
Peyman Kazemian
(Co-Founder)Was Director of Course Content and Instructor at SDN Academy, and a Researcher and Teaching Assistant at Stanford University. Also in terned at Google and Ericsson.
Salary benchmarks
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