Senior Director, Partner Marketing at Actionstep

United States

$160k - $170k

Partnerships and professional associations are a primary growth engine for Actionstep. Current run-rate is the floor, not the ceiling — but it will not grow without dedicated ownership. This role exists to take the channel from a high-performing but loosely structured revenue source to a repeatable, scalable growth engine. You will build the co-marketing infrastructure, partner enablement systems, and attribution frameworks that turn our partner and association network into a force multiplier — one that operates across North America, the UK, and Australia/New Zealand. You will work in close alignment with the Chief Alliances Officer and serve as the marketing counterpart to the alliances org, building what the channel needs to generate, qualify, and close mid-market pipeline. CORE RESPONSIBILITIES Partner Ecosystem Architecture: In close partnership with the CAO and Alliances team, build and maintain a tiered partner model that concentrates resources on the highest-yield relationships — prioritizing strategic mid-market consultants, implementation partners, technology integrators , and professional associations (ALA, ILTA, ABA). Define what "active" means at each tier and create the activation criteria that move partners between tiers. Co-Marketing Infrastructure: Develop standardized co-marketing frameworks, campaign toolkits, and campaigns-in-a-box that allow partners to generate demand within their own networks with minimal friction and consistent messaging. Build the MDF program from the ground up — criteria, allocation logic, co-investment requirements, and direct ROI tracking at the opportunity level. Internal Partner Manager Enablement: Train and equip the CAO's partner managers to have marketing conversations with partners. Build the internal playbook, messaging guides, and objection-handling tools the alliances team needs to position co-marketing opportunities, set expectations, and hold partners accountable to activation milestones. Partner-Facing Enablement: Develop and own the partner enablement program, ensuring implementation consultants and association influencers are fluent in the Actionstep mid-market narrative and can carry it independently. Partners should be able to close the credibility gap in conversations where we are not in the room. Pipeline Attribution and Reporting: Work with Marketing Operations and the CRO's team to build clean attribution for partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline. Define shared definitions for partner-sourced vs. partner-influenced. Build the cadence for reporting to the CMO and CAO, including the metrics used at QBR and board-level reviews. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AND WHAT WILL HELP MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL Experience & Qualifications Essential: 8+ years in B2B channel or partner marketing within SaaS, with demonstrated experience building programs from early-stage or low-structure environments — not just scaling what already exists. Essential: Proven ability to design and run co-marketing programs, MDF structures, and partner portals — with direct accountability for the pipeline output, not just the program inputs. Essential: Comfort operating in a PE-backed or high-growth environment where resource constraints are real, prioritization is non-negotiable, and reporting to leadership requires clear revenue math. Desirable: Direct experience within the legal tech ecosystem, professional services associations (ALA, ILTA, ABA, state bars), or adjacent regulated verticals where trust and peer referral drive buying decisions. Desirable: Multi-market experience, particularly across North America and APAC or EMEA. Personal Skills, Attributes & Behavioral Competencies Builder Mindset: This role requires someone who is energized by creating structure where none exists — not frustrated by it. You have built programs before and can show the output. Revenue Accountability: You treat partner-sourced pipeline as your number. You know how to read attribution reports, challenge the data, and own the story you tell the CMO and CRO. Influence Without Authority: You motivate external partners and association boards to prioritize Actionstep over other vendors in their portfolio — not through relationship alone, but through the quality of the co-marketing tools and the clarity of the business case you present. Internal Credibility: You build trust with the alliances org by making their jobs easier, not by competing with them. The CAO should view you as the person who makes their team more effective. WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH Reports To: CMO Internal: Chief Alliances Officer (joint ownership of partner channel strategy and pipeline targets), Partner Managers (activation and collaboration), Growth Marketing (campaign integration), Product Marketing (narrative and collateral), Sales and Channel Managers (lead routing and follow-up SLAs), Marketing Operations (attribution and reporting) External: Implementation Partners, Legal Consultants, Professional Association Executives (ALA, ILTA, ABA, state bars), and Technology Partners HOW YOU KNOW YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL Quantitative Measures Partner-Sourced Pipeline: Total dollar value of opportunities where a partner is credited at first attribution. Target trajectory defined at 90-day, 6-month, and 12-month marks. Partner Activation Rate: Percentage of Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners who have executed a co-marketing play or submitted a qualified lead within the prior 90 days. Target: 60%+ active within 6 months of program launch. Channel CAC: Partner-sourced CAC is measurably below direct digital CAC within 12 months. MDF ROI: Every dollar of MDF deployed is tracked to pipeline. No unattributed spend. Qualitative Measures Internal Enablement Adoption: The alliances team is using the playbooks, messaging guides, and co-marketing tools built by this role — not working around them. Narrative Consistency: Strategic partners and association influencers are delivering the Actionstep mid-market narrative accurately and without coaching in the room. CAO Partnership: The Chief Alliances Officer views this role as a peer contributor to channel strategy, not a service provider to the alliances org. We have a fantastic and inspirational working environment! Robust medical, dental, vision offerings 401K with company match Flexible working and PTO Take your birthday off Frequent team building events Fantastic training and development opportunities 160-170k range