Overview

This is an incredible opportunity to be part of a company that has been at the forefront of AI and high-performance data storage innovation for over two decades. DataDirect Networks (DDN) is a global market leader renowned for powering many of the world's most demanding AI data centers, in industries ranging from life sciences and healthcare to financial services, autonomous cars, Government, academia, research and manufacturing.

"DDN's A3I solutions are transforming the landscape of AI infrastructure." – IDC

“The real differentiator is DDN. I never hesitate to recommend DDN. DDN is the de facto name for AI Storage in high performance environments” - Marc Hamilton, VP, Solutions Architecture & Engineering | NVIDIA

DDN is the global leader in AI and multi-cloud data management at scale. Our cutting-edge data intelligence platform is designed to accelerate AI workloads, enabling organizations to extract maximum value from their data. With a proven track record of performance, reliability, and scalability, DDN empowers businesses to tackle the most challenging AI and data-intensive workloads with confidence.

Our success is driven by our unwavering commitment to innovation, customer-centricity, and a team of passionate professionals who bring their expertise and dedication to every project. This is a chance to make a significant impact at a company that is shaping the future of AI and data management.

Our commitment to innovation, customer success, and market leadership makes this an exciting and rewarding role for a driven professional looking to make a lasting impact in the world of AI and data storage.

Job Description

We are seeking a Director of Ecosystem to lead and operationalize DDN’s ecosystem strategy across VARs, OEMs, GSIs, cloud providers, and strategic technology partners.

This role requires a highly operational and strategic leader who understands how to build scalable partner motions in complex enterprise infrastructure and AI markets. The ideal candidate has experience creating ecosystem strategy, building partner programs, operationalizing cloud marketplace and fulfillment motions, supporting joint offering development, and driving cross-functional execution across technical and business teams.

This is not a relationship-management-only role. We are looking for a builder and operator who can create structure, define processes, establish operational rigor, gather business and technical requirements, and drive execution across Sales, GSS, Product, Engineering, Finance, RevOps, Marketing, and GTM Applications.

The successful candidate must thrive in fast-moving environments where operational clarity, ecosystem scalability, and execution discipline directly impact growth.

What You’ll Do

Build & Scale Ecosystem Strategy

Help define and operationalize DDN’s ecosystem strategy across VARs, OEMs, GSIs, cloud providers, and strategic technology partners
Develop scalable engagement models aligned to DDN’s AI infrastructure and enterprise GTM strategy
Support the expansion of co-sell, fulfillment, marketplace, and joint solution motions globally
Identify strategic partnership opportunities that accelerate revenue growth and customer adoption

Develop & Operationalize Partner Programs

Build and improve partner programs, engagement frameworks, governance models, and operational workflows
Create scalable processes for partner onboarding, enablement, deal engagement, escalation management, and operational coordination
Improve ecosystem operational maturity across reporting, accountability, execution tracking, and partner lifecycle management
Establish clear operational standards and execution models across ecosystem motions

Cloud Marketplace & Fulfillment Operations

Support transaction and fulfillment processes across cloud ecosystem partners and marketplaces
Help operationalize private offer workflows, marketplace motions, quoting alignment, and customer provisioning coordination
Partner with Finance, Deal Desk, RevOps, Legal, GSS, and Sales teams to improve execution and scalability
Improve operational visibility into marketplace transactions, partner fulfillment, and ecosystem-influenced revenue

Joint Offerings & NPI Execution

Partner with Product, Engineering, GSS, and ecosystem partners on joint offerings and NPI (New Product Introduction) initiatives
Gather operational, technical, support, and GTM requirements for joint solutions
Coordinate cross-functional execution required to launch and scale partner-integrated offerings
Help align product readiness, supportability, enablement, and operational execution for ecosystem-driven solutions

Drive Operational Rigor & Cross-Functional Execution

Create structure, governance, reporting, and accountability across ecosystem initiatives
Translate ambiguous business requirements into scalable operational processes
Drive alignment across Sales, RevOps, Product, Marketing, GSS, Finance, Legal, and GTM Applications teams
Improve visibility into ecosystem contribution, partner influence, co-sell activity, and operational performance
Build dashboards, KPIs, and reporting frameworks for executive visibility

Support Revenue Growth & Field Alignment

Partner closely with Sales and field leadership to align ecosystem strategy to target accounts and strategic opportunities
Improve partner engagement within enterprise sales motions
Help scale ecosystem-influenced pipeline generation and co-sell execution
Support strategic deal coordination involving OEMs, cloud providers, GSIs, and channel partners

What We’re Looking For

Required Qualifications

8+ years of experience in ecosystem, alliances, channel, strategic partnerships, business operations, or GTM leadership roles
Strong experience working across VARs, OEMs, GSIs, and cloud ecosystem partners
Experience building ecosystem strategy and operationalizing partner programs
Experience supporting cloud marketplace, private offer, transaction, and fulfillment workflows
Experience supporting joint offering development and NPI execution with cross-functional teams
Strong operational mindset with proven ability to create scalable processes and governance models
Experience gathering business and technical requirements and driving execution across multiple functions
Strong executive communication and cross-functional leadership capabilities
Experience with Salesforce, partner operations, and ecosystem reporting

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in AI infrastructure, enterprise storage, cloud infrastructure, HPC, or enterprise technology environments
Familiarity with NVIDIA ecosystem motions and AI infrastructure partnerships
Experience working with marketplace ecosystems such as AWS, OCI, Azure, or GCP
Experience driving ecosystem analytics, partner attribution, and co-sell reporting
Experience operating in high-growth or transformation-stage organizations

What Success Looks Like

Scalable and operationally mature ecosystem programs
Improved execution across cloud, OEM, GSI, and VAR partner motions
Faster operationalization of joint offerings and ecosystem initiatives
Improved co-sell alignment and ecosystem-influenced pipeline generation
Better visibility into ecosystem performance, contribution, and ROI
Strong cross-functional alignment and execution discipline
Efficient marketplace, fulfillment, and transaction workflows
Increased strategic value delivered through ecosystem partnerships

Salary Range: $190,000 - $260,000

DDN

DDN has a very strong orientation towards these 4 characteristics and any successful employee will demonstrate these capabilities:

Self-Starter - Takes independent action to identify and solve problems. Seeks out relevant information needed to make decisions. Gets involved with new initiatives.

Success/Achievement Orientation - Delivers quality results consistently. Targets, achieves (or exceeds) measurable results. Sets challenging goals, focuses on critical priorities, and is accountable.

Problem Solving - Recognizes problems and responds with a systematic assessment that identifies and addresses cause of issue. Practical, realistic, and resourceful.

Innovative - Builds and improves key business processes that enhance the effectiveness of DDN. Generates new ideas, challenges the status quo, and solves problems creatively.

DataDirect Networks, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, sex stereotyping, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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Director, Ecosystem Operations