Director, Strategic Business Development

About the Role As we scale our partner ecosystem, this is a rare opportunity to define it. We're hiring a Director of Strategic Business Development to own our ISV strategy end-to-end — from whitespace mapping and partner identification to deal structure, negotiation, and long-term ecosystem growth.  This role sits at the intersection of corporate strategy, business development, and product — working across AI, automation, cloud, and collaboration to build the partnerships that accelerate our product roadmap, expand our go-to-market reach, and drive long-term revenue. You'll operate with high autonomy, influence at the executive level, and mandate to build something lasting inside a fast-growing B2B SaaS company.  What You'll Own:  Strategy & Ecosystem Development Define and execute a multi-year ISV partner strategy aligned with product and GTM priorities across AI, automation, cloud, collaboration, and adjacent categories Conduct market analysis, competitive benchmarking, and whitespace mapping to inform partner prioritization and ecosystem investment  Drive partner planning cycles and influence cross-functional stakeholders through strategic frameworks and ROI-backed proposals  Deal Origination & Execution Build, manage, and prioritize a pipeline of high-impact ISV partnership opportunities  Own the full deal lifecycle — from opportunity identification and qualification through proposal development, executive alignment, negotiation, and close Structure and negotiate complex commercial agreements including integrations, co-sell, OEM, and joint solution partnerships Build data-driven business cases that quantify revenue impact, product differentiation, and customer value  Cross-Functional Leadership Collaborate with Product, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to launch and operationalize joint solutions  Develop scalable onboarding, enablement, and performance tracking processes for ISV partners  Define success metrics and regularly report ecosystem performance and partner impact to executive leadership Please note this is a hybrid role with onsite expectations of 3x/week (Tuesday - Thursday) from our San Mateo, CA headquarters.  Required 8-10+ years in Strategic Business Development, Partnerships, Corporate Strategy, or Corporate Development, ideally within B2B SaaS Proven success sourcing, negotiating, and closing complex partnerships with ISV's, OEMs, or enterprise technology providers  Deep understanding of joint GTM execution, co-sell motions, and ecosystem-driven growth strategies Strong financial modeling and strategic planning skills; able to build compelling business cases and ROI frameworks  Experience aligning and influencing executive-level stakeholders across multiple functions  Exceptional communication, storytelling, and relationship-building skills  Bachelor's degree required  Willingness to travel up to 25%, including internationally  Preferred MBA or background in management consulting, investment banking, or corporate strategy  Experience in or along side the ITSM or CX space Familiarity with modern partner ecosystem tools and co-sell program structures (e.g., Salesforce AppExchange, Microsoft marketplace, AWS Partner Network) Please note this is a hybrid role with onsite expectations of 3x/week (Tuesday - Thursday) from our San Mateo, CA headquarters.  The annual base salary range for this position is $230,000 - $280,000. This role is also eligible for a target bonus.  Compensation is based on a variety of factors including but not limited to location, experience, job-related skills, and level. Bonus/equity may be available. Freshworks offers multiple options for dental, medical, vision, disability and life insurances. Equity + ESPP, flexible PTO, flexible spending, commuter benefits and wellness benefits are also offered. Freshworks also offers adoption and parental leave ben ... (truncated, view full listing at source)