Senior Director, Partner Programs, Enablement, and Operations

Role overview

Ping Identity is seeking a strategic, highly execution-oriented Director, Partner Programs, Enablement & Operations to build the operating system that helps our partners create pipeline, win business, and deliver customer outcomes.

This role brings together three connected disciplines: partner program design, partner enablement, and chief-of-staff-style operating leadership. You will translate channel strategy into repeatable programs, equip partners and internal teams to execute, and establish the planning, measurement, and decision cadence required to scale our partner business.

The ideal candidate is equally comfortable designing a global partner program, facilitating an executive decision, building a practical enablement journey, and turning an ambiguous cross-functional priority into a clear plan with owners, milestones, and measurable outcomes.

What you will do

Build and evolve the partner programs portfolio

• Design and manage a coherent partner-program framework spanning recruitment, onboarding, activation, specialization, co-selling, services readiness, incentives, recognition, and lifecycle management.
• Establish transparent principles for partner segmentation, prioritization, investment, access to strategic initiatives, and progression through the partner lifecycle.
• Create program requirements, benefits, governance, operating guidelines, and communications that are simple for field teams and partners to understand and use.
• Develop repeatable frameworks for joint business planning, partner commitments, mutual action plans, strategic partner agreements, and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, Product, Marketing, Sales, Services, and Operations to ensure programs are scalable, economically sound, and aligned to company priorities.

Lead partner enablement and activation

• Define the minimum partner-ready package for priority products and motions, including messaging, use cases, demos, pricing and SKU guidance, sales plays, presales support, delivery readiness, and customer proof.
• Build role-based enablement journeys for partner executives, sellers, solution architects, consultants, delivery teams, and customer-success stakeholders.
• Establish a practical calendar of onboarding, training, certification, launch, and reinforcement activities tied to partner and business outcomes.
• Create the feedback loop that continuously improves enablement content based on partner adoption, field usage, win/loss evidence, and customer results.
• Coordinate with Revenue Enablement, Product, Solutions Engineering, Professional Services, Customer Experience, Marketing, and regional alliances leaders to eliminate duplication and close readiness gaps.
• Champion fast, iterative delivery: put useful assets in partners’ hands early, measure usage and impact, and improve them based on evidence.

Operate as a chief-of-staff for the partner organization

• Establish the partner organization’s operating cadence, including annual and quarterly planning, weekly execution reviews, pipeline and forecast inspection, executive readouts, and action follow-through.
• Convert strategic priorities into integrated plans with clear owners, milestones, dependencies, decisions, and escalation paths.
• Prepare leadership meetings, QBRs, business reviews, and executive partner engagements with concise narratives, decision materials, and recommended actions.
• Maintain a single view of strategic initiatives, partner commitments, risks, cross-functional dependencies, and overdue or blocked actions.
• Build dashboards and operating metrics that connect partner activity to pipeline, sourced and influenced revenue, activation, enablement adoption, delivery readiness, customer outcomes, and return on investment.
• Improve clarity around partner attribution, field rules of engagement, investment decisions, incentives, and the handoffs between direct sales and partners.
• Surface trade-offs early, drive decisions to closure, and ensure commitments are translated into accountable execution.

Drive executive and cross-functional alignment

• Serve as a trusted advisor and connective tissue across Channel Alliances, Sales, Marketing, Product, Solutions Engineering, Professional Services, Customer Experience, Finance, Legal, and Revenue Operations.
• Build productive relationships with partner executives and internal leaders, earning credibility through sound judgment, responsiveness, and delivery.
• Facilitate complex decisions where priorities, resources, or ownership are unclear.
• Support strategic partner motions, including executive alignment, joint go-to-market planning, customer engagement, and mutual investment discussions.
• Provide clear, data-informed recommendations to senior leadership on partner priorities, programs, enablement investments, and operating model improvements.

Build the capability and culture

• Lead through influence across a distributed, global organization and build a high-accountability, partner-first culture.
• Develop program, enablement, and operations capabilities through hiring, coaching, clear role design, reusable processes, and strong cross-functional partnerships.
• Establish standards for high-quality planning, communication, measurement, and follow-through.

What success looks like

In the first 12 months, you will:

• Launch a clear partner-program and enablement operating model with defined ownership, governance, milestones, and success measures.
• Establish a prioritized partner portfolio and transparent criteria for investment, access, activation, and progression.
• Deliver a measurable enablement plan for priority products and partner motions, with adoption and business-impact reporting.
• Improve the quality and consistency of partner pipeline inspection, attribution, forecasting, and executive reporting.
• Create a dependable operating cadence that closes decisions, exposes risks early, and improves cross-functional execution.
• Demonstrate stronger partner engagement, field adoption, and measurable contribution to pipeline, revenue, and customer outcomes.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• Approximately 9–11 years of experience in partner programs, channel strategy, alliances, revenue operations, sales enablement, business operations, or a related discipline.
• Experience in a software, cloud, cybersecurity, identity, or other technology ecosystem with complex partner motions.
• Demonstrated success designing and scaling partner programs, enablement programs, or cross-functional operating models.
• Strong program-management and operating-rhythm skills, including planning, prioritization, dependency management, metrics, and executive communication.
• Ability to move between strategy and execution: define the model, make the plan, align stakeholders, and drive delivery.
• Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, influencing, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong business judgment and comfort making recommendations with incomplete information.
• Experience working across Sales, Marketing, Product, Services, Finance, Legal, and Operations.
• High ownership, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple priorities in a rapidly changing environment.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with global system integrators, regional system integrators, distributors, resellers, cloud marketplaces, or technology partners.
• Experience building partner tiering, specialization, incentives, investment, onboarding, certification, or co-selling programs.
• Experience translating product launches into partner-ready go-to-market and delivery motions.
• Experience running executive operating cadences, QBRs, leadership reviews, or chief-of-staff/business-operations functions.
• Familiarity with CRM, partner relationship management, analytics, planning, and collaboration tools.
• Experience in identity and access management, cybersecurity, SaaS, or enterprise infrastructure.
• MBA or other relevant advanced degree.

Base Hiring Range: $185,000-$265,000

In accordance with Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (SB 19-085) the approximate compensation range for this role in Colorado is listed above. Final compensation for this role will be determined by various factors, such as knowledge, skills, and abilities.