Partner Development Manager

Responsibilities

Partner Strategy & Execution

• Define and execute Cohere’s partner go-to-market plan for the Japan Enterprise Market, aligned with regional business objectives.
• Identify and recruit high-impact partners across system integrators, distributors, resellers, ISVs, and cloud providers.
• Develop relationships with key stakeholders across the partner ecosystem to ensure partnership success.

Partner Onboarding & Enablement

• Lead partner onboarding, certification, and training programs so partners can sell, deploy, and manage Cohere’s solutions effectively.
• Collaborate with enablement teams on sales and technical workshops for partners in Japan.

Pipeline Generation & Co-Selling

• Own joint pipeline generation through co-selling motions, solution plays, and strategic joint go-to-market initiatives.
• Collaborate with partners to identify and pursue high-value opportunities across key Japan segments.

Business Planning & Performance Tracking

• Align partners with Cohere’s strategic goals and performance metrics.
• Run joint business-planning sessions and quarterly business reviews, tracking sourced and influenced ARR against targets.

Partner Advocacy & Feedback

• Represent partner perspectives within Cohere and relay feedback to Product, Engineering, and Legal teams.
• Work with Public Policy teams to navigate Japanese government AI policies and advise partners on risk management and responsible AI practices.

Thought Leadership & Evangelism

• Evangelize Cohere’s vision and solutions at partner and industry events.
• Build thought leadership through briefings, speaking engagements, and collaborative initiatives.

Requirements

• Native-level Japanese and business-level English fluency.
• 8+ years of experience in partner development, channel sales, or alliance management within the technology industry.
• Track record of enterprise ARR contribution.
• Deep understanding of the Japanese enterprise market and key industry verticals.
• Strong relationship-building and negotiation skills, with a record of driving partner success.
• Ability to navigate complex regulatory and compliance landscapes, including AI ethics and government policies.
• Working understanding of AI, including LLMs, retrieval-augmented generation, and agentic workflows.
• Experience working with major system integrators, global consultancies, and hyperscalers, including joint go-to-market and co-selling motions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Results-driven growth mindset and bias for action.
• Ability to thrive in a startup-speed environment and build and scale partner programs.

Nice-to-have

• Experience in AI or cloud solutions.
• Existing relationship with Fujitsu.

Compensation & Benefits

• Weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent in local currency.
• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate mental-health budget.
• RRSP matching, 401(k), and pension scheme.
• 100% parental-leave top-up for up to six months for either parent.
• Annual enrichment benefits for arts and culture, fitness and wellness, quality time, and workspace improvements.
• Education and learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching.
• Six weeks of paid vacation (30 working days).
• Travel budget for remote employees visiting other offices and an annual company offsite.
• Co-working benefit for employees not near an office.
• $500 home-office stipend.