Partner Manager

Job Description

Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billons of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and has operational offices and sites spread across Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune among others. Over 1800 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Transport, Aerospace and Digital Identity and Security markets.Essential Functions / Key Areas of Responsibility

Program Management:

- Develop, implement, and manage the professional services partner program strategy to drive mutual growth and success.
- Identify and onboard strategic professional services partners that align with our business objectives and deliver exceptional value to our clients.
- Collaborate with internal teams to define partner program requirements, benefits, and performance metrics.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with professional services partners, serving as the main point of contact for program-related inquiries and support.
- Monitor and measure partner program performance, analyzing key metrics and providing regular reports to leadership.
- Lead the development of partner training and enablement programs, ensuring partners have the necessary resources to effectively represent and implement our solutions.
- Work closely with partners to understand their business goals and align them with our offerings, fostering a collaborative approach to achieving shared success.
- Stay up-to-date with industry trends, competitive landscape, and partner ecosystem developments to identify new opportunities and ensure our partner program remains competitive.
- Resolve partner-related issues and conflicts in a timely and effective manner, maintaining a high level of partner satisfaction.
- Travel as necessary to meet with partners, attend industry events, and facilitate partner training sessions.

Project Management:

- Collaborate with clients to define project scope, objectives, and deliverables.
- Develop detailed project plans, including tasks, timelines, resources, and budget requirements.
- Conduct thorough project kick-off meetings to align stakeholders and team members.
- Assemble project teams, assigning roles and responsibilities to ensure optimal resource utilization.
- Provide clear direction and guidance to team members throughout the project lifecycle.
- Monitor project progress, tracking tasks, milestones, and timelines to ensure adherence to the project plan.
- Proactively identify potential risks and issues, developing mitigation strategies to maintain project success.
- Address changes in project scope, schedule, or resources and communicate their impact to stakeholders.
- Maintain regular communication with clients, providing status updates, addressing concerns, and managing expectations.
- Act as the main point of contact for clients, fostering strong relationships and understanding their needs.
- Ensure project deliverables meet quality standards and client requirements.
- Monitor project budgets, expenses, and resource utilization, ensuring adherence to financial targets.
- Conduct post-project evaluations to assess project success, identifying lessons learned and areas for improvement.
- Create and deliver project closure reports, summarizing achievements, challenges, and recommendations.

Minimum Requirements: Skills, Experience, Education, Technical/Specialized Knowledge, Certifications, Language

Additional qualifications are:

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- Overall 10+ years experience with a 5+ years of project management/programe management experience with minimum 3 years of managing IT digital security projects with budget>500k .
- Proven experience of systems integration and/or implementation
- Proven solutions delivery experience in large enterprises
- Strong understanding of partner ecosystems, channel dynamics, and the professional services landscape.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships at all levels.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to develop and execute partner program strategies aligned with business objectives.
- Results-oriented mindset with a track record of achieving and exceeding program goals.
- Analytical skills to assess program performance, identify trends, and recommend improvements.
- Strong project management and organizational skills, capable of handling multiple priorities.
- Proficiency in CRM and partner management tools; familiarity with Salesforce is a plus.
- Willingness to travel as needed to engage with partners and attend industry events.
- PMP certification is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

- The ability to lead multiple project management teams within the scope of a Program
- The ability to identify key positive and negative factors relating to the performance of a Program in a dynamic and multi-cultural environment and to use leadership skills to intervene to ensure positive outcomes.
- Excellent, professional program management skills.
- The ability to provide program performance information to Business Leaders in accordance with the performance of multiple projects.
- Excellent negotiation skills with the ability to deal with customers, partners, suppliers, sales and finance (stakeholder management skills).
- Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills with written presentation and report writing skills.
- Analytical skills aligned with the need to carry out detailed investigation of cost variance(s)
- Commercial, financial and business acumen.
- A positive attitude combined with excellent interpersonal and motivational skills.
- An ability to successfully lead teams during change.
- The ability to adapt personal style of management and communication to achieve the desired results from interactions with team members and stakeholders.
- At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working. Great journeys start here, apply now

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