Strategic Partner Manager

Missions are accomplished with people, driving towards a greater purpose. At ClearCo, our mission is to help our 3,000+ clients achieve theirs. When talking to our own team of A players, you'll find that it's not only the opportunity to drive this mission forward that keeps us thriving. It's the freedom, flexibility, and support ClearCo provides, which contributes to our professional development and the pursuit of our personal missions and passions outside of work. Learn more about our state of the art, cloud-based talent platform and why you should consider joining us here .

STRATEGIC PARTNER MANAGER, REFERRAL PARTNERSHIPS

Department: GTM | Strategic Partnerships

Reports To: Senior Manager, Strategic Partner Development

Job Type: Full-Time

Location: Remote

ABOUT THE ROLE

Listed in the Inc. 5000 for multiple consecutive years as the fastest-growing Talent Management platform in America, Clearco is expanding its Referral Partnerships team to grow our partner ecosystem and the new business it creates.
As Strategic Partner Manager, you will build and grow Clearco's referral partner network across HR consulting firms, benefits brokers/consultants, and other referral partners. This role will own the entire partner experience from first outreach through activation, while also building the operational backbone, deal registration, lead-handoff, enablement content, and reporting that the broader partnerships team will run on as the channel scales.

This is a builder role for someone who can both grow a new referral channel, design the systems that make it repeatable, and activate stagnant relationships. This is a different discipline from managing an established partnership. This role is about opening a new channel and building the systems underneath it, not managing an existing, active book.

You will work with some of the most respected HR technology and services organizations in the market and help transform the way our partners and their clients think about talent technology. You'll have a high degree of ownership over your work streams and the strategic direction of the team.

COMPENSATION

The base salary range for this position is $60,000 to $75,000 , depending on experience and qualifications. This role is also eligible for performance-based commissions paid quarterly and an Annual Incentive Plan (AIP), with on-target earnings (OTE) of $140,000 – $150,000 at 100% of quota. A detailed commission plan will be provided in writing at the time of offer.

WHO YOU'LL WORK WITH

• You will report to the Senior Manager, Strategic Partner Development, and join a team that is fanatical about building great partnerships and bringing high-impact relationships to market.
• You will work closely with our Account Executives and Solutions Engineers, who partner with you to convert referred opportunities into new customers.
• You will collaborate with Marketing, Product, and Operations in a highly visible environment.
• You will interact frequently with senior leadership, both at Clearco and at our partners.

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

New Partner Acquisition

• Identify, recruit, and launch new referral partners in the broker/consultant channel, benefits brokers, consultants, and adjacent networks.
• Own and forecast pipeline generated through these partnerships accurately in our CRM
• Build simple, repeatable qualifying and referral tools that partners can use confidently without needing deep product expertise.
• Run the full cycle: outreach, discovery, business case, referral agreement terms, and signature.

Partner Infrastructure & Systems

• Design and maintain deal registration and lead-handoff workflows, including clear attribution for both partner-sourced deals and supporting contributions on partnerships led by others.
• Build and maintain reporting and tracking (pipeline, activation, partner engagement) so performance is visible without manual reconciliation through scalable systems.
• Build bi-directional reporting on referred opps. Make sure every referral is routed quickly, worked well, and reported back to the partner. Align Account Executives and Solutions Engineering so referred prospects get a consistent experience that makes partners want to refer again.

Partner Activation, Enablement & Communications

• Create partner-facing enablement materials: onboarding guides, referral economics one-pagers, and simple talking points partners can use with their own clients.
• Lead a structured launch for every new partner, covering enablement for their sales teams and consultants, a simple referral process, co-marketing options, and a first-referral goal, so signed partners become producing partners quickly.
• Manage ongoing, scalable communication cadence with active partners, so relationships stay warm between referrals.
• Guide Marketing on co-branded campaigns, webinars, events, and content that put Clearco in front of our partners' clients and networks.

Support on Strategic & Emerging Partnerships

• Strategic partner growth. Build joint business plans with your largest partners that include organizational maps, target account lists, referral goals, and regular business reviews.
• Provide enablement and launch support on partnerships originated directly by the Senior Manager, Strategic Partner Development (new tech, industry, or brand partnerships outside the broker/consultant motion).
• Program and market insight. Help refine the referral program, including referral registration, partner incentives, and reporting, and bring partner and competitive insights back to leadership.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

In your first 90 days, you will:

• Become an expert on the Clearco Talent Platform and the competitive landscape, able to demo the platform and position Clearco as the platform of choice with partner teams and their clients.
• Build your territory go-to-market and partner recruitment plan with your manager, including an ideal partner profile and a prioritized list of target partners, and begin executing it.
• Plan, execute, and evaluate enablement activities with your existing partners.
• Open conversations with your first prospective referral partners.
• Stand up the first version of the deal registration and lead-handoff framework alongside your manager.
• Ship the first version of consultant-facing enablement materials.

In your first 180 days, you will:

• Have your first broker/consultant partners signed, launched, and actively referring.
• Have pipeline created and accurately tracked through your reporting system.
• Document a repeatable playbook for recruiting, launching, and activating referral partners.
• Deliver against your ramped targets.
• Guide Marketing strategy and activities so they directly support the Referral Partnerships plan and growth objectives.
• Build "trusted advisor" relationships across all areas of your partners, from frontline sales and consultants to executive leadership.
• Document repeatable playbooks for recruiting, launching, and activating referral partners that the team can scale.

WHAT WE'D LIKE YOU TO HAVE

• 4+ years in B2B SaaS sales, business development, or partnerships, including at least 2 years in a quota-carrying role.
• A track record of sourcing and closing new partnerships or new logos, including negotiating partner agreements.
• Experience with referral, alliance, or technology partner programs, ideally ones you helped build or scale at an early or growth-stage company.
• Experience in HR technology or HCM strongly preferred. Familiarity with how HCM platforms, HR consultants, and benefits brokers go to market is a plus.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to build relationships from the front line to the C-suite.
• Disciplined pipeline management and forecasting in Salesforce, Gong or a similar CRM.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, and comfort creating partner-facing content.
• Strong customer empathy and the ability to uncover pain points and offer meaningful, creative solutions.
• The ability to operate honestly and tactfully with partners, pushing back when required and explaining why it is in their best interest.
• Willingness to travel up to 30% for partner meetings and industry events.

WHAT YOU WILL LOVE ABOUT CLEARCO

• The people! Our employees and customers consistently say the best thing about ClearCo is our close-knit, exceptionally talented team. Check out our G2 reviews to see what people are saying about our solutions.
• A commitment to inclusion & belonging. Engagement = Inclusion. Your uniqueness powers our vision of a world where organizations perform optimally with empowered managers and engaged employees. Not only will you transform how we do business, but you will be a catalyst to change the world of work for our 3,000+ customers.
• Outstanding benefits. Flexible vacation, medical/dental/vision, 401k with match, and even pet insurance. We've got your back so you can live your best life. See the full list here .
• It's about Listening to Many and Executing as One. We listen to many voices, then we stack hands and move forward as one team. Learn more about all our core values here .
• Professional growth. We promote 24% of our team members annually compared to 11% across the industry, and we open new roles to our employees first.
• Our environment! We celebrate success and believe in transparency and teamwork to get us there. We invest in collaboration tools so you can meet with your team face to face. You can even drop in for a virtual coffee break, connect with your ClearCo mentor, or jump into a training session with our Learning Managers. Learn more here or check out our Great Places to Work Certification and Glassdoor reviews .

ClearCo is an equal opportunity employer. We support and encourage diversity.