Director, Partner Community & Ecosystem Engagement Remote, United States - Business Development

What You’ll Do

The Director of Partner Community & Ecosystem Engagement is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and scaling how Avalara builds, engages, and grows its partner ecosystem. This leader owns the strategy and execution across partner communications, content operations, digital experience, and ecosystem engagement — ensuring a cohesive, high-quality partner experience at scale across all touchpoints.

Reporting into Partner Programs leadership (VP, Alliance Partnerships), this role leads a team of direct reports and operates as a senior cross-functional partner to Partner Marketing, Enablement, Sales, Product Marketing, PR, and Corporate Communications. The ideal candidate combines executive presence, strategic vision, and operational rigor — with a track record of building and leading high-performing teams in complex partner environments.

What Your Responsibilities Will Be

Lead Partner Engagement & Ecosystem Strategy

• Define and own the overarching strategy for partner ecosystem engagement across all partner types — technology, accountant, consultant, and channel
• Set the vision for how Avalara builds community, drives advocacy, and deepens partner loyalty at scale
• Translate business objectives into partner engagement priorities, ensuring alignment with program evolution, enablement, and go-to-market efforts

Own Partner Communications Strategy

• Lead the development of partner-first communication strategies that drive awareness, adoption, and engagement across Avalara's entire partner ecosystem
• Define communication frameworks, cadences, and governance models to ensure consistent, effective messaging across channels and audiences
• Serve as executive subject-matter owner for partner communications, advising senior stakeholders on messaging, timing, and channel strategy

Lead Partner Content Strategy & Operations

• Own the end-to-end partner content lifecycle — planning, creation, curation, governance, and distribution of partner-facing and internal content
• Establish scalable content operations including calendars, workflows, prioritization frameworks, and quality standards
• Ensure content aligns with business priorities, partner program evolution, and key initiatives across the ecosystem

Drive Digital Partner Experience

• Lead strategy and execution for Avalara's partner-facing digital experiences, including partner portals, content hubs, and community platforms
• Drive continuous improvement in content organization, discoverability, and usability to increase self-service and partner engagement
• Identify and close gaps across the partner digital journey, partnering with cross-functional teams to implement solutions

Amplify Partner Visibility & Recognition

• Partner with Marketing, PR, and Communications to elevate partner success stories, announcements, and recognition programs
• Develop and scale approaches to highlighting partner impact, reinforcing Avalara's partner-first brand in the ecosystem
• Represent partners' voice and business outcomes in external and executive communications

Enable Partner & Field Readiness

• Collaborate with Partner Marketing, Product Marketing, Enablement, and Sales to ensure timely, relevant content that equips partners and the field to win
• Align communication and enablement strategies to ensure partners are prepared to engage effectively with Avalara solutions and programs

Execute & Scale Partner Engagement Programs

• Lead strategy, planning, promotion, and execution of partner engagement initiatives — including webinars, campaigns, community programs, and advisory forums
• Ensure consistent, high-quality experience across all partner engagement touchpoints
• Build scalable models for engagement that can grow with the partner ecosystem

Lead and Develop a High-Performing Team

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of senior program and engagement professionals across strategy, communications, content, and accountant channel operations
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and partner-first thinking
• Model executive leadership behaviors and build team capability for scale

Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence

• Act as a senior executive liaison across Partner Programs, Marketing, Communications, Enablement, and Operations to drive alignment and execution
• Manage complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives with clear ownership, timelines, and accountability
• Establish success metrics and reporting frameworks to measure engagement effectiveness and continuously optimize performance

Key Skills & Attributes

• 10+ years of experience in partner-focused roles such as partner marketing, communications, community management, ecosystem programs, or alliance operations — with 3+ years in a leadership role managing senior talent
• Proven ability to build, lead, and scale partner engagement and communications functions in complex, cross-functional environments
• Executive-level written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to set direction, drive alignment, and translate vision into execution
• Deep understanding of partner ecosystems, partner program dynamics, and the levers that drive partner engagement and loyalty
• Data-driven approach — uses engagement metrics, partner feedback, and business outcomes to continuously optimize programs and priorities
• Exceptional stakeholder management and leadership-through-influence skills
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and executional levels; adept at navigating ambiguity and driving clarity

Direct Reports

This role leads a team of senior leaders responsible for program strategy, community engagement, and accountant channel operations:

• Director, Partner Program Strategy — owns tier design, incentive framework, program modernization, and the strategic backbone of the partner program
• Sr. Manager, Partner Community & Ecosystem Engagement — owns partner communications, content operations, digital engagement, and community at scale
• Sr. Strategic Operations & Strategy Leader, Accountant Channel (Marianne Fisher) — leads accountant channel strategy and operations, including the Partner Advisory Board and accountant program transformation

What You’ll Need To Be Successful

Key Skills & Attributes

• 10+ years of experience in partner-focused roles such as partner marketing, communications, community management, ecosystem programs, or alliance operations — with 3+ years in a leadership role managing senior talent
• Proven ability to build, lead, and scale partner engagement and communications functions in complex, cross-functional environments
• Executive-level written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to set direction, drive alignment, and translate vision into execution
• Deep understanding of partner ecosystems, partner program dynamics, and the levers that drive partner engagement and loyalty
• Data-driven approach — uses engagement metrics, partner feedback, and business outcomes to continuously optimize programs and priorities
• Exceptional stakeholder management and leadership-through-influence skills
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and executional levels; adept at navigating ambiguity and driving clarity

Tools & Technology (Preferred)

• Experience with CRM, PRM, or partner platforms (e.g., Salesforce, partner portals, community platforms)
• Familiarity with content management systems, documentation repositories, and internal knowledge bases
• Experience with email, communication, and webinar platforms (e.g., Eloqua, Zoom Webinars)
• Proficiency with collaboration and project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence, SharePoint)

Avalara is an AI-first Company

AI is embedded in our workflows, decision-making, and products. Success here requires embracing AI as an essential capability.

• You’ll bring experience using AI and AI-related technologies, ready to thrive here.
• You’ll apply AI every day to business challenges - improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, our company, and our customers.
• You’ll grow with AI by staying curious about new trends and best practices, and by sharing what you learn so others can benefit too.

How We’ll Take Care Of You

Total Rewards

In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses.

Health & Wellness

Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance.

Inclusive culture and diversity

Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship.

What You Need To Know About Avalara

We’re defining the relationship between tax and tech.

We’ve already built an industry-leading cloud compliance platform, processing over 54 billion customer API calls and over 6.6 million tax returns a year. Our growth is real - you're a billion dollar business - and we’re not slowing down until we’ve achieved our mission - to be part of every transaction in the world.

We’re bright, innovative, and disruptive, like the orange we love to wear. It captures our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset. It shows off the culture we’ve designed, that empowers our people to win. We’ve been different from day one. Join us, and your career will be too.

We’re An Equal Opportunity Employer

Supporting diversity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our company — we don’t want people to fit into our culture, but to enrich it. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, national orientation, disability, sexual orientation, US Veteran status, or any other factor protected by law. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.