Associate Manager - Strategic Business Unit Partnerships

Associate Manager

What Success Looks Like in This Role

• Business Units view you as a strategic advisor, not a service provider
• Leadership trusts your narratives, dashboards, and recommendations
• Accounts show stable growth, strong delivery metrics, and high satisfaction scores
• Internal teams clearly understand BU priorities and deliver with consistency
• External partners enable faster, better, and scalable solutions for BUs

Core Accountability Areas 1. Business Unit Ownership

• Own the overall success of assigned Business Units as if they were strategic accounts
• Anticipate BU needs by staying deeply plugged into their operating rhythm, priorities, and risks
• Shape leadership-level conversations during CEO, CPO, and senior reviews
• Drive structured governance with BU leadership to ensure transparency, progress, and accountability
• Protect and strengthen long-term BU relationships during escalations or delivery challenges

2. Growth & Value Creation

• Translate BU goals into multi-year engagement roadmaps
• Identify whitespace opportunities for expansion within existing relationships
• Influence demand shaping, planning, and prioritization decisions
• Own revenue and growth forecasts for assigned accounts
• Balance short-term execution with long-term strategic positioning

3. Enterprise Navigation & Influence

• Operate as a strong internal influencer across delivery, supply chain, solutioning, and operations
• Convert ambiguous BU expectations into actionable plans
• Ensure internal teams are set up for success through clarity and prioritization
• Elevate systemic issues and advocate for improvements that benefit multiple accounts

4. Delivery Confidence & Governance

• Ensure commitments made to BUs are realistic, tracked, and delivered
• Review performance metrics, program health, and feedback trends
• Drive corrective actions where outcomes fall short
• Maintain a fact-based, data-led approach to reporting and decision-making

5. Ecosystem & External Partnerships

• Design and manage a relevant partner ecosystem aligned to BU skill and scale requirements
• Build long-term relationships with academia, industry bodies, and training partners
• Act as the single face to external partners from onboarding through delivery
• Ensure partner performance meets quality, timeline, and impact expectations

Capability Profile Leadership & Influence

• Comfort engaging with senior leaders and executive audiences
• Ability to manage complex, high-stakes stakeholder environments
• Strong ownership mindset with calm decision-making under pressure

Strategic & Analytical Strength

• Ability to see patterns across accounts and translate insights into action
• Strong planning, forecasting, and prioritization skills
• Data-driven approach to performance and governance

Communication Excellence

• Clear, concise storytelling tailored for different leadership levels
• Structured presentation of risks, progress, and outcomes
• Strong written and verbal articulation

Education
• Bachelor’s degree required (Business, Engineering, Management, or related)
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred

Experience
• 7+ years in partnerships, strategic account management, consulting, or enterprise roles
• Experience working with senior leadership and large, complex organizations
• Exposure to multi-vendor, academic, or ecosystem-based delivery models is a plus

Experience Level

Mid Level