Strategic Alliance Manager

Company Overview

TAKNET SYSTEMS PTE LTD distributes Supermicro servers, storage, and high-end workstations.

Job Summary

The Strategic Alliance Manager will develop and manage strategic vendor relationships to enhance vendor engagement, generate joint opportunities, and maximize commercial and strategic value. This role supports sales teams without direct sales responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage strong relationships with assigned strategic technology vendors to enhance collaboration and business growth
• Build and maintain connections with vendor sales, channel, product teams, and senior management to strengthen partnerships
• Serve as the primary internal liaison for assigned vendors, coordinating communication and initiatives
• Create and execute annual and quarterly business plans with key vendors to align strategic goals
• Conduct regular business reviews to monitor progress and ensure follow-through on agreed initiatives
• Identify and pursue opportunities to improve partner status, competencies, and strategic importance with vendors
• Collaborate with vendor account managers to identify customer opportunities and upcoming projects
• Perform joint account mapping with vendors to target customers and uncover potential opportunities
• Facilitate introductions between vendor teams and company Account Managers to enable opportunity handover
• Track and report progress of vendor-sourced opportunities to maintain visibility and accountability
• Encourage vendors to prioritize the company as a preferred partner for relevant opportunities
• Negotiate competitive project pricing, discounts, rebates, and commercial support with vendors to improve margins
• Maximize vendor programs, incentives, and backend rebates to enhance commercial benefits
• Coordinate deal registration and partner program benefits to secure vendor support
• Identify, secure, and manage Marketing Development Funds (MDF) and other vendor funding for joint marketing and customer engagement activities
• Obtain vendor support for proof-of-concept projects, demonstrations, and evaluation equipment to support sales efforts
• Coordinate access to vendor technical resources and specialists to meet customer requirements
• Monitor partner program requirements, certifications, and competencies to maintain or achieve strategic partner status
• Identify new technologies, product lines, and vendor programs to strengthen the company’s portfolio
• Recommend new strategic vendor relationships to fill portfolio gaps or seize business opportunities
• Provide regular updates to management and internal teams on vendor strategy, product developments, and channel initiatives
• Collaborate closely with Account Managers, Presales, Technical, Marketing, and Finance teams to align vendor resources with business needs
• Conduct internal product and vendor updates to keep teams informed and engaged
• Ensure clear ownership and communication between vendors and internal stakeholders to optimize partnership effectiveness

Required competencies and certifications

• Diploma or Degree in Business, Information Technology, Engineering, or related discipline
• 5–8 years of IT industry experience within technology vendors, IT distributors, system integrators, value-added resellers, or enterprise IT infrastructure
• Strong understanding of enterprise IT infrastructure including servers, storage, networking, AI/GPU infrastructure, and cloud technologies
• Proven ability to develop and maintain relationships across sales, channel, technical, and management levels
• Strong commercial acumen with negotiation skills to secure vendor discounts, rebates, and support
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with Sales and Technical teams
• Strong organizational and follow-up skills to manage multiple vendor relationships and initiatives

Preferred competencies and qualifications

• Experience working for technology vendors, distributors, or established system integrators
• Familiarity with vendor channel organization operations
• Established relationships with vendor sales and channel teams
• Comfort engaging senior vendor stakeholders
• Ability to identify vendor-provided commercial, technical, or opportunity support
• Proactive approach to creating business opportunities rather than waiting for vendor enquiries
• Skill in balancing multiple strategic vendor relationships and prioritizing those with highest business potential