Senior Director, Strategic Alliances and Business Development - Axon
Seattle, WA
About the Job
Join Axon and be a Force for Good.
At Axon, we're on a mission to Protect Life. We're explorers, pursuing society's most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.
Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you'll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.
Your Impact
As Senior Director of Strategic Alliances and Business Development, you will be a key player in shaping Axon's future partnerships and alliances. In this senior role, you will lead a small but high-impact team responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive partnership and business development strategy across Axon's product pillars and customer verticals globally. You will work closely with Axon's executive team, product and sales leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders to forge partnerships that drive innovation, growth, and value creation in both SaaS and hardware.
What You'll Do
As a senior leader on Axon's Strategy & Corporate Development team, you will play a crucial role in expanding Axon's reach in public safety globally and to emerging customer verticals such as Federal, Enterprise and Consumer by developing strategic alliances that align with our product roadmaps and long-term goals. Given your well-versed experience in technology R&D and product management, you will ensure these alliances are deeply integrated into our development pipeline, delivering impact at every stage of the product lifecycle. Your ability to balance strategic foresight with operational excellence will be critical in driving both immediate and long-term success.
Location: Atlanta, Boston, Denver San Francisco, Scottsdale, Seattle, or Washington DC
Reports to: Senior Vice President, Strategy & Corporate Development
Strategic Alliances Development and Execution
- Lead the development of Axon's overall enterprise-wide strategy for partnerships, to foster a diverse, thriving and growing portfolio of go-to-market alliances, technology vendors and ecosystem integration partners.
- Identify, evaluate, and execute strategic alliances across the public safety technology space that align with Axon's mission, R&D initiatives and product roadmaps.
- Negotiate high-stakes commercial terms, collaborating with Axon's legal, finance, accounting, sales, product, and executive teams to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
- Leverage your experience with technology R&D or product management to ensure partnerships are deeply embedded in product development and innovation cycles.
- Serve as a key decision-maker in strategic growth initiatives, working alongside product teams to drive partnership integration from ideation to execution.
Cross-Functional Leadership and Collaboration
- Collaborate with product management, R&D, engineering, sales, and marketing to ensure that strategic alliances drive value across all business pillars.
- Lead and mentor a small but growing high-impact global team of business development and strategic alliance professionals, fostering a collaborative, innovative, and high-performance culture.
- Contribute to the development of a company-wide "center of excellence" for strategic alliances and partnerships, sharing best practices and driving continuous improvement.
- Build strong relationships across the broader public safety technology ecosystems, positioning Axon as a leader in mission-critical technology.
Financial and Strategic Impact
- Deliver insights and recommendations to the executive team, backed by data and strategic analysis, to influence high-impact decisions.
- Develop financial analysis to assess the impact of potential partnerships and commercial agreements.
- Lead post-partnership integration efforts, ensuring smooth execution and alignment with Axon's broader business objectives.
Performance Measurement and Continuous Improvement
- Establish and monitor KPIs to evaluate the success and scalability of strategic partnerships.
- Regularly assess and refine the partnership strategy based on performance data, market trends, and stakeholder feedback.
- Present partnership outcomes, achievements, and insights to senior leadership to inform strategic decisions and adjustments.
What You Bring
- B.A. or B.S. degree in business, technology, engineering, or a related field (advanced degree such as an MBA is a plus).
- 10+ years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, product management, or R&D within the technology industry, ideally with exposure to both SaaS and hardware.
- Proven success in managing and scaling a strategic alliances function across multiple business lines, including internationally, at a leading global technology organization, with the ability to lead end-to-end deal processes and post-deal integration.
- Direct leadership experience in technology R&D or product management, and/or extensive experience collaborating closely with R&D or product management teams to align partnerships with the product lifecycle and innovation strategies.
- History of negotiating high-value partnerships, with a focus on driving innovation, growth, and long-term value.
- Proficiency in reviewing and marking up legal agreements as well as with effectively interfacing with both in-house and external legal counsel.
- Familiarity with technology licensing and vendor agreements including service level agreements (SLAs) and terms as well as the structuring of channel and other go-to-market credits and incentives.
- Strong track record of developing and supporting heterogenous technology partner ecosystems consisting of a large volume of small partners and a smaller volume of bespoke partnerships often involving reciprocal API access and other product integrations.
- Deep understanding of technology trends, market intelligence, and emerging opportunities relevant to public safety and/or related industries.
- Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills, with a data-driven approach to decision-making.
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and engage senior executives and external partners.
- High energy, self-motivation, and a bias for action with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple simultaneous complex mission-critical projects.
Benefits That Benefit You
- Competitive salary and 401K with employer match
- Discretionary paid time off
- Generous parental leave
- Medical, dental, and vision plans
- Fitness programs
- Emotional & mental wellness support
- Learning & development programs
- Ride-alongs with police officers to see Axon products in action
- And yes, we have snacks in our office
The Pay: Axon is a total compensation company, meaning compensation is made up of base pay, bonus, and stock awards. The starting base pay for this role is between USD 200,775 in the lowest geographic market and USD 321,240 in the highest geographic market. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: level, function, training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, geographic market, and often a combination of all these factors. Our benefits offer an array of options to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. To see more details on our benefits offerings please visit www.axon.com/careers/benefits.
Don't meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you're excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Important Notes
The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.
Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.
Axon's mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Axon's impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.
We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We're committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email recruitingops@axon.com. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.