Title:  Partner Technical Lead

NetApp’s channel partners are the frontline of how we reach customers at scale. The Partner Technical Lead (PTL) is a senior technical enablement role built to make those partners better, more capable, more confident, and more independent in positioning and selling the NetApp portfolio. 

Aligned to our Mid-West Sales Districts, the PTL serves as the go-to technical resource who builds deep relationships with partner technical leadership, drives NetApp mindshare, and accelerates partner-led growth. This is not a traditional SE role. You won’t be running customer demos or closing individual deals. Instead, you’ll be building the engine that makes partners self-sufficient, shaping their technical strategy, standing up enablement programs, and ensuring they can lead with NetApp across infrastructure, data management, hybrid cloud, and AI-driven data solutions. 

• Own the technical enablement strategy for an assigned portfolio of channel partners, building a structured plan that scales partner capability over time.
• Develop partner SEs and architects so they can independently run technical discovery, solution design, competitive positioning, and customer-facing presentations with NetApp solutions.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with partner CTOs, technical directors, and practice leads,becoming a strategic advisor, not just a vendor resource.
• Influence partner technical strategy by connecting NetApp’s portfolio to their go-to-market priorities, service offerings, and customer base.
• Partner with Channel Account Managers to plan and deliver high-impact enablement activities including partner QBRs, technical workshops, hands-on labs, and lunch-and-learn sessions. 
• Assess partner technical maturity across the NetApp portfolio and create tailored development plans to close skill and knowledge gaps. 
• Track enablement KPIs such as partner certification attainment, technical engagement frequency, and partner-sourced opportunity creation. 
• Educate partners on how NetApp fits within their broader technology portfolio and how to position NetApp solutions against competitive offerings. 
• Support technical whiteboarding, architecture discussions, and solution scoping with partner teams to deepen their technical confidence. 
• Keep partners current on new product releases, roadmap updates, and competitive differentiators so they can lead with conviction.
• Align closely with Channel Account Managers, field SEs, and regional sales leadership to prioritize partner focus areas and joint initiatives. 
• Provide structured feedback to product, marketing, and channel program teams on partner readiness, competitive gaps, and enablement effectiveness. 

• 7+ years of experience in enterprise infrastructure technologies, including storage, data management, networking, compute, and hybrid/multi-cloud architectures.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience working with and enabling channel partners in a technical capacity (e.g., Channel SE, Partner Solutions Architect, Partner Technical Manager, or equivalent).
• Deep understanding of the partner ecosystem, how partners build practices, position technology, sell solutions, and deliver services to end customers.
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both deeply technical and business-oriented audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and build lasting credibility with senior technical stakeholders.
• Strong strategic thinking skills with the ability to develop and execute enablement plans tied to measurable outcomes.
• Comfortable operating in a matrixed environment, navigating multiple internal and external stakeholders simultaneously. 

Preferred 

• Direct experience with NetApp, ONTAP, StorageGRID, Cloud Volumes, or comparable enterprise storage/data management platforms. 
• Experience building or scaling a partner enablement program from the ground up.
• Technical certifications (NetApp NCSIE, Cisco, VMware, AWS/Azure/GCP) are a strong plus.