Vice President, Global Technology Partnerships & Ecosystem Strategy

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At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That's what we do.

We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you'll get flexibility that's real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters-and so do you.

The Vice President of Global Technology Partnerships & Ecosystem Strategy is a senior executive responsible for defining, accelerating, and leading UKG's global technology ecosystem. This role sets the long-term vision for how UKG engages, innovates, and grows with the world's most strategic software, enterprise, and cloud partners. As the executive leader of UKG's most strategic enterprise partnerships, OEM relationships, integration partners, partner engineering organization and strategic partner managers, you will own the strategy, execution, and business impact of a multifaceted partnerships organization.

This VP will lead a global team of people managers overseeing enterprise partnerships, partner technology engineering (software engineers, architects, integration specialists), and OEM program management, as well as directly guiding senior partner executives responsible for high-value strategic relationships. You will shape the roadmap for joint innovation, partner-enabled product extensibility, the next chapter of material revenue growth, and ecosystem scale-ensuring UKG remains a preferred partner for enterprises and technology organizations worldwide.

As a key member of the Global Partners & Ecosystems leadership team, you will collaborate closely with UKG's executive leadership, including Product & Technology, Sales, Strategy, Marketing, and Customer Experience, to align partnership priorities with company-wide growth initiatives. This role demands a forward-thinking, market-savvy executive who excels at long-range planning, cross-functional influence and execution, ecosystem innovation, and leadership of complex global teams.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Ecosystem Vision & Leadership

• Collaborate with Product leaders to define UKG's multi-year Technology Ecosystem Strategy, including platform extensibility, partner innovation priorities, and expansion into emerging technology categories (AI/ML, cloud ecosystems, data platforms, etc.).
• Lead and evolve UKG's global partner operating model, ensuring integrated alignment across Product, Technology, Sales, Marketing, Strategy, Finance, and Operations functions.
• Partner with GVP and key executive leadership to shape corporate strategy and future investment decisions related to ecosystem growth, product extensibility, and third-party innovation.
• Evaluate and cultivate new strategic categories of partners, including hyperscalers, AI platform providers, vertical SaaS vendors, and industry solutions.

Executive Ownership of Global Partner Portfolio

• Oversee a portfolio of UKG's most strategic enterprise and technology partners responsible for significant revenue impact, product differentiation, and go-to-market reach.
• Guide partner executives and managers in driving multi-year joint business plans, co-innovation initiatives, executive alignment, and market expansion.
• Represent UKG at the highest levels in strategic partner engagements, C-suite negotiations, and industry ecosystem forums.

Leadership of Three Global Partnership Teams

• Enterprise Partnerships - Lead the team responsible for enterprise SaaS partnerships, including the Director of Enterprise Partnerships and their organization.
• Partner Technology Engineering - Lead the technical engineering team focused on integration design, partner developer experience, solution certification, and co-built technology initiatives; ensure scalable, API-first partner experiences.
• OEM & Embedded Partnerships - Lead teams responsible for OEM programs, embedded technology relationships, and co-developed product offerings.

Additionally

• Directly mentor and guide three senior strategic partner executives without direct reports, ensuring their partner portfolios deliver high-impact results and executive alignment.

Partner-Led Innovation, Product Alignment & Technical Strategy

• Forge deep alignment with Product & Technology leadership to influence product direction, partner APIs, extensibility frameworks, marketplace strategy, and long-term platform evolution.
• Drive a unified partner technology vision-including certification programs, developer experience improvements, sandbox environments, and technical governance.
• Champion technical excellence and innovation across partner engineering teams, ensuring integrations are secure, scalable, modern, and aligned to UKG's architectural direction.

Revenue Impact, Go-to-Market Strategy & Commercial Leadership

• Build and oversee joint GTM strategies with strategic partners that accelerate enterprise pipeline, drive direct revenue and influence revenue for UKG.
• Partner with Sales, Field Alliances, Marketing, Customer Success, Operations and Finance to operationalize partner contributions to revenue goals and customer outcomes.
• Establish ecosystem performance KPIs, financial models, partner scorecards, forecasting methodologies, and ROI measurement frameworks.

Organizational Leadership & Transformation

• Lead a global organization with multiple people leaders and a blend of technical, strategic, and commercial functions across regions.
• Define operating mechanisms, performance standards, talent development frameworks, and scalable processes for partner lifecycle management.
• Drive a culture of innovation, accountability, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Influence business transformation initiatives tied to ecosystem scale, digital experience, and partner-centric product evolution.

Executive Reporting & Governance

• Present to the ELT and Board-level committees on ecosystem performance, emerging market opportunities, and strategic risk areas.
• Establish governance frameworks to assess partner opportunities, manage portfolio risk, prioritize investments, and ensure ecosystem alignment with UKG's long-term goals.

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in enterprise software, alliances, ecosystem leadership, or strategic business development roles, including 8+ years leading global organizations with both technical and commercial functions.
• Demonstrated success owning large partner portfolios with deep experience in enterprise SaaS, cloud platforms, HCM/WFM ecosystems, or platform-based product models.
• Proven experience leading partner technology engineering teams, technical integration programs, or product-aligned partnership initiatives.
• Demonstrated success leading a team delivering direct revenue $100M+ and influenced revenue $100M+.
• Strong background managing ecosystem categories such as hyperscalers, OEM/embedded partners, global ISVs, and enterprise technology providers.
• Exceptional executive leadership, including C-suite engagement, long-range planning, complex negotiation, and influence across product and sales organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to scale multi-disciplinary organizations, develop people leaders, and drive operational excellence across global teams.
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience driving platform marketplace strategies, extensibility frameworks, or partner-led innovation programs.
• Deep understanding of modern integration patterns, cloud-native architecture, API ecosystems, and developer experience design. Global experience working across multiple regions, cultures, and partner models.
• Strong financial acumen-including forecasting, ecosystem monetization, cost modeling, and ROI measurement.

Company Overview

UKG is the Workforce Operating Platform that puts workforce understanding to work. With the world's largest collection of workforce insights, and people-first AI, our ability to reveal unseen ways to build trust, amplify productivity, and empower talent, is unmatched. It's this expertise that equips our customers with the intelligence to solve any challenge in any industry - because great organizations know their workforce is their competitive edge. Learn more at ukg.com.

UKG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive work environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, veteran status, and any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws.

Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process

For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email [email protected].

It is the policy of Ultimate Software to promote and assure equal employment opportunity for all current and prospective Peeps without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, veteran status, and any other legally protected status entitled to protection under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws. This policy governs all matters related to recruitment, advertising, and initial selection of employment. It shall also apply to all other aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, compensation, promotion, demotion, transfer, lay-offs, terminations, leave of absence, and training opportunities.

If you have questions about this posting, please contact [email protected]