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03 Lead: Fractional Head of Partnerships
Senior partner leadership now. The permanent hire once the role is proven.
Henry Advisory Group runs the partner function one to two days a week while it earns its place in the forecast, then hires and hands over to the permanent leader.
- Length
- 6 to 12 months
- Format
- One to two days a week, in the leadership cadence
- You get
- A partner team that runs, a forecastable number, and the hire
- Best for
- No partner leader yet, or a first hire who needs a senior operator
The situation
The first partner leader is one of the hardest hires a growth company makes. Hired before there is a defined motion or an agreed way to count partner revenue, the role often fails inside a year, and the company concludes that partnerships do not work.
A fractional leader removes that risk. The function gets senior leadership immediately, the motion and the metrics are proven first, and the permanent hire walks into a role with a clear mandate and a number to carry.
What the role covers
- Partner strategy, and the one or two motions worth backing this year.
- Your relationships with platform partner teams at AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Databricks, and Snowflake.
- A weekly partner pipeline review inside the sales cadence, run alongside the CRO.
- Attribution rules and board-ready partner metrics.
- Coaching the current partner team, including a first hire who is stretched.
- The role specification, interview loop, and hire of the permanent partner leader.
How it runs
| Phase | Deliverable | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Diagnose and focusBaseline partner revenue, choose the motions, set attribution rules, and agree the scorecard with the CEO and CRO. | Henry Advisory | Months 1 to 2 |
| Phase 2 | Run and proveLead the weekly partner pipeline review, work the platform relationships, and move partner deals into commit. | Henry Advisory with sales | Months 3 to 6 |
| Phase 3 | Hire and hand overDefine the permanent role, run the search with you, and overlap with the new leader for the first 30 to 60 days. | Henry Advisory with the CEO | Months 7 to 12 |
How it works
- Time
- One to two days a week on a fixed cadence, with availability for live deals.
- Reports to
- The CEO or the CRO.
- In the room for
- The weekly pipeline and forecast review, the monthly leadership meeting, and board preparation on partner topics.
- Ends with
- A permanent partner leader in seat, an agreed scorecard, and a documented operating rhythm.
Proof
Built partner organizations from zero more than once; most recently after an acquisition, 5 to 23 people in two quarters, 166% of Q1 forecast.
Grew partner-influenced revenue from 3% to over 40% of regional revenue.
Owned a $400M services P&L.
Next step
Start with a working session.
A conversation on where partnerships sit today and what the first partner leader would need to succeed.