Partner Operations Manager - Backblaze

Backblaze is the object storage leader in the open cloud movement, fueling customer success with cloud storage built purposefully to unlock budgets, unburden administrators, and unleash innovators. Together with our partners, we're helping customers break free from the restrictive, overpriced legacy solutions that hold them back, and blaze forward with the full power of the open cloud in their hands.

Founded in 2007, we scaled the business with less than $3 million in outside funding until 2021, when we did a traditional IPO on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Today, Backblaze generates over $100m in revenue and is the leading specialized storage cloud, managing over three billion gigabytes of data storage for 500K+ customers in 175+ countries, including businesses, developers, IT professionals, and individuals.

We are seeking a Senior Partner Operations Manager to own our partner systems, shape partner program execution, and assist with setting up enablement programs.

About the Role

Backblaze sells through resellers, OEM/ISV and technology partners, and service providers. The systems behind that (Salesforce, the partner platform, deal registration, tiering, MDF) are only partly built. You will own them, build the rest, and assist with setting up the enablement program.

You will be the person leadership trusts to verify pipeline accuracy, shape day-to-day partner program operations, and plan for future scale. You report to the Head of Partner Operations and Enablement and work closely with the Head of Channel & Partnerships.

What You'll Own

Partner Data and Attribution

• Serve as the source of truth for partner-related Salesforce data: accounts, opportunities, and sourced vs. influenced attribution.
• Define, document, and enforce attribution rules, resolving conflicts before forecast calls.
• Establish and maintain partner data governance standards across Salesforce and the partner platform (classification, account hierarchies, lifecycle stages, ownership assignments, and consistent reporting).
• Build actionable dashboards for partner leadership and field teams.

Program Mechanics & Scaling

• Run deal registration end to end with clear SLAs, including intake, validation, conflict resolution, and approval.
• Manage partner application intake, qualification workflows, enrollment, agreements, and activation tracking to improve time-to-onboard and time-to-first-revenue.
• Help establish the partner enablement function (onboarding paths, certification tracks, central asset library, and tracking inside the partner platform).
• Run tiering, onboarding, certification, and MDF from request to reconciliation while reporting on MDF return on investment.
• Automate manual steps with Salesforce flows and platform workflows.

Commercial Operations & Partner Support

• Operationalize partner discount structures, SKUs, quoting, distribution transactions, incentives, and partner compensation or credit reconciliation.
• Establish and manage partner operations support processes, intake, escalation, issue tracking, and SLA resolution for registration, billing, and access issues.

Partner Platform & Migration

• Own day-to-day administration of the partner platform (Impartner or its successor), covering access, workflows, and Salesforce synchronization.
• Serve as the operational lead on platform migration, collaborating with IT and RevOps on requirements, data mapping, testing, cutover, and reconciliation.

Insights & Business Reviews

• Build recurring reporting for internal reviews and partner QBRs, including scorecards, pipeline status, and program health.
• Track program KPIs, highlight trends, and bring proactive recommendations to leadership.

Qualifications

Required

• 5–8 years in partner, sales, or revenue operations supporting a channel or partner program.
• Advanced Salesforce skills: reports, dashboards, flows, and data hygiene (Admin certification not required).
• Hands-on experience running deal registration, tiering, onboarding, or MDF.
• Proven ability to fix root causes in data rather than patch symptoms.
• Comfort working across several partner types and stakeholder groups simultaneously.
• Strong written English for process documentation and cross-functional communication.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience with PRM platforms and platform migrations or systems consolidation.
• Experience working US business hours from outside the US.
• Background at a cloud infrastructure, storage, or technical B2B software company.

This Role Is Not For You If

• You want a mature, finished program to maintain rather than shape systems as you go.
• You need to specialize in only one partner segment.
• You aren't comfortable calling out data inaccuracies and resolving them directly.

Logistics

• Work Location: Remote (India)
• Schedule: Must maintain strong overlap with US business hours
• Reporting Line: Reports to Head of Partner Operations and Enablement