Partnerships Manager

About Ignition

Ignition Benefits is an independent employee benefits brokerage built for companies outgrowing their PEO or stuck on an unre-bid fully insured plan. We combine carrier relationships, proprietary analytics, and a high-touch advisory model to deliver better benefits at a lower cost. We're early-stage and moving fast — this role will have real impact from day one.

Role Overview

We're hiring a Partner Manager to build and scale our referral and channel ecosystem. Our strongest early signal has come from fractional CFO firms, venture capital, and private equity who refer clients our way. You'll own those relationships end-to-end — identifying the right partners, activating them with the right enablement, and making sure referrals convert. This role is equal parts relationship management and program building.

What You'll Do

• Identify, recruit, and onboard referral partners: fractional CFO firms, accounting firms, HR consultants, PEO advisors, and PE/VC portfolio operators
• Build and manage a structured partner program: tiers, SLAs, enablement materials, and referral tracking
• Serve as the primary point of contact for active partners — regular check-ins, deal support, and co-sell motions
• Work closely with sales to ensure partner-sourced pipeline is followed up quickly and properly attributed in Salesforce
• Develop partner-facing collateral: one-pagers, email templates, talking points, and co-branded materials
• Track partner program metrics: referrals submitted, pipeline created, close rate, and partner-sourced revenue
• Identify gaps and build scalable solutions — this is a program-building role, not just account management

What We're Looking For

• 3–5 years in partnerships, channel sales, or business development in a B2B environment
• Proven track record sourcing revenue through third-party referral or channel relationships
• Relationship-first mindset with the operational discipline to run a structured program
• Comfortable in a startup environment where you're building the playbook, not running one
• Strong written communicator — you'll be drafting partner outreach, enablement content, and internal reporting
• Salesforce or CRM fluency for tracking and attribution
• Background in HR tech, benefits, insurance, financial services, or professional services is a meaningful plus

Compensation & Benefits

Ignition offers equity participation for all full-time hires. We're early-stage, which means meaningful upside for people who join now and help build the company.

• First dedicated partner hire — you shape the program from scratch
• Strong early proof points: referral-sourced deals closing within days of intro
• Direct line to leadership and a team that moves fast
• $95,000 – $115,000 base salary + 15–20% variable compensation
• Full benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k)