Role Description

The Director, Ecosystem Innovation leads early-stage, high-impact innovation across Vertex’s strategic partner ecosystems, including SAP, Oracle, Workday, Salesforce, Microsoft, eCommerce, and emerging platforms. This role focuses on identifying, validating, and accelerating AI-enabled solutions through partner co-creation, rapid prototyping, and disciplined experimentation. While this position does not own core product roadmaps or go-to-market execution, it works in close partnership with Product Management, Engineering, and Go-To-Market teams to transition validated innovations into scalable, repeatable offerings that drive product differentiation and measurable business impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the Partner Ecosystem Innovation strategy aligned to corporate growth priorities and existing technology roadmaps.
• Lead an innovation council of ecosystem subject matter experts (SMEs) to identify emerging trends, evaluate AI-driven opportunities, and prioritize initiatives with strong scalability and revenue potential.
• Own the end-to-end innovation lifecycle, from concept ideation and partner validation through prototype, pilot, and readiness for cross-ecosystem rollout.
• Enable commercialization by partnering with Product Management, Engineering, and Go-To-Market teams to embed validated AI solutions into core offerings.
• Establish and maintain innovation governance, including intake processes, evaluation criteria, ROI measurement, and success metrics.
• Represent ecosystem innovation efforts in internal innovation forums to ensure alignment, knowledge sharing, and avoidance of duplication.
• Influence executive leaders and partner stakeholders through compelling storytelling, data-driven insights, and thought leadership on AI and ecosystem evolution.
• Mentor and develop a high-performing team of ecosystem SMEs, fostering accountability, collaboration, and disciplined experimentation.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in product innovation, technology strategy, product development, or product management within a SaaS or enterprise software environment.
• Demonstrated success building and scaling cross-functional innovation programs that deliver measurable commercial outcomes.
• Deep understanding of enterprise technology ecosystems, including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Workday, and their partner go-to-market models.
• Strong technical and business acumen related to AI, data platforms, automation, and scalable cloud-based solutions.
• Proven ability to influence and align engineering teams, product leadership, executive stakeholders, and global partners.
• Experience guiding teams from concept through working prototype with a focus on feasibility, scalability, and commercial value.
• Excellent strategic thinking, organizational agility, and executive-level communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant professional experience accepted in lieu of a formal degree.
• Master’s degree (MBA, MS, or equivalent) with a focus on technology, innovation, or strategy.
• Ongoing education or certifications related to AI, cloud platforms, data engineering, or enterprise ecosystems.
• Experience leading innovation across multiple partner ecosystems simultaneously.

Other Qualifications

• Communicate with Clarity: Be clear, concise and actionable. Be relentlessly constructive. Seek and provide meaningful feedback.
• Act with Urgency: Adopt an agile mentality - frequent iterations, improved speed, resilience. 80/20 rule – better is the enemy of done. Don’t spend hours when minutes are enough.
• Work with Purpose: Exhibit a “We Can” mindset. Results outweigh effort. Everyone understands how their role contributes. Set aside personal objectives for team results.
• Drive to Decision: Cut the swirl with defined deadlines and decision points. Be clear on individual accountability and decision authority. Guided by a commitment to and accountability for customer outcomes.
• Own the Outcome: Defined milestones, commitments and intended results. Assess your work in context, if you’re unsure, ask. Demonstrate unwavering support for decisions.

Pay Transparency Statement

US Base Salary Range: $157,900.00 - $205,400.00. Base pay offered to new hires may vary based upon factors including relevant industry and job-related skills and experience, geographic location, and business needs. The range displayed does not encompass the full potential of the role, which allows for further growth and career progression. In addition, as a part of our total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Vertex Bonus Plan (VOB), a role-specific sales commission/bonus, and/or equity grants.