Senior Director – Head of Account Management Embedded Services

The Senior Director, Head of Account Management – Embedded Services is a global functional leader accountable for the performance and growth of Sage’s Account Management and Partner Success capability across Embedded Services, vital in the embedded services B2B2B model.

This role owns a critical sub-function of the Embedded Services business, translating strategy into execution to deliver measurable commercial outcomes across existing partners and ecosystems.

The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership with hands‑on execution, leading a team of leaders and professionals to drive revenue growth, active user expansion, and proposition penetration across a diverse partner base including banks, fintechs, vertical SaaS providers, ecommerce platforms, and emerging AI ecosystems.

The Head of Account Management will operate in a model where Sage is one layer removed from the end customers and success is delivered through partners who own the customer relationship, product experience and distribution. The role requires influencing partner behaviour to drive adoption and growth, rather than direct ownership of SMB customer engagement.

Scope & Accountability

• Own the global Account Management & Partner Success function for Embedded Services
• Lead a distributed team of managers, Account Managers, and Partner Success professionals
• Set and deliver annual operating plans aligned to Embedded Services and Sage business objectives
• Translate Embedded Services strategy into clear account plans, execution frameworks, and measurable outcomes
• Exercise control over functional resources, planning, and Account Management operating model design
• Deliver material impact on Embedded Services revenue, adoption, and ecosystem growth

Key Responsibilities

1. Commercial Ownership & Growth Delivery

• Own delivery of: Revenue growth from existing accounts, Active users (including free and trial adoption), Expansion of embedded services propositions within partner ecosystems
• Define and execute land-and-expand strategies across accountants and partner channels (payment issuers, fintech co‑sells).
• Identify and unlock new growth opportunities within strategic accounts
• Own resolution scenarios where there is commercial tension or where partners are meeting contractual obligations but underperforming commercially, including resetting expectations, influencing partner strategy and aligning incentives to drive sustainable growth
• Drive changes in partner behaviour (e.g. prioritisation, product exposure, customer journeys) to influence downstream adoption and commercial performance

2. Functional Leadership (Leader of Leaders)

• Lead and scale a high‑performing global team, including managers and senior individual contributors
• Build leadership capability, succession planning, and team structure to support global growth
• Establish clear accountability across the organisation with performance management aligned to business outcomes

3. Operating Model & Execution Excellence

• Define and implement a scalable Account Management and Partner Success operating model
• Establish: Segmentation and coverage models, Account planning frameworks, KPIs, reporting, and governance cadence, Define clear decision frameworks where commercial (PAM) and partner success (PSM) perspectives diverge, ensuring aligned internal decisions and consistent external messaging
• Drive consistency and discipline in execution across regions and partner types
• Anticipate and address failure points in the model (e.g. scaling partner volume, declining engagement, adoption gaps) and evolve operating approaches accordingly

4. Strategic Relationship Management

• Own and develop executive‑level relationships across key partners
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders across banks, fintechs, and platform partners
• Represent Sage externally with credibility and authority in high‑impact forums

5. Proposition Leadership & Advocacy

• Develop deep expertise across all Embedded Services propositions
• Represent propositions with authority equivalent to SVP Embedded Services or Head of Business Development
• Ensure alignment between partner needs, commercial strategy, and product evolution
• Own the structured partner feedback loop into Embedded Services strategy and product teams, ensuring partner insights, adoption barriers, and market signals are captured, prioritised, and translated into proposition and roadmap input.

6. Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with: Head of Business Development & Sales, Senior Director, Embedded Services Strategy & Operations, Senior Director Embedded Services PMM, Strategic Marketing Partnerships Director
• Align account strategies with sales, product, and strategic priorities
• Drive cross‑functional alignment to maximise partner and customer outcomes

Success Measures

• Growth in Embedded Services revenue from existing accounts
• Increase in active users (including free and trial)
• Expansion of services adopted per partner and within accountant ecosystems
• Strength and depth of executive partner relationships
• Performance, engagement, and scalability of the global Account Management function
• Improvement in partner engagement depth (multi‑threading, executive sponsorship)
• Reduction in time‑to‑value and activation lag post‑launch
• Increased conversion from deployment to active adoption within partner customer bases

Experience & Capabilities

Essential

• Significant experience leading Account Management or Partner Success functions at scale
• Deep experience driving commercial growth within ERP, accounting, or SMB financial ecosystems, with a strong understanding of accountant workflows and embedded finance use cases in SaaS or FinTech environments.
• Proven track record of delivering commercial growth through existing account expansion
• Experience leading teams of managers and global/distributed teams
• Strong executive presence, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders internally and externally
• Experience within accounting, payroll, financial software, or adjacent ecosystems
• Strong understanding of embedded services, platform ecosystems, or embedded finance models
• Ability to operate across diverse partner types including banks, fintechs, and SaaS platforms

Desirable

• Experience working with banking or fintech partners
• Exposure to API‑led platforms, marketplace ecosystems, or ISV partner models
• Familiarity with AI‑driven or LLM‑based ecosystem opportunities

Why This Role

• This role is pivotal in scaling Sage’s Embedded Services business by:
• Owning a core growth engine within the existing partner base
• Operating at the intersection of accounting, fintech, SaaS, and AI ecosystems
• Building and leading a globally scalable Account Management function
• Directly influencing revenue growth, customer adoption, and ecosystem expansion
• Playing a key role in building a new operating model, shaping how Embedded Services scales globally

#J-18808-Ljbffr…