Partnerships & Referral Growth Leader

Position Overview

We are seeking a senior-level Partnerships & Referral Growth Leader to design, launch, and scale our partner referral ecosystem. This role focuses on building structured partnerships with brokers, CPAs, banks and business associations that generate consistent new client opportunities for our sales team.

Unlike a traditional sales role, this position is about creating repeatable pipelines by activating and managing trusted advisor networks in our region. The right candidate brings deep experience building referral/channel programs, knows what makes them succeed, and can architect a system that fits a lean, growing firm.

This is an Executive Role that reports directly to the CEO and will work along the sales team.

Key Responsibilities

Program Design & Strategy

• Develop and launch a formal Partner Referral Program (tiers, incentives, comms, tracking).


• Define what constitutes an active partner and establish measurable KPIs.


• Document processes, playbooks, and engagement models that can scale.

Business Development & Relationships

• Recruit, onboard, and manage referral partners (benefits brokers, CPAs, associations, etc).


• Build and maintain strong partner relationships through consistent outreach, events, and co-marketing.


• Serve as the primary relationship manager - sales reps handle closing, you handle partner success.

Pipeline Generation & Partner Enablement

• Provide partners with tools that make them look good: referral forms, co-branded flyers, FAQs, and training.


• Deliver a steady flow of qualified referrals into the sales team's pipeline.


• Track referral activity, close rates, and revenue influenced.

Metrics & Accountability

• Own partner activity KPIs (onboarded partners, active partners, referral volume).


• Collaborate with sales leadership to measure conversion from referrals to closed clients.


• Report regularly on pipeline impact and ROI of partnerships.

Success Metrics (First 12 Months)

• Launch a structured referral program with documented framework and partner toolkit.


• 25–30 partners onboarded, with 10–12 active referral partners.


• Generate 30–50 referrals, leading to 15–25 net new clients (~$60K–$100K annual recurring revenue).


• Produce a Partner Program Playbook and train internal staff to support it.


• Establish engagement rhythm (quarterly updates, recognition, events).

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years in partnerships, channel sales, or business development, ideally in payroll, HR, benefits, insurance, or financial services.


• Proven ability to build and scale referral or partner programs - not just manage accounts.


• Strong relationship-building and communication skills with trusted advisors (CPAs, brokers).


• Entrepreneurial mindset - thrives in a smaller company environment.


• Data-driven, organized, and able to track performance through CRM and reporting.

Compensation

• Base Salary: ~$120K–$150K (depending on experience).


• Year 1 On-Target Earnings (OTE): ~$150K–$190K (performance incentives tied to referral-driven revenue + partner activation milestones).


• Recurring Commissions


• Benefits: Health insurance, PTO, 401k

This is a remote position. This position requires Travel