EMILY GAFFORD
Overland Park,KS
Summary
Strategic, results-driven Director of Partnerships with extensive experience in global market development, international relations, and partnership management within SaaS and e-commerce industries. Expertise in creating and executing growth-driven partner strategies, fostering relationships with resellers, agencies, consultants, and technology partners. Passionate about driving revenue growth, optimizing partner performance, and executing joint business plans to meet organizational objectives.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Global Strategy, IT and E-Commerce Dev
J. Rieger & Co.
Kansas City, MO
05.2018 - Current
- Spearheaded operations, marketing, design, and merchandising for the mercantile gift shop, achieving $1.6M in annual revenue
- Developed and implemented customer loyalty and retention programs, boosting repeat purchases by 80%
- Led international expansion initiatives, successfully developing markets in Africa, Barbados, and China to broaden brand presence
- Collaborate with USDA, US Embassies, Foreign Service Officers, and industry leaders to identify and execute market expansion strategies.
- Established partnerships and tailored marketing strategies to suit local market demands, enhancing brand reach and revenue
- Streamlined recruitment and training processes, creating SOPs to improve onboarding efficiency by 90%
- Managed corporate IT operations, including SaaS licensing and software management (Trello, Slack, Dropbox, Toast POS, Square POS)
- Drove alignment of brand strategy with product design across customer-facing digital platforms
- Collaborated with Sales, Operations, Finance, and Distribution to align internal processes with customer-facing initiatives
- I traveled on a USDA trade mission to Angola to increase relationships with Southern Africa and the United States.
Advanced Technical Account Manager
Jack Henry & Associates
Lenexa, KS
03.2014 - 04.2018
- Managed over 150 bank and credit union websites, leading all updates, promotions, and back-end coding adjustments
- Created comprehensive training materials for clients and internal teams, enhancing client support satisfaction by 80%
- Collaborated with Product Development and Customer Service teams to enhance product offerings, increasing client retention by 95%
- Cultivated strong client relationships, resulting in increased service adoption and cross-sell revenue
Procurement Manager, Packaging
Taylor Farms
Nashville, TN
06.2010 - 02.2014
- Redesigned vendor negotiation strategies, achieving $1.5M in annual savings
- Led strategic sourcing activities, enhancing product quality and service levels through a quarterly review system
- Prepared spending forecasts to support cost-effective contract negotiations, contributing to overall cost reduction efforts
Education
Bachelor of Science - Fashion Merchandising, Graphic Design
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville05.2010
Professional Development - JavaScript & Computer Science
Harvard Extension School
Skills
- Partnership Strategy Development
- SaaS Business Development & Partner Management
- International Market Expansion
- Strategic Communications & Negotiation
- Cross-functional Team Collaboration
- Webinar Marketing & Digital Marketing Strategy
- Data Analysis & Performance Optimization
- Market Trend Analysis & Forecasting
- Multicultural Competency & Global Partner Management
- Customer Success & Partner Enablement
- TTBGov Export Certificate Management
- Dropbox Management
- POS for Square & Toast
- MailChimp
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Digital Marketing, including Ad buying, pixel implementation with web and Meta
- Website Management (Wix, Webflow, Shopify, Square, WordPress) Javascript)
References
Available upon request
Professional Development
Heartland Export Program Graduate by the World Trade Center of Kansas City & KC Chamber of Commerce
Timeline
Director of Global Strategy, IT and E-Commerce Dev
J. Rieger & Co.
05.2018 - Current
Advanced Technical Account Manager
Jack Henry & Associates
03.2014 - 04.2018
Procurement Manager, Packaging
Taylor Farms
06.2010 - 02.2014
Bachelor of Science - Fashion Merchandising, Graphic Design
University of Arkansas
Professional Development - JavaScript & Computer Science
Harvard Extension School
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