Sebastian Dunkel
Columbus,OH
Summary
Strategic Partner Manager with 14+ years of experience building and scaling global SaaS partner ecosystems across developer platforms, commerce, and enterprise technology. Proven track record driving partner-sourced pipeline, co-sell revenue, and long-term agency alliances by designing scalable partner programs, collaborating cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product, and Solutions Engineering. Deep experience working with full-stack agencies, SIs, ISVs, and hyperscaler marketplaces to drive enterprise growth.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Partner Manager, Commercial
Shopify
Columbus, OH
05.2025 - Current
- Designed and launched standardized Joint Business Planning framework for scalable partner growth planning globally, driving $9B in partner-sourced revenue in FY25.
- Built and established Shopify’s first Executive Sponsorship Program, creating repeatable executive-to-executive alignment with GSIs and top-tier agency and ISV partners.
- Launched centralized partner performance module, integrating CRM and commercial account data to drive partner performance and revenue forecasting.
Team Lead, Global Partner Programs
Vercel
Washington, D.C.–Baltimore
04.2022 - 04.2025
- Built and led global partner program (https://vercel.com/partners) for agency, SI, ISV, resell partners (leading to 136% growth in partner-sourced revenue, 25%+ of total ARR in FY24).
- Built and managed Partner Growth team, hiring and developing a direct report, driving activation and top-of-funnel growth (110+ new partners, $1M+ partner-sourced in FY24).
- Directed sponsorship strategy for five annual user conferences, activating 30+ top-tier partners per event and generating six-figure sponsorship revenue per conference.
- Owned strategic alliance with AWS Marketplace in Q4 23 and Q1 24, achieving 129% of revenue target and expanding reseller-driven opportunities by +20% QoQ.
Partner Program Manager
Emplifi
Washington, D.C.–Baltimore
05.2021 - 04.2022
- Designed Emplifi’s strategic partner program from inception, defining tiering, enablement, and commercial incentives for Tier 1 implementation and technology partners.
- Activated and expanded net-new and active partner relationships, building for Nestlé, EPC, Perdue, generating $1.6M in partner-sourced and influenced ARR YoY.
Customer Operations Manager
Candid
Washington, D.C.–Baltimore
09.2018 - 05.2021
- Designed and launched an end-to-end customer experience and support operating model spanning Sales, Product, Engineering, and Customer Success.
- Scaled and managed in-house CX teams and external BPO partners, leading 20+ direct and 50+ indirect reports across multiple geographies.
Education
Master of Arts - Linguistics & Communications
University of Heidelberg
GermanyBachelor of Arts - Translation & Communications
University of Brighton
UKSkills
Strategic Agency, SI, ISV Partnerships Partner Program Design & Scaling Partner-Sourced Pipeline & Revenue Growth Cross-Functional Leadership Partner Analytics, Forecasting, Performance Management Partner Enablement & Activation Composable Platforms
Tools
Salesforce (CRM, Partner Cloud PRM), Crossbeam (ELG), HubSpot, Vercel, Next.js, GitHub, Figma, Notion, Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, v0, Gemini, Cursor, Gumloop
Timeline
Senior Partner Manager, Commercial
Shopify
05.2025 - Current
Team Lead, Global Partner Programs
Vercel
04.2022 - 04.2025
Partner Program Manager
Emplifi
05.2021 - 04.2022
Customer Operations Manager
Candid
09.2018 - 05.2021
Master of Arts - Linguistics & Communications
University of Heidelberg
Bachelor of Arts - Translation & Communications
University of Brighton