Senior Partner Sales Manager - Japan

An overview of this role

As a Senior Ecosystem Sales Manager in Japan, you will build and grow a high-impact partner ecosystem that helps GitLab customers adopt, implement, and expand their use of our DevSecOps platform. You will focus on strategic partners including hyperscalers (AWS and Google), system integrators, solution providers, and managed services partners, driving joint solutions, go-to-market motions, and pipeline generation that translate into measurable Net ARR and services growth. In this role, you will act as a key connector between partners and GitLab’s field sales organisation, collaborating closely with account executives, area sales managers, and regional leadership to ensure partners are integrated throughout the sales cycle. You will own strategic partner planning, from business plans and account mapping to governance and QBRs, and be expected in your first year to establish a strong  partner network, create repeatable joint motions, and consistently forecast and report on cloud-related ecosystem performance.

What you’ll do

• Lead strategic relationships with hyperscalers (AWS and Google), system integrators, solution providers, and managed services partners across Japan to grow GitLab adoption.
• Develop and execute joint business plans with key partners, including partner account mapping, go-to-market strategies, and governance models that drive pipeline and revenue.
• Drive partner-sourced and partner-influenced demand generation activities in your territory, ensuring strong alignment with regional sales priorities and ecosystem objectives.
• Collaborate closely with GitLab AEs, Area Sales Managers (ASMs), and sales leadership to integrate partners throughout the sales cycle and support NetARR performance in aligned territories.
• Build, maintain, and expand strong working relationships with the GitLab field sales organisation to ensure partners are positioned as a core extension of the sales motion.
• Coordinate and facilitate the involvement of cross-functional GitLab team members, including sales leadership and support, to progress opportunities and achieve ecosystem sales goals.
• Contribute to quarterly business reviews (QBRs) and annual planning within the Ecosystem organization, providing cloud-related forecasts, progress updates, and insights on partner performance.
• Prepare and deliver partner-facing and internal presentations, territory plans, and reports that communicate strategy, execution, and measurable outcomes for your ecosystem portfolio.

What you’ll bring

• Experience selling software development tools and application lifecycle management solutions through strategic partnerships
• Background working with hyperscalers such as Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, and with system integrators, solution providers, and managed services partners
• Knowledge of the partner ecosystem and cloud market in Japan with an established network across key ecosystem partners
• Track record building, managing, and growing partner ecosystems, including partner recruitment, joint solutions, and go-to-market activities
• Experience with B2B software sales, ideally including open source and independent software vendor environments
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across sales, leadership, and partner organisations and remain calm under pressure
• Ability to work in line with GitLab’s values, use GitLab and Salesforce in daily work, and travel as required while following company travel policies
• Openness to diverse backgrounds and transferable skills that align with ecosystem sales, partner management, and software sales responsibilities

About the team

The Ecosystem Sales team is responsible for building, enabling, and growing a high-performing partner network that extends GitLab’s AI-powered DevSecOps platform into the market. As a Senior Ecosystem Sales Manager, you’ll be part of a distributed, all-remote team that works asynchronously across regions and closely with GitLab’s direct sales, marketing, and customer success teams to drive joint pipeline, NetARR, and services adoption through hyperscalers, system integrators, solution providers, and managed services partners. The team is focused on deepening strategic relationships with partners like AWS and Google, co-creating solutions and joint go-to-market motions, and scaling a repeatable ecosystem model in Japan while maintaining GitLab’s vendor-neutral positioning with cloud providers.