Alliances Manager- Associate

About Merkle

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specialises in the delivery of unique, personalised customer experiences across platforms and devices. We call it ‘people-based’ marketing, and with over 25 years’ experience, we are proud to be recognised as a global leader.

Merkle’s heritage in data, technology and analytics is the foundation for our understanding of consumer insights that drives our people-based marketing strategies. Combined with our expertise in performance creative and media, we can then offer our clients content-driven, contextual and compelling customer experiences that drive business growth.

In 2016, the agency joined dentsu, one of the world’s biggest media companies to form the Customer Experience Management (CXM) Line of Business.

We are looking for exceptional candidates to join our growing Analytics practice focused on managing growth and supporting new revenue streams by working with our industry-leading alliance partners.

The successful candidate will have a good understanding of key vendors in the Analytics space (e.g. Google/GCP, Microsoft/Azure or AWS), experience in working on alliance programs previously and be able to provide examples of driving revenue growth from partnerships. You will be a passionate and enthusiastic team player, committed to helping Merkle becomes the best and most scaled partner of choice, through driving advocacy within our partners, and awareness of our capability both internally and into the market.

The postholder will predominantly support across Microsoft and Google alliance partnerships:

• Look to support new business and expansion of existing opportunities with alliance partners. This will be done by driving awareness of Merkle within the partner, as well as connecting our subject-matter experts with key partner stakeholders from different verticals and specialisms
• Execute the necessary sales administration, including managing opportunities on salesforce, registering opportunities on partner portals to qualify leads and support in completing procurement / supplier documentation for partners and potential clients
• Support with proposals and RFPs, assist in the design and running of alliance-led workshops
• Ensure Merkle is leading the way in certifications and engagement with commercial programs from our partners, including logging of consumption numbers, building proposals for funding for client work, and more
• Work with dedicated contacts at Alliance partners to ensure key commercial processes are set-up and regularly reviewed, including lead flow, client mapping and a scheduled communications governance is adhered to
• Collaborate with Marketing colleagues to ensure Merkle is leading the way in creating differentiating thought-leadership in relation to or in conjunction with our partners.
• Be self-sufficient in managing their own workload, promoting partners, projects and opportunities that are valuable to Merkle

Life as an Alliances Manager in Analytics

In this role you will be helping Merkle to build and maintain its status as the leading partner of choice with some of the biggest tech organizations in the world. You will have a broad role engaging internally with subject-matter experts in the Analytics team, commercial focused teams such as Sales, Client Services and Marketing, and with leadership to build a joint-business plan with alliance partners. You will also be a critical contact for our Alliance Partners, typically responsible for supporting in driving our revenue streams with two partners at any one time.

The most important aspect of the role is to ensure that Merkle is recognized by its partners as the most-scaled and most specialized expert in each space, delivering incremental revenue growth through net new opportunities and the expansion of existing client engagements. You will enjoy autonomy over your own time and have a broad remit to collaborate with different stakeholders within the business to achieve your goals.

You will naturally be self-sufficient, adept at managing your own time and stick to deadlines that are ambitious and achievable.

As the Alliances Manager within the Analytics team, you will play a key role in building the plan for success with partners, working closely with the Head of Commercial & Strategy, alongside the wider Analytics leadership team.

A few of the benefits

Whether it’s the joy of working with people at the top of their game or the Merkle social calendar, people love working here – and we hope you will too

• Career development through Merkle University and other tools; with access to courses, textbooks and mentorship
• Private Medical Insurance, Company Pension, life insurance and other corporate benefits
• A selection of other benefits including ability to buy additional holiday, season ticket loan and 2 volunteer days

Diversity & Inclusion

At Merkle, we believe that a diverse and inclusive environment improves us as a community and as a business. We want to foster an environment of growth, where ideas and contributions are actively encouraged. We need this culture of courage to continue to thrive in our fast-paced industry.

We have created seven Diversity and Inclusion Pillars. Each pillar is made up of a community of members who serve as role models and spread a message of inclusion throughout our global workplace. Pillar members are responsible for planning initiatives, events and training, along with championing change within our business. These pillars are Gender, Ethnicity, Mental Health, Religion, Disability, LGBT+, Parents & Carers.

Merkle is a place that embraces differences of opinion. To be an advocate for real change we really encourage applications from women, candidates with disabilities and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as we recognise that these groups are currently underrepresented in our marketing/technology industry.

What we are looking for in you

You will have an understanding of Microsoft Azure and Google (both Google Marketing Platform and Google Cloud Platform) products, including the ways in which they can be leveraged to deliver success for clients. You will be able to articulate the benefits of each set of products to internal and external stakeholders.

You will be comfortable talking about typical analytics engagements ranging from digital analytics, customer analytics and cloud engineering and have a view on the best way to deliver success through an ongoing analytics program / analytics projects.

You will have proven experience of delivering growth through partnerships and/or co-sell models, with evidence as to how this has been delivered previously. This includes an understanding of the different ways to engage with a partner, including remuneration for consumption driven on platforms, co-marketing efforts and new business initiatives.

You will have an understanding of how analytics fits into the wider customer experience transformation we are seeing across clients – helping to underpin the delivery of data-informed, technology-led experiences across every touchpoint with customers.

Essential skill and experience: -

• Knowledge and understanding of Microsoft Azure, Google Marketing Platform (GMP) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or other cloud / analytics platforms
• Partner management / engagement, with evidence of delivering growth and understanding partner incentive programs
• Understanding of the analytics value chain and role it plays in customer experience management
• Ability to use multiple systems and tools (e.g. Salesforce, Microsoft Partner Centre…)
• Strong proficiency Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to work effectively with key stakeholders (client services, sales, marketing)
• Strong communication skills

At the point of application, the candidate must have the legal right to work in the UK as we are unable to sponsor visas as this time.

Merkle does not discriminate against job applicants on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Experience stipulated in this job description serves as a guide only and all applications will be considered on their merits, irrespective of experience.

As part of our Diversity and Inclusion agenda, and as an Equal Opportunities employer, if you require reasonable adjustments during the selection process please engage directly with your Recruiter. ​​​​​​