Director, Strategic Partnerships

About CDK
CDK Global is a leading provider of cloud-based software to dealerships and Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEMs”) across automotive and related industries. The Company’s cloud-based, software as a service (“SaaS”) platform enables dealerships to manage their end-to-end business operations including the acquisition, sale, financing, insuring, repair, and maintenance of vehicles. By automating and streamlining critical workflows, the integrated platform of modern solutions enables dealers to sell and service more vehicles by creating simple and convenient experiences for customers and improves their financial and operational performance.

The Role:

Shape the future of CDK as our Director of Strategic Partnerships, driving transformative growth initiatives through powerful alliances and innovative strategy. As a key member of our leadership team reporting to the VP of Corporate Business Development, you'll architect and execute both organic and inorganic growth strategies that define our company's trajectory.

In this role, you'll:

• Spearhead high-impact partnerships that unlock new market opportunities and revenue streams
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that connect product development with strategic planning
• Identify and pursue breakthrough growth opportunities that expand CDK's market presence
• Drive strategic decisions that influence the company's long-term direction and success

This is an exceptional opportunity for a strategic thinker who thrives on building relationships, spotting market opportunities, and translating vision into actionable growth strategies.

Position Responsibilities & Essential Functions: 

• Serve as the key contributor and leader of a disciplined, repeatable, and continually improving business development approach through the strategic alignment with broader business goals 
• Lead cross-functional teams in developing a business case and performing due diligence by interfacing with finance, accounting, legal, tax, R&D, IT, Implementation, HR, and other departments to assess product gaps, partner strategic fit, and deal execution 
• Establish and nurture trusted relationships across CDK and through external industry segments, and engage in thoughtful stakeholder management throughout the full lifecycle of product strategy and external partnership activities 
• Support a comprehensive process to identify and evaluate potential opportunities, including rigorous pipeline generation and screening process that will surface quality partnering opportunities 
   

Required Qualifications & Job Requirements:

• 7-10+ years of experience operating at scale in a corporate environment 
• Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Strategy, or related field, or 7 years’ equivalent experience 
• Curious and creative thinker able to develop and nurture new ideas while being pragmatic and mindful of real-world operations 
• Blend business and technical / product expertise to most effectively represent new product initiatives and to internal/external stakeholders, as well as engage in meaningful dialogues with fellow product, user experience, and technical colleagues 
• Possess exceptional interpersonal skills including communication, persuasion, and negotiation, as well as collaboration and team building, to foster co-operative and productive relationships both internally and externally 
• Demonstrated ability to interact and communicate effectively with internal and external leaders, including oral and written presentations and related materials for executive management 
• Strong leadership and management skills coupled with a proven ability to facilitate cross-functional collaboration 
• Demonstrated history of building alignment between product, technology and subject matters experts within an organization, as well as a demonstrated capacity of effectively interacting with external stakeholders throughout the stages of the product lifecycle 
• Ability to manage high-stakes and time-sensitive, complex, cross-enterprise projects and processes with multiple stakeholders 
• Be highly commercial and possess sound judgement—able to spot opportunities and quickly capitalize on them—with a strong financial and analytical acumen; inclination to think in terms of new business opportunities / models, cost/benefit analysis, and using a data-driven approach 
• Demonstrated history of sound business judgment, analytical rigor, and disciplined product strategy decisions based on data-driven insights 
• Adaptive and able to operate in dynamic and often ambiguous environments 
• Motivated, and self-guided with superior planning and project management skills 
• Must be able to travel at times 
   

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of the auto retail and adjacent technology industries 
• Demonstrated success leading product organizations and managing large business unit operations 
• Expertise in Strategic Planning 
• Trusted expertise within the CDK ecosystem 

Salary Range: $170,000 - $200,000