Partner Relationship

Partnerships & Ecosystem Manager (Shopify / Ecommerce)

Come work with us on brands like rhode, Jacob & Co, khy by Kylie Jenner, and HexClad.

Vaan, A Verndale Company, is a brand and commerce agency built for the DTC era. We partner with category-defining, digitally native brands to design, build, and optimize high-performing commerce experiences where brand and conversion are inseparable. Our approach—Brand Conversion Design—blends world-class creative, rigorous UX, and deep Shopify Plus expertise to turn storytelling into growth at scale. As part of Verndale, we bring enterprise-grade thinking with the speed, taste, and performance mindset of a modern DTC growth partner.

We are looking for a Partnerships & Ecosystem Manager who can turn the Shopify and ecommerce technology ecosystem into a real competitive advantage for Vaan and our clients.

This is not a traditional partner marketing or business development role. This role requires someone who understands how ecommerce technologies actually integrate with Shopify, can identify real merchant opportunities, and can speak credibly with both partner technical teams and Vaan’s strategy, design, and engineering teams.

Must-Have Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in ecommerce partnerships, ecosystem roles, solutions engineering, or technology partnerships within Shopify, SaaS, or ecommerce environments

• 3+ years experience working at a Shopify agency or ecommerce-focused agency

• Direct experience working with Shopify Plus merchants

• Strong understanding of how Shopify apps and ecommerce technologies integrate with Shopify stores (APIs, data flows, storefront, checkout, backend operations)

• Ability to understand partner products beyond marketing messaging and identify real technical and operational use cases for merchants

• Familiarity with key ecommerce stack components such as ERP, OMS, WMS, CRM, CDP, search & merchandising, personalization, subscriptions, reviews, analytics, etc.

• Ability to confidently engage with partner solution engineers, product teams, and technical stakeholders

• Strong relationship-building and communication skills across both technical and non-technical audiences

• Experience collaborating on marketing content such as case studies, webinars, or thought leadership

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple partner relationships simultaneously

• Self-motivated and comfortable working independently in a remote environment
  
  Nice to Have

• Experience in solution engineering, ecommerce strategy, or technical consulting roles

• Existing relationships within the Shopify partner ecosystem

• Experience using partner portals, referral programs, and co-marketing initiatives

• Based in Los Angeles or New York

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Key Responsibilities

Partner Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with key technology partners in the Shopify ecosystem

• Meet regularly with existing partners to identify merchant opportunities and collaboration initiatives

• Evaluate and vet new and emerging partners to determine strategic fit for Vaan’s services and client needs

• Act as the primary point of contact between Vaan and partner teams across multiple organizations
  
  

Strategic Opportunity Identification

• Identify real merchant opportunities where partner solutions can create measurable value

• Connect Vaan client challenges and project needs with relevant partner technologies

• Act as a bridge between Vaan’s strategy, design, and tech teams and partner capabilities

• Translate partner capabilities into practical opportunities for Vaan projects and clients

• Proactively bring partner-driven opportunities into active client engagements
  
  

Marketing & Content Collaboration

• Collaborate with Vaan’s marketing team to develop case studies and success stories featuring partner collaborations

• Identify compelling technical and operational use cases of partner tools to highlight across Vaan’s channels

• Work with partners on co-authored reports, research, webinars, and thought leadership content
  
  

Program Coordination & Administration

• Organize and coordinate internal partner sessions such as “Wow That’s Cool Wednesday”

• Manage lead registration and tracking through partner portals

• Maintain accurate records of partnership activities, opportunities, and outcomes

• Track the impact of partnerships on pipeline, projects, and client value
  

Industry Engagement

• Represent Vaan at relevant industry events, conferences, and partner gatherings

• Stay informed on trends, tools, and best practices within the Shopify and ecommerce technology ecosystem