The Brief
If Skype and the product were defined as a picturesque house, Skype Developer Program works to nurture and maintain great looking gardens around that house. Equal focus must be given to ‘landscaping’ (short term, formal and revenue generating) and the ‘ecosystem’ (longer term nurturing activities). The SDP team do this through:
- Manage the pipeline of Extras for Skype, our gallery of 3rd party services and applications for Skype. These services complement and extend, rather than compete with Skype core product offerings.
- Maintain healthy partner and developer relations, by setting, tracking and achieving realistic expectations with software partners.
- Educate and train 3rd parties at events, Skypecasts and via the Developer Zone website
- Provide professional technical services, including software certification, developer support and bug reporting, and delivery of Public API docs, SDK’s, and tools.
- Consulting, representing and co-ordinating platform integration projects with selected, key 3rd parties
The Platform Partner Manager is responsible for the final deliverable, 3rd party platform consulting. Key to this role is the ability to move quickly whilst maintaining strong relationships with internal stakeholders. In summary the role is to: (1) find platform solutions for software partners (2) help them successfully deliver (3) use that experience to drive Skype developer platforms evolution
Key Responsibilities (in priority order)
- Platform Technical Consulting : approximately 60% workload
- You will rapidly immerse yourself in Extras development process, Skype architecture, partner ‘connecting’ projects and Public API’s in sufficient depth to be able to hand hold key partners through the process, and drive:
- Extras Channels development: Support SDP Director and BizDev managers across Skype to identify risks, feasibility, costs and commercial opportunities for potential Extras channel engagements. Assist Partners with Extras channel definition, development and delivery.
New Platform Integration & Evolution: Co-ordinate between SDP, Ecommerce and Software Partners to scope and extend new and emerging ecommerce platforms for 3rd party developers, within sensible timescales. The focus here will be Tier 1 and Enterprise partners, with short term delivery and clear revenue opportunities.
Engagement & Representation: approximately 30% workload
- Using your experience of Skype internal platform development and external partners you will represent:
- Externally: Proactively track new developments within Skype and advise partners as and when appropriate new revenue or user generating opportunities emerge.
Internally: Collect, represent, and internally promote partner requirements within Skype during the development of new desktop, telecoms, ecommerce, web or core library projects. Influence the roadmap of enhancements to the Skype public API and associated support tools and documentation (owned by SDP API& SDK manager)
Platform Evangelist: approximately 10% workload
- Your experience of the previous activities will enable you to be a confident evangelist of Skype developer platforms. You will promote developer platforms including associated technologies and opportunities through communications with Press and participation at relevant Events
Desirable functional / technical skills
- Ideally, a previous role will have include both platform architecture and technical consulting.
- Solid experience in a customer facing technical consultancy role
- Proven ability to work with multiple partners to deliver several concurrent projects on time and budget
- Solid experience of an entire platform, rather than just a specific application (e.g. Insurance service)
- Solid experience in software development with C++, Java, VB or Delphi
- Fluent expertise in web based technologies (html, xml, xsl, javascript etc..)
- Solid experience with a full life cycle project .
- Proven understanding of usability design.
- Communication and relationship management skills
Personal attributes / competencies
- Excellent communication skills, the ability to impress, influence and listen with technical and commercial audiences
- Innovation spotter, you must be able to weed out the killer vs non-important opportunities
- Sense of urgency: a doer mentality
- Self motivated and self disciplined. Ability to work with geographically disparate team whilst being highly communicative and on target
Qualifications
- Relevant degree and/or postgraduate in Software Engineering
Duration/Other
- Permanent
- London based, with regular travel to Tallinn. Occasional travel to U.S.
Ref: PROD-PLAT-MNGR
