Director, EMEA AI Ecosystem

The EMEA Strategic AI Ecosystem & NVIDIA Business Development Lead at DDN is responsible for identifying, influencing, and accelerating strategic AI infrastructure opportunities originating through NVIDIA and the broader AI ecosystem across EMEA. This relationship-driven role builds trusted partnerships across NVIDIA, cloud providers, AI-native companies, NeoCloud providers, and ecosystem partners to drive pipeline growth and expand DDN's market reach. The ideal candidate combines executive presence, commercial acumen, and a strong understanding of AI infrastructure and ecosystem dynamics to shape opportunities from early engagement through deployment. CORE RESPONSIBILITIES • Build and maintain executive, sales, partner, and technical relationships across NVIDIA and the broader AI ecosystem throughout EMEA. • Identify and influence AI infrastructure opportunities being driven by NVIDIA, OEMs, VARs, cloud providers, and ecosystem partners. • Develop and maintain a qualified opportunity pipeline and work with DDN regional sales teams to accelerate strategic opportunities. • Provide market intelligence on competitive activity, emerging technologies, and ecosystem trends. • Represent DDN at industry events, executive forums, and partner engagements. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS • 10+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, alliances, or enterprise technology sales. • Proven track record influencing large, complex technology opportunities and building executive relationships across partner ecosystems. • Strong understanding of AI infrastructure, GPUs, cloud platforms, and data infrastructure markets. • Exceptional communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills. • Ability to work collaboratively across matrixed organizations without direct account ownership responsibilities. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS • Experience working directly with NVIDIA, hyperscalers, AI-native companies, NeoCloud providers, or government AI initiatives. • Experience developing joint go-to-market strategies and ecosystem partnerships. • Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE • Identifies high-value AI infrastructure opportunities before competitors. • Builds trusted relationships across NVIDIA and strategic ecosystem partners. • Connects regional sales teams to strategic opportunities and helps shape winning strategies. • Influences deal outcomes through relationships, market intelligence, and executive engagement.