Channel Manager

Job Description

Role Summary

The Channel Manager is accountable for building, governing, and scaling a high-performing partner ecosystem aligned to regional and global channel strategy.

This role owns the end-to-end partner lifecycle — from recruitment and GTM alignment through to capability development and pipeline creation — ensuring partners become self-sufficient, growth-oriented contributors to the business.

Unlike execution-focused roles, the Channel Manager is responsible for creating the conditions for scale, not closing individual deals.

Core Role Positioning

“Own the partner, build the ecosystem, and create sustainable pipeline.”

• Full ownership and accountability for assigned partners
• Focus on mid- to long-term partner growth and capability
• Creates scalable pipeline and partner-driven revenue engines

Key Responsibilities

1. Partner Ownership & Accountability

• Act as the single point of ownership for assigned partners
• Build deep, trusted relationships with partner leadership and operating teams
• Define, agree, and govern joint business plans with clear growth objectives
• Hold partners accountable to performance across pipeline, capability, and revenue

2. Partner GTM, Recruitment & Onboarding

• Define and execute partner GTM strategies aligned to regional priorities
• Identify whitespace and recruit net-new partners aligned to industry and coverage gaps
• Lead onboarding of new partners, ensuring rapid integration into the ecosystem
• Align partner positioning with target industries, accounts, and value propositions

3. Capability Growth & Partner Development

• Drive partner capability across Sales, Presales, Marketing, and Delivery
• Ensure partners achieve required certifications and skills aligned to strategy
• Assess partner maturity and define structured development plans
• Enable partners to become increasingly self-sufficient in sourcing and delivering work

4. Marketing Alignment & Joint GTM Planning

• Align partners to joint go-to-market plans and campaign execution
• Work closely with marketing teams to build structured demand generation programs
• Ensure partners are actively engaged in campaigns that drive pipeline
• Translate strategy into actionable programs with measurable outcomes

5. Pipeline Creation & Demand Generation

• Own the creation of partner-sourced pipeline within assigned ecosystem
• Ensure partners are proactively identifying and generating new opportunities
• Track pipeline health, coverage, and quality across the partner portfolio
• Drive consistency in pipeline generation activities across partners
• At 10% maturity, handover opportunities to Channel Sales Manager to progress, grow and close

6. Practice Development & Tier Progression

• Support partners in building industry practices and solutions aligned to target markets
• Drive progression through partner program tiers based on capability and performance
• Ensure partners are investing appropriately in priority areas
• Align partner capability with future growth opportunities

7. Governance & Ecosystem Management

• Establish governance across partners, including regular reviews, KPIs, and performance tracking
• Ensure adherence to partner program requirements, commercials, and engagement models
• Manage cross-region and cross-industry alignment for strategic partners where required
• Provide structured insight into ecosystem performance to regional leadership

Key Outcomes / Success Measures

• Growth in partner-sourced pipeline
• Increase in partner capability and self-sufficiency
• Expansion of ecosystem coverage (by industry, geography, and capability)
• Progression of partners through program tiers and maturity levels
• Strength and sustainability of the overall partner ecosystem

Role Boundaries (Critical Clarity)

The Channel Manager:

• Builds and enables partners
• Creates pipeline and ecosystem capability

The Channel Manager is not responsible for:

• Owning deal execution or closing opportunities
• Managing in-quarter revenue delivery on individual deals
• Acting as the primary commercial owner within sales cycles

👉 These responsibilities sit with Channel Sales Manager

Qualifications

Skills & Experience

• Strong experience in channel, partner management, or ecosystem development
• Proven ability to build and scale partner relationships
• Experience developing partner GTM strategies and business plans
• Strong understanding of sales, marketing, and delivery capability models
• Ability to operate strategically while driving structured execution

Additional Information

We believe that coming together as a community, in person, is important for innovation, connection and fostering a sense of belonging. Our roles have the right balance of remote and in-office working to enable flexibility for managing your life along with ensuring a real connection with your colleagues and the broader IFS community.