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
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
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.
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