Channel Development Manager

Location

• To be confirmed; regional travel required

Employment Type

3. Role Purpose

4. Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a channel development strategy aligned with regional revenue targets, market priorities, and commercial objectives.
• Identify, assess, recruit, and onboard new channel partners, including distributors, resellers, agents, systems integrators, consultants, or other relevant partner types.
• Build strong relationships with existing partners, acting as the primary commercial contact for partner development, performance improvement, and issue resolution.
• Create joint business plans with priority partners, including revenue targets, pipeline expectations, account priorities, marketing activities, and enablement actions.
• Lead, manage, and support the regional Channel Sales Managers, ensuring clear objectives, consistent execution, and alignment with regional commercial priorities.
• Set performance expectations for Channel Sales Managers, monitor progress against targets, and provide coaching, feedback, and development support to improve individual and team performance.
• Coordinate regional channel sales activity across territories, ensuring effective prioritisation of partner opportunities, consistent pipeline management, and disciplined follow-up on joint business plans.
• Facilitate regular one-to-one meetings, team reviews, and regional performance discussions with Channel Sales Managers to share best practice, resolve blockers, and drive accountability.
• Deliver partner enablement programmes, including product training, value proposition development, sales tools, commercial guidance, and customer engagement support.
• Monitor partner performance using agreed KPIs, conduct regular business reviews, and implement corrective actions where performance is below expectation.
• Work closely with sales, marketing, product, technical, customer service, finance, and legal teams to ensure partners are equipped to represent the company effectively and compliantly.
• Support pricing, commercial terms, contract negotiation, and rules of engagement for channel partners in line with company policies.
• Provide market intelligence on partner capability, competitor activity, customer needs, and opportunities for channel expansion.
• Represent the company at partner meetings, trade events, roadshows, and customer-facing engagements as required.

5. Required Experience and Qualifications

• Proven experience in channel development, channel sales, business development, or a related commercial role.
• Experience in the printing industry is preferred, with particular value placed on knowledge of flexographic printing, packaging, labels, consumables, equipment, or related print production environments.
• Strong understanding of customer needs, channel structures, and commercial dynamics within print-related markets, ideally including flexographic applications and partner routes to market.
• Demonstrable track record of developing partner-led revenue, improving partner productivity, and building sustainable commercial relationships.
• Strong understanding of indirect sales models, partner ecosystems, distributor management, reseller programmes, and joint go-to-market planning.
• Experience working in a matrix organisation and collaborating across sales, marketing, operations, finance, legal, and technical teams.
• Commercially astute, with experience in pipeline management, forecasting, pricing, margin management, and performance reporting.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, sales, engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent commercial experience will also be considered.
• Fluency in English required; additional regional languages would be advantageous.
• Willingness to travel regularly to meet partners, attend events, and support regional growth initiatives.

6. Key Skills and Competencies

• Strategic channel planning: Ability to translate market opportunity into practical partner strategies and execution plans.
• Relationship building: Strong interpersonal skills with the credibility to influence partners and internal stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Commercial negotiation: Confident in negotiating terms, resolving commercial issues, and balancing growth with margin discipline.
• Analytical thinking: Comfortable using sales data, partner scorecards, and market insights to identify opportunities and improve performance.
• Communication and presentation: Clear, persuasive communicator able to present business plans, performance reviews, and value propositions effectively.
• Collaboration: Works effectively across functions and geographies to deliver seamless partner and customer experiences.

7. Key Performance Indicators

8. Success Profile

9. Equal Opportunities Statement