Channel Development Manager

Summary/Objective

The Channel Development Manager is a pivotal hire in the 3-GIS EMEA growth strategy. This role is responsible for building and scaling a partner ecosystem through the Esri distributor network across the EMEA region, creating a force‑multiplying revenue channel that operates alongside the direct sales motion. The Channel Development Manager will identify, recruit, onboard, and activate Esri distributor partners — developing the commercial relationships, technical enablement foundations, and joint go‑to‑market plans needed to generate consistent, growing pipeline and revenue.

In addition to the core channel build, this role carries a structured responsibility for utility market intelligence. Through the Esri distributor network, the Channel Development Manager will systematically gather market data on the appetite for 3‑GIS utility products across EMEA, producing a formal market assessment that informs future product and hiring decisions.

This is a founding role in the 3‑GIS EMEA channel programme. Partners recruited in Year 1 will carry preferential commercial terms and the closest access to leadership and technical resources. The Channel Development Manager has the opportunity to build something significant from the ground up and grow with the programme as it scales.

• Map the Esri distributor landscape across EMEA priority geographies and build a qualified pipeline of partner candidates
• Identify and approach 8-10 high‑potential Esri distributors based on existing customer relationships, technical capability, and sales capacity
• Lead commercial negotiations and onboard 3-5 founding partners in Year 1 with clear joint account plans and activation milestones
• Develop and maintain a structured partner qualification framework — applying the same rigour to partner selection as to customer qualification
• Scale to 8-10 active partners by end of Year 2 through systematic recruitment and activation

• Work closely with the EMEA Solution Architect to deliver technical enablement programmes for each partner — integration playbooks, product architecture overviews, and customer‑facing technical support
• Conduct joint account mapping sessions with each active partner to identify named target accounts and assign shared pursuit plans
• Run quarterly business reviews with all active partners — structured pipeline reviews, blocker identification, and joint planning for the coming quarter
• Maintain regular cadence with partner contacts (minimum fortnightly) to ensure active engagement, deal progression, and issue resolution
• Develop and protect a formal deal registration process from day one — partner confidence in opportunity protection is foundational to programme success

• Drive co‑sell activity with active partners — participating in customer meetings, technical presentations, and commercial discussions as required
• Own and forecast channel pipeline with the same discipline as a direct sales rep — accurate staging, probability weighting, and close date management
• Identify and surface the highest‑value co‑sell opportunities across the partner base for prioritisation of Solution Architect and Sales Engineer resource

• Embed structured utility market sounding board questions into all Esri distributor onboarding conversations from Month 1
• Gather systematic intelligence on electric utility operator relationships, product appetite, and localisation requirements across the distributor network
• Produce a formal utility market assessment by Month 5 covering named distributors, expressed interest levels, addressable accounts, and localisation requirements
• Present findings and a clear recommendation to leadership as the basis for the utility product go‑to‑market business case

• Work closely with the EMEA Marketing Manager to develop partner‑facing collateral, co‑marketing programmes, and market development fund (MDF) activity
• Collaborate with the Solution Architect on partner technical enablement planning and capacity allocation
• Provide regular pipeline and market…