Channel Partner Manager – Cybersecurity Career

This role sits at the intersection of two of the hottest areas in enterprise tech:
cloud-native security and software supply chain
. Skills developed here — VAR channel management, partner-led GTM, security sales motions — are in extremely high demand as organizations respond to mandates like SBOM requirements and Zero Trust frameworks.

Compensation Check: The $123K–$145K base is competitive for a mid-level channel/partner sales role in the US, but keep in mind this is base only. Channel BD roles at high-growth security startups typically include variable compensation (OTE often 1.5–2x base), so total comp could range from $185K–$290K. Confirm OTE structure during interviews.

Company Stage Signals: Chainguard is a well-funded, high-growth startup backed by Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, and IVP with blue-chip customers (OpenAI, Snowflake, Anduril). This signals Series B/C growth stage — meaning equity could be meaningful, but expect fast-paced, build-as-you-go work culture with less process maturity than enterprise employers.

• 10-year option exercise window is exceptionally founder/employee-friendly — a rare differentiator
• Clear quota ownership and Commercial segment focus provides career advancement visibility
• Exposure to Fortune 500 customers and marquee investors adds strong resume credibility

Watch For: The role requires building programs largely from scratch ("startup or early-stage program experience preferred"), which is exciting for builders but can be isolating without strong operational support. Confirm partner operations resourcing before accepting.

Chainguard is the trusted source for open source. By delivering hardened, secure, and production-ready builds of all the open source software engineers and AI agents rely on, Chainguard helps organizations build faster, stay compliant, and eliminate risk.

Our customers include Fortune 500 enterprises and global industry leaders, including Anduril, Canva, Fortinet, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, OpenAI, Snap Inc., and Snowflake.

Chainguard is venture-backed by leading investors, including Amplify, IVP, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mantis VC, Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Spark Capital.

We're looking for a highly motivated strategic partner/business development professional (VARs) who has strong market knowledge, a cloud and security network, and enjoys building relationships with key decision makers to evangelize building secure and reliable software. Our sales team walks a mile in their customers' shoes and wants our customers and prospects to see the immense value and expertise Chainguard's solutions offer.

• Own and deliver partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline and revenue outcomes for the Commercial segment, across a broad portfolio of VARs and resellers, with clear accountability for contribution to Commercial bookings
• Serve as the dedicated partner lead for the Commercial sales team, aligning partner strategy, targets, and priorities with the Commercial sales leader
• Drive consistent pipeline creation through joint prospecting, partner-led opportunity identification, and co-selling motions with Commercial AEs
• Improve partner attach rates by enabling partners to position Chainguard as a core component of their security, cloud-native, and modernization offerings for mid-market and commercial customers
• Accelerate deal velocity and win rates in a high-velocity sales cycle by making sure partners are enabled, engaged early, and aligned to common customer use cases
• Identify, recruit, and activate partners at scale, and quickly prioritize the ones showing real sales focus, technical enablement, and…