What this template covers
This is a complete job description for a partner manager at a B2B SaaS company. It is written for the most common version of the role: someone who manages a portfolio of agencies, consultancies, referral partners and resellers, recruits new ones, and is measured on partner-sourced revenue. Every section has placeholders for your company, partner types and targets, and guidance notes you delete before posting.
It includes:
- Role details: title, team, reporting line, location and partner types in scope.
- About the company and about the role, with a note on what to say if this is your first partner hire.
- Responsibilities covering recruitment, onboarding, joint business plans, co-selling, deal registration, enablement, joint marketing, reporting and payouts.
- What success looks like at 6 and 12 months, with concrete targets.
- Requirements and nice to haves.
- How the role is measured, with six metrics and how each is tracked.
- Compensation and benefits, with placeholders and a note on how partner manager pay is usually structured.
- How to apply and an equal opportunity statement.
Partner manager, channel manager, partnership manager or partner account manager
People search for all four titles, and companies use them loosely. The differences usually look like this:
| Title | Usually means | Typical partners |
|---|---|---|
| Partner manager | Recruits and manages a mixed portfolio, measured on partner revenue | Agencies, consultancies, referral and technology partners |
| Channel manager or channel partner manager | Manages partners who resell, often with margins and volume targets | Resellers, value-added resellers, distributors, managed service providers |
| Partnership manager | Builds a smaller number of strategic or business development partnerships | Technology, integration, co-marketing and strategic partners |
| Partner account manager | Grows revenue from existing, signed partners, with little recruiting | An assigned book of established partners |
Pick the title your candidates search for and that matches the work. If the role is mostly resale, use channel manager. If it is mostly integrations and co-marketing, use partnership manager. If someone else recruits and the role grows existing partners, use partner account manager.
How to adapt it
- Set the partner types. List the partner types in scope in the role details table. It changes who applies more than any other line.
- Decide on a quota. Say whether the role carries a target for partner-sourced revenue and what it is paid on. Partner-sourced and partner-influenced revenue need clear definitions, so use the same ones as your partner agreement. The partner-sourced vs partner-influenced guide explains the difference.
- Make the success targets real. Replace the example figures, such as $400,000 of partner-sourced ARR in 12 months, with numbers your leadership has agreed. A candidate who asks where a number came from deserves an answer.
- Say if the program exists yet. A first partner hire needs to build an agreement, tiers and onboarding. That calls for a different candidate than someone joining a program with 50 active partners.
- Fill in the pay range. Many US states and cities require a good-faith pay range in job postings. Check the rules for each location you are hiring in.
Tips for attracting strong candidates
- Name the metrics. Experienced partner managers want to know how partner-sourced revenue is counted and who settles conflicts with the direct sales team. Say so in the job description.
- Show the internal support. Mention whether there is partner marketing, a partner portal and an executive sponsor. Candidates know a program without them is harder to run.
- Keep requirements short. Six requirements and five nice to haves is plenty. Long lists put off good candidates who meet most of them.
- Describe the process. Say how many interviews there are and whether you ask for a 30-60-90 day plan.
After you post it
Prepare the interview loop before applications arrive. Our partner manager interview questions cover program strategy, recruitment, enablement, deal conflict and metrics, with what a strong answer includes. If you ask finalists for a plan, the 30-60-90 day plan template gives them a format and gives you a consistent way to compare them.