Channel Sales Account Manager

Cision is the leader in the professional communications software space. By investing in our brand and technologies, we are driving change in how communication pros distribute, monitor, and evaluate their content.

Cision invests in our people through training and management and empowering them to drive their careers. The most important measure of our success is yours! This is especially relevant to the rebuilding, refocusing, and relaunching of a legacy channel partner sales program to customize our channel offerings to the shifting demands of today's market and meet our existing and new channel partners where they're at in their book of business.

We are seeking a Strategic Account Executive, Channel Sales to build, scale, and manage a high-performing partner ecosystem focused on long-term mutual profitability, operational discipline, and outstanding partner care. In this role, you will recruit, enable, and manage a portfolio of Reseller Partners, Referral Partners, and Event Partners to accelerate revenue growth, drive market expansion, and increase brand awareness through indirect sales.

The ideal candidate is a credible brand ambassador, creative problem solver, strategic thinker with a bias for action, strong collaborator internally, and expert liaison externally with a passion for channel partner success and an equal focus on partner experience and revenue generation.

Key Responsibilities:

Partner Ecosystem Development:

Identify, recruit, and onboard new reseller, referral, and event partners.

Build strategic partner programs that align with company objectives and market needs.

Develop clear engagement models and value propositions tailored to each partner type.

Partner Enablement & Training:

Develop and deliver onboarding materials, sales training, and product education to ensure partner readiness.

Collaborate with internal teams to adapt and create content tailored for partner use.

Equip partners with the tools, messaging, and support they need to succeed.

Sales & Revenue Growth:

Drive adoption of partner-delivered offerings to meet and exceed revenue targets.

Generate and nurture leads collaboratively with partners through joint marketing, events, and campaigns to retain and grow existing partners and sell and scale net new partners.

Develop co-selling strategies to influence and support partner sales efforts.

Partner Management & Growth:

Build strong, trust-based relationships with partners to ensure long-term success.

Regularly review partner performance and implement growth and improvement strategies.

Serve as the internal advocate for partner needs and opportunities.

Market Expansion & Strategy:

Identify opportunities for expansion and capture market share in targeted regions or verticals.

Analyze partner pipeline, influence forecasts, and refine the partner strategy accordingly.

Bring insights from the field to inform product, marketing, and go-to-market teams.

Essential Functions:

Develop and execute strategic channel partner plans to achieve sales targets and channel partner growth at 100% to plan.

Optimize the number and type of channel partners to produce the ideal business mix that leads to business unit profitability and partner experience through a high impact, low resource business model approach.

Ability to gain the trust of C-level executives and technical teams from partner organizations by casting the vision of the partnership with Cision and building joint business opportunities defined and managed through business and marketing plans.

Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of sales, methods, costs, and results. Is a Data Driven decision maker with a bias for action.

Accurately forecast future channel partner sales and develop sales plans to adapt to shifting marketplace sales and sales reporting at all times.

Manage potential channel conflict by proactively fostering excellent communications internally and externally.

Understand channel specific landscapes and bring the voice of the channel partner to the organization.

Consistently demonstrates a strategic and successful channel partner review process.

Demonstrate the Cision Values & support a strong culture at PR Newswire.

Leverage your network (internal & external) to drive visibility into top opportunities and collaborate with internal executives to close business as needed, including deep involvement with top prospects when needed.

Elevate performance of KPI achievement, quality assurance, and standard competencies.

Help identify opportunities to improve the organization and go-to-market segmentation strategies based on effective feedback loops, internal networking, and properly managing up.

Engage daily with peer leaders to ensure a strong, collaborative sales channel environment, proactively sharing ideas, creative strategies, and updates with other managers, and help triage crisis as needed.

Maintain and expand positive interdepartmental communication and collaborative teamwork, also ensuring that the prospect experience is seamless.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

5+ years in channel sales, partner management, or related experience in B2B SaaS, technology, or PR/Media services.

Strong existing business relationships specifically with existing channel sales partners.

Proven success in building and managing partner programs that drive measurable results.

Strong understanding of indirect sales strategies and partner lifecycle management.

Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.

Experience developing and delivering partner training and enablement materials.

Highly organized, self-motivated, and capable of managing multiple priorities with precision

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree, required.

Experience working with a mix of reseller, referral, and event partners.

Background in marketing-led or event-based partner campaigns.

Experience with CRM and PRM tools (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, PartnerStack).

Creative thinker with an entrepreneurial mindset and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

Advanced analytical, organizational, selling, and leadership skills to serve the greater organization.

Keen interest in driving channel sales through strategic initiatives as well as coaching and developing others.

What Success Looks Like:

A growing and engaged partner network aligned with strategic company goals.

Increased partner-sourced and partner-influenced revenue.

High partner satisfaction and retention rates.

Efficient, scalable processes for partner recruitment/enablement/performance management.

Measurable market share growth through indirect channels with reseller, referral, and event partner lines of business.

Join Us:
If you're passionate about driving growth through strategic partnerships and delivering exceptional partner experiences, we'd love to meet you and discuss your business fit as our next Strategic Account Executive, Channel Sales.