Channel Sales Manager

Cademi; Leeds; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Cademi, a UK B2B SaaS business, is looking to build a partner-led revenue engine from the ground up. You will own the UK channel, define the strategy, and have genuine ownership of how the partner function operates.

Reporting to the Managing Director, you will recruit partners, shape the commercial model, enable partners with sales materials, and forecast performance. This role offers real autonomy to create a scalable, revenue-generating channel.

Qualifications

• Proven success building or redesigning a SaaS channel programme.
• Hands-on recruitment and onboarding of first partners.
• Strong CRM discipline with forecasting and analytics.
• Ability to influence at board level and MD level.

Responsibilities

• Define UK partner strategy and priority segments.
• Build and implement a commercial partner proposition.
• Identify, approach, recruit and close the first partner cohort.
• Create tiering, incentives, and rules of engagement.
• Establish deal registration, pipeline attribution, and reporting.

Skills

SaaS channel sales

Partner programme design

Partner recruitment

Forecasting & reporting

CRM management

Tools

Salesforce CRM

CRM tools

Job description

Build Cademi’s partner revenue engine from the ground up

Most channel roles ask you to inherit someone else’s programme, manage established relationships and work within decisions already made.

This one does not.

Cademi is a growing UK B2B SaaS business helping employers bring compliance, development and wellbeing learning into one simple, low-administration platform. We have a proven direct-sales model. Our next growth engine will be partner-led, and you will be responsible for building it.

You will report directly to the Managing Director, influence decisions at board level and have genuine ownership of how the channel operates. That includes the partner proposition, target segments, commercial model, recruitment, onboarding, enablement, forecasting and performance management.

This is a visible, commercially important role for someone who wants to create a function, not simply occupy one.

Why this is a compelling opportunity

• Build rather than inherit: You will design the channel programme from first principles.
• Real authority: You will shape partner segmentation, commercials, incentives, enablement and rules of engagement.
• Direct access to decision-makers: You will report to the Managing Director and present progress and recommendations at board level.
• A credible platform to build from: The product and direct-sales motion are already proven. Your task is to turn that foundation into scalable partner revenue.
• Measurable personal impact: The revenue engine you create will be directly attributable to your decisions and execution.
• Scope to build the function: As the channel proves itself, the role has the potential to develop into a broader team and leadership mandate.

What you will own

• Define the UK partner strategy and priority partner segments.
• Build a compelling commercial proposition for resellers, referral partners and strategic partners.
• Personally identify, approach, recruit and close the first partner cohort.
• Create partner tiering, commercials, incentives and rules of engagement.
• Develop onboarding, certification, sales materials and enablement that partners actually use.
• Establish deal registration, pipeline attribution, forecasting and partner accountability.
• Improve partner activation, time to first opportunity and partner-sourced revenue.
• Protect unit economics, margin and customer quality as the channel scales.
• Report performance, risks and investment requirements clearly to the MD and board.

What success looks like

Within 30 days

• Complete an evidence-led assessment of the market, partner opportunity and priority segments.
• Agree the partner proposition, commercial principles and 12-month execution plan.
• Establish clear definitions for signed, activated and revenue-producing partners.

Within 90 days

• Launch the core programme, including tiering, commercials, onboarding, enablement, deal registration and reporting.
• Build a prioritised national target-partner pipeline.
• Sign the first three high-fit partners.

Within six months

• Sign 8–10 high-fit partners.
• Activate at least 60% of signed partners within 90 days, with activation defined as producing a sales-qualified opportunity.
• Reduce median time from signing to first qualified opportunity to fewer than 60 days.
• Have at least three partners independently positioning Cademi and progressing qualified opportunities.

Within 12 months

• Establish 12–15 strategically relevant partners, with at least eight actively producing pipeline.
• Have at least four partners generating qualified opportunities every month.
• Maintain qualified partner-sourced pipeline worth at least three times the monthly channel target.
• Generate at least 20% of net-new MRR through partner-sourced opportunities.
• Deliver improving quarter-on-quarter partner revenue while maintaining margin discipline.
• Keep gross monthly logo churn among partner-originated customers below 2.5%.

The person we are looking for

You are likely to be a UK or UK&I Channel Sales Lead, Channel Manager or Head of Partnerships within HR technology, learning technology, compliance software or an adjacent B2B SaaS business.

You must be able to demonstrate that you have personally:

• Built or materially redesigned a SaaS partner programme.
• Recruited partners through proactive prospecting rather than relying on an established brand or inbound demand.
• Converted signed partners into activated, revenue-producing partners.
• Created partner commercials, onboarding, enablement and sales playbooks.
• Managed partner-sourced pipeline through a disciplined CRM and forecasting process.
• Owned commercial results including ARR or MRR, activation, conversion, margin, churn and time to first deal.
• Operated successfully in a lean environment without depending on a large channel operations or enablement team.

You will be commercially direct, resilient and comfortable being judged on revenue outcomes rather than partner meetings or contracts signed.

This role will not suit someone whose experience is limited to maintaining mature alliances, managing a small number of major partners or measuring success by the size of their partner network.

To apply, send your CV together with a short summary covering:

• The partner programme you built or transformed.
• How many partners you signed and how many became productive.
• The partner-sourced revenue or pipeline delivered.
• The typical time from partner signing to first qualified opportunity.