Senior Channel Account Executive (MSP)

Sophos; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first working

Hybrid options

Flexible start times

Leadership development

LinkedIn Learning

Wellbeing program

Employee Assistance Program

Parental leave

Job summary

Sophos is seeking a Senior Channel Account Executive for MSP partnerships in the UK, with a focus on MSPs and MDR opportunities. You will develop joint business plans, drive revenue growth, and coordinate across product management, sales, SE, marketing and services to meet partner objectives.

You will enable partner teams with training and certifications, foster C-level relationships, and ensure accurate forecasting.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical skills
• Excellent communication (written, verbal, presentation)
• Experience building business plans and MSP offerings
• Proven track record of building and maintaining C-level relationships with strategic partners

Responsibilities

• Manage Sophos MSP partners and drive joint business plans to hit revenue and profitability targets
• Develop opportunities in MSP services, MDR and next-gen portfolio; pursue new logo, up-sell, cross-sell and renewals
• Understand partner business, investment areas and profitability to influence joint plans and growth
• Lead joint business reviews with partners and Sophos stakeholders with clear KPIs and SMART goals
• Collaborate on marketing plans with partners to generate pipeline and ROI
• Coordinate cross-functional Sophos teams to meet partner performance objectives
• Drive high renewal rates by focusing on renewals and alignment with Sophos and partner teams
• Enable partner sales and technical staff through enablement plans and training materials

Job description

• The Senior Channel Account Executive (MSP CAE) is accountable for managing our most strategic Sophos MSP partners
• They are responsible for developing joint business plans with partners to hit revenue and profitability targets by developing new customer MSP services, MDR and next-gen portfolio opportunities, as well as new logo, up-sell, cross-sell and renewal conversations with existing customers
• Develop relationships at all levels across the partner to drive revenue growth and profitability; particularly for MSP and Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
• Gain a detailed understanding of the partners business, investment areas, and profitability factors to positively influence the joint business plan, that drives incremental opportunities to deliver outstanding growth for the partner and Sophos
• Strong analytical skills, and demonstrated ability to turn detailed data analysis into useful strategic insight in order to drive customer adoption and make appropriate recommendations to the business - Establish ways to measure and track metrics related to adoption of our solutions and to make improvements to the approach based on those measurements
• Enable partners to take full advantage of Sophos’ comprehensive solution and services portfolio to improve their customer’s security protection and response
• Directly support partners to qualify and close complex customer deals, engaging wider sales and sales engineer teams where required to gather insights and ensure accurate business forecasting
• Own and manage the frequent joint business review and planning process between Partners and Sophos decision makers, incl. clearly defined KPI’s and SMART goals with agreed outcomes
• Collaborate to develop marketing plans with partners to drive incremental sales pipeline ensuring high return on investment from activities like lead gen campaigns and events
• Coordinate the involvement of Sophos staff, including product management, sales, SE, marketing, support, services and management resources to meet partner performance objectives and partner expectations
• Drive high renewal rates by ensuring partners focus on their renewals and build an engagement plan to align Sophos and Partner teams, identify new business and cross sell opportunities
• Motivate, educate and ensure Partner sales and technical staff are go-to-market ready, provide access to certification and training materials and develop an enablement plan

Benefits

• We encourage teams to get together in person periodically to help facilitate teamwork
• Remote-first working model & hybrid options
• Flexible start and end times for many roles
• Leadership development program
• Access to LinkedIn Learning
• Global internal coaching program (Coach Match)
• Periodic Sophos wellness days off for all Sophos to help employees relax and recharge
• Global wellbeing program, which offers a range of wellbeing resources, including Sophos Wellbeing Webinars, Stress Management Toolkits, and Developing Resilience Courses
• Free Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for confidential advice and counseling on a wide range of work and personal issues
• Free annual subscription to the Calm app
• Paid parental leave, caregiver leave & bereavement/compassion leave available
• We host some unforgettable social experiences for our global teams including our music festival SOPH-Fest, go-karting, Sophmudder, and incredible holiday parties!
• Our annual global fitness challenge, SOPH-Fit, sees thousands of employees taking part in our virtual global race around the world
• Each quarter, we celebrate our exceptional global team by running the Sophos Values Awards, which recognizes and rewards employees who embody the Sophos values and who we are as a company
• Health care benefits available worldwide

Proven track record of achieving and exceeding territory partner sales quotas and a proven record in Partner Driven Net New and Customer New business salesTrack record of exceeding expectations in a team focused, quota carrying role, consistently exceeds quota and key performance metricsFocuses on understanding desired outcomes and showing value for Sophos, partners, and customersExcellent communication skills, including written, verbal, and presentation abilitiesWorking experience of developing business plans and service offerings with MSPsExperience supporting and collaborating with virtual and cross functional teamsWell-developed analytical skillsStrong numerical aptitudeStrong conflict management skills when working with customers, partners, and internal stakeholdersUnderstand RMM/PSA platforms and integrating commercial modelsAbility to think strategically and long-term, takes ownership and has business leadership to meet the needs of a dynamic PartnershipProven track record of Building and fostering key C-level/Exec relationships, internally and within Strategic Partners and is comfortable interacting at all levels of the organizationDemonstrated earning trust with internal stakeholders and drives for results through others, excellent verbal and written communications skills are a must, as well as the ability to work effectively across internal and external organizationsHigh level of commercial awareness and business acumenAbility to quickly learn and adapt to new approaches, tools, and techniquesUnderstanding of the target market and its dynamics - Extensive sales experience across all customer sizes and sectors Small, Mid, Enterprise and Public SectorDevelop and execute on a joint Partner business plan that drives our mutual business in line with Sophos short and long term aspirationsFacilitates strong business partnerships to secure buy-in to plans to move Sophos and Partners towards desired goalsEngages easily and uses effective questioning and active listening to gather relevant informationExperience of MSP Partner Management in UK, Ireland and Nordics - Minimum 8+ yearsCoaching and mentoring capabilityAt Sophos, we believe in the power of diverse perspectives to fuel innovation. Research shows that candidates sometimes hesitate to apply if they don’t check every box in a job description. We challenge that notion. Your unique experiences and skills might be exactly what we need to enhance our team. Don’t let a checklist hold you back –