Area Channel Manager

Schneider Electric; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 115,000 - 173,000; Full time

Job summary

ASCO Power Technologies, a Schneider Electric company, seeks an Area Channel Manager to drive channel strategies across the Midwest through electrical distributors. You will craft joint business plans, guide growth initiatives, and enable distributors with training and tools to boost market share and revenue.

The role requires 1–3 years in sales/channel management, strong communication, and the ability to influence at executive levels. Travel up to 40% is expected in this territory.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Industrial Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 1-3 years of sales, business development, channel management, or account management experience.
• Willingness to travel up to 40% of the time.
• Strong communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders across multiple organizational levels, including executive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Execute Schneider Electric's channel strategy within the assigned geography.
• Develop and implement joint business plans with distributor partners to drive revenue growth, market share gains, and mutual accountability.
• Identify new business opportunities and create growth strategies for both existing and prospective distributor accounts.
• Partner with distributors to align sales initiatives, inventory planning, and promotional activities with business objectives.
• Identify key projects to provide bid quotation support and post-order support.
• Lead distributor competency development programs focused on ASCO Power Technologies solutions, tools, and programs.
• Support the adoption of sales enablement resources, digital tools, and channel programs.
• Deliver product, application, and sales training to strengthen distributor capabilities and customer engagement.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key distributor stakeholders, including executive leadership, sales teams, quotations teams, and operational personnel.
• Influence and drive organizational alignment to support strategic growth initiatives.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to channel partners by understanding customer buying behavior, market trends, and go-to-market strategies.
• Work closely with the Area Sales Manager and Field Sales Engineers to develop and execute distributor growth strategies.
• Provide regular business updates, performance insights, opportunity tracking, and issue escalation through Schneider Electric customer relationship and partner management tools.
• Communicate business plans, customer feedback, competitive intelligence, and growth opportunities to internal stakeholders.
• Promote a superior ease-of-doing-business experience for distributors and end customers.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve service levels, responsiveness, and operational effectiveness across the channel.

Skills

Strong communication

Presentation

Relationship-building

Stakeholder influence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Industrial Technology, or related field

Tools

CRM systems

Channel management tools

Sales enablement tools

Job description

The Area Channel Manager (ACM) is responsible for developing, managing, and executing channel partner strategies across the Midwest region (Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa) for ASCO Power Technologies, a Schneider Electric company. This role serves as a key commercial resource, partnering with electrical distributors to drive growth, increase market share, and strengthen channel capabilities. The ACM will collaborate closely with distributors, sales teams, and internal stakeholders to develop business plans, execute growth initiatives, deliver training programs, provide project support, and support operational excellence across the assigned territory. The successful candidate combines channel management expertise, commercial acumen, and relationship-building skills to influence stakeholders at all levels and deliver measurable business results.

What Will You Do?

Channel Strategy & Business Growth

• Execute Schneider Electric's channel strategy within the assigned geography.
• Develop and implement joint business plans with distributor partners to drive revenue growth, market share gains, and mutual accountability.
• Identify new business opportunities and create growth strategies for both existing and prospective distributor accounts.
• Partner with distributors to align sales initiatives, inventory planning, and promotional activities with business objectives.
• Identify key projects to provide bid quotation support and post-order support.

Partner Development & Enablement

• Lead distributor competency development programs focused on ASCO Power Technologies solutions, tools, and programs.
• Support the successful adoption of sales enablement resources, digital tools, and channel programs.
• Deliver product, application, and sales training to strengthen distributor capabilities and customer engagement.

Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key distributor stakeholders, including executive leadership, sales teams, quotations teams, and operational personnel.
• Influence and drive organizational alignment to support strategic growth initiatives.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to channel partners by understanding customer buying behavior, market trends, and go-to-market strategies.

Collaboration & Execution

• Work closely with the Area Sales Manager and Field Sales Engineers to develop and execute distributor growth strategies.
• Provide regular business updates, performance insights, opportunity tracking, and issue escalation through Schneider Electric customer relationship and partner management tools.
• Communicate business plans, customer feedback, competitive intelligence, and growth opportunities to internal stakeholders.

Customer Experience

• Promote a superior ease-of-doing-business experience for distributors and end customers.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve service levels, responsiveness, and operational effectiveness across the channel.

What Qualifications Will Make You Successful?

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Industrial Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 1-3 years of sales, business development, channel management, or account management experience.
• Strong communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders across multiple organizational levels, including executive leadership.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Self-motivated, strategic thinker with strong problem-solving skills.
• Ability to travel up to 40% throughout the assigned territory.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with electrical distribution channels or wholesale electrical distributors.
• Knowledge of power distribution, critical power, transfer switch, or power management solutions.
• Familiarity with the ASCO Power Technologies product portfolio.
• Experience selling electrical products, components, or solutions.

Proficiency with CRM, channel management, and sales enablement tools

At Schneider, we believe that every employee is a talent who deserves equal opportunities. This means you matter. Every individual needs to feel valued, supported, and treated fairly to do their best work.

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For this U.S. based position, the expected pay range is USD 115,200 - USD 172,800 per year. This pay range includes base pay and short-term incentives. The compensation range for this full-time position applies to candidates located within the United States. Our pay ranges are determined by reviewing roles of similar responsibility and level. Within the pay range, individual pay is determined by several factors including performance, knowledge, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

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