Director of Channel Development

Pentera; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Pentera, the market leader in AI-native Security Validation, seeks a Director of Channel for the US to build and lead a 100% channel model. You will report to Marketing leadership and manage a Channel ISR to drive partner-driven pipeline across the US.

This role requires strategic vision, hands-on execution, and a strong partner network. You will define the partner motion, recruit and exit partners as needed, and relentlessly optimize the channel to accelerate growth.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in channel or partner management in cybersecurity.
• Proven pipeline and revenue generation through partners.
• Experience building or turning around a channel program.
• Deep understanding of deal registration, margins, MDF, and distribution.
• Willing to say no to partners and align with sales on the channel model.
• Experimental mindset with rapid launches and measurements.
• Player-coach who can work alongside a direct report.
• Excellent communication and executive engagement skills.
• Based in the United States; travel required.

Responsibilities

• Launch the 100% channel model in the US with partner routing.
• Build a partner base of 10–15 priority partners.
• Enable partner engineers with certifications and SPIFFs.
• Generate meetings, registrations, and partner-sourced pipeline.
• Manage a Channel ISR assisting the partner rep base daily.
• Test new routes to market including MSSPs, marketplaces, and tech alliances.

Skills

Channel management

Partner pipeline

Executive engagement

Sales collaboration

Communication

Travel flexibility

Job description

Pentera is the market leader in AI-native Security Validation, equipping enterprises with the platform to proactively test their defenses against the latest cyber attacks.

Pentera proves which exposures are truly exploitable across the entire attack surface and drives remediation workflows that reduce real risk. Anchored in real-attack validation, the Pentera platform powers the full Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) cycle, from exposure discovery through prioritization, validation, and mobilization. Thousands of security teams around the world trust Pentera to close their security gaps before threat actors can exploit them.

With over 350 team members and 1,300 customers in more than 60 countries, Pentera is a growing company supported by top investors such as Insight Partners, K1, and The Blackstone Group.

About the role

Pentera has moved to a 100% channel model in the Americas, and we are hiring a Director of Channel - US to build it.

This is not a role to maintain an existing partner program. It is a role to replace one. The channel at Pentera is moving under Marketing and will be run as a pipeline engine.

We are looking for someone who knows the channel playbook thoroughly and has decided that it’s time for someone to disrupt it. You will have the mandate and the executive backing to do things differently, and you will be expected to keep finding ways to win that other channel teams aren't using.

You will report to the VP of Marketing and manage a Channel ISR.

Roles and responsibilities

• Launch Pentera's 100% channel model in the US: partner announcement, rules of engagement, and the internal process that routes every deal through a partner.
• Build the partner base: select 10–15 priority partners, recruit the ones we're missing, exit the ones that don’t produce, and run joint plans with real pipeline targets.
• Enable partner engineers: certification on where Pentera fits versus the competition, with SPIFFs for certified engineers and registered deals.
• Generate meetings: rep-to-rep and rep-to-account meetings, deal registrations, and partner-sourced pipeline, using proactive account mapping (Crossbeam) and reviewed weekly with Sales, Marketing, and BDR leadership.
• Manage a Channel ISR who works the partner rep base daily.
• Keep testing new routes to market - MSSPs, marketplaces, technology alliances and scale what produces business.

How success is measured

Compensation is structured based on qualified partner-sourced meetings, POVs, and closed-won revenue sourced or assisted by partners. Supporting metrics are deal registrations per month, certified partner engineers, and partner-sourced share of the US pipeline.

Requirements

• 5+ years of channel or partner management at a cybersecurity vendor, including direct experience with US security-focused VARs, regional resellers, and national partners.
• Proven track record of generating pipeline and revenue through partners, expressed in numbers, not partner counts.
• Experience building a channel program, motion, or route to market from scratch, or turning one around.
• Strong grasp of how partner programs actually work: deal registration, margin, MDF, tiering, distribution, and a clear point of view on what to keep and what to drop.
• Willingness to say no to partners and to hold the line with sales on the channel model.
• Experimental mindset: launches, measures, and kills initiatives quickly.
• Player-coach - comfortable doing the work alongside your direct report.
• Excellent communication and executive-engagement skills.
• Must be based in the United States; travel required.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to building a diverse and talented workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, colour, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds to join us!