Head of Channel-Financial Services Partner Program

TENEX.AI; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

TENEX.AI is seeking a results-driven Head of Channel, Financial Services Partner Program to own strategic partner relationships and drive an SMB go-to-market motion. You will lead cross-functional program management across Sales, SOC, Engineering, and Legal, coordinating with inside and outside sales to scale partner-driven revenue.

You will build repeatable, partner-first motions, enablement, and playbooks, while ensuring governance, risk tracking, and certification requirements are met to

Qualifications

• 10+ years in channel, alliances, or strategic partnerships, with at least 5 years leading a strategic partner relationship end to end.
• Track record of building and scaling a channel or partner program that delivered measurable sourced revenue.
• Experience building or scaling an SMB or mid-market sales motion: repeatable plays, efficient onboarding, and high deal volume.
• Experience selling into or partnering with financial institutions: banks, credit unions, or fintech/core processors.
• Strong program management skills with multi-stakeholder programs and executive reporting.
• Working knowledge of cybersecurity services, preferably MDR, SOC, or managed security.

Responsibilities

• Own the partner’s corporate relationship and serve as TENEX’s liaison to field leadership, product, and executives.
• Drive the channel motion to bring agentic SOC and MDR to member institutions, including co-selling and pipeline generation.
• Design and document an SMB motion with inside sales for partner adoption and market execution.
• Be the escalation point for member organizations to ensure value, fast resolution, and expansion.
• Lead cross-functional program management across Sales, SOC, Engineering, Customer Success, and Legal with timelines and risk tracking.
• Run the Financial Services Partner Program inside TENEX: track decisions, maintain accountability, and ensure compliance requirements.
• Build playbooks and enablement materials to repeat the partner channel at scale as membership grows.
• Report on partner-sourced pipeline, bookings, onboarding velocity, and program health to leadership and partners.

Skills

Channel partnerships

Strategic partnerships

Program management

SMB/mid-market sales motion

Financial institutions experience

Executive liaison

Cybersecurity knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Marketing/IS

Job description

Head of Channel, Financial Services Partner Program

Revenue Department | On-site strongly preferred: Kansas City, Sarasota, Scottsdale

Company Overview

TENEX is an AI-native, automation-first, built-for-scale Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider. We are a force multiplier for defenders, helping organizations enhance their cybersecurity posture through advanced threat detection, rapid response, and continuous protection. Our team is composed of industry experts with deep experience in cybersecurity, automation and AI-driven solutions. Backed by leading investors, we are rapidly growing and seeking top talent to join our mission of revolutionizing the AI-Native MDR landscape.

We’re a fast growing startup backed by industry experts and top tier investors led by Crosspoint Capital Partners and also backed by Shield Capital, DTCP (formerly Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners), Deepwork Capital, and the Florida Opportunity Fund. Seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). As an early employee, you’ll play a meaningful role in defining and building our culture. Get in on the ground floor. We’re a small but well-funded team that just raised a substantial round – joining now comes with limited risk and unlimited upside.

Culture is one of the most important things at TENEX.AI. Explore our culture deck at culture.tenex.ai to see how we embody it, prioritizing the irreplaceable collaboration and community of in-person work.

About the Opportunity

This role serves as the lead for one of TENEX’s most strategic channel relationships. Through it, we deliver agentic SOC and MDR capabilities to the financial institutions in our partner’s network. As Head of Channel, Financial Services Partner Program, you are the single point of accountability for that relationship. You own the relationship with the partner’s corporate team and with every member organization we support. You run the channel motion that grows the footprint, and you run the program management that keeps delivery on track.

This role builds two things at once. Much of the partner opportunity sits with small and mid-sized institutions, so you will build TENEX’s SMB go-to-market motion to win that base. The same motion (packaging, pricing approach, sales plays, onboarding, and enablement) becomes the template for TENEX’s own direct SMB business. Build it for the partner first, then make it repeatable for TENEX’s broader go-to-market.

What You’ll Do

• Own the partner’s corporate relationship. Serve as TENEX’s primary liaison to the partner’s field leadership, product, and executive stakeholders. Run joint business planning, QBRs, and executive alignment.

• Drive the channel motion into member organizations. Build and execute the go-to-market plan to bring agentic SOC and MDR to the partner’s member institutions, including co-selling, referral and resale motions, enablement, and pipeline generation, coordinating with the TENEX inside sales and outside sales teams.

• Build the SMB motion for the partner and for TENEX. Design an SMB sales and onboarding motion in collaboration with the inside sales team that wins the partner’s small and mid-sized institutions. Document it so TENEX can run the same motion directly to market, and partner with Sales and Marketing leadership to execute it.

• Be the escalation point for member organizations. Maintain senior relationships across supported institutions so they get consistent value, fast issue resolution, and a clear path to expansion.

• Lead program management for the partner program. Own the cross-functional operating rhythm across Sales, SOC, Engineering, Customer Success, and Legal, including onboarding timelines, milestones, risk tracking, and reporting.

• Run the Financial Services Partner Program inside TENEX. Support the internal steering cadence for the initiative: prepare materials, track decisions and action items, and keep owners accountable. Track certification, compliance, and partner-enablement requirements so TENEX stays qualified to sell and deliver through the partner.

• Build the playbook. Define the processes, enablement materials, and partner tooling that make the partner channel repeatable as the number of member organizations grows.

• Report on performance. Track and communicate partner-sourced pipeline, bookings, onboarding velocity, retention, and program health to TENEX leadership and partner counterparts. Your incentive plan is tied to partner program outcomes.

• Coordinate vendor GTM efforts within the TENEX Partner bundle. Serve as the Financial Services Partner Program’s point person for key GTM efforts, meetings, discussions and planning with other vendor leaders that comprise the GTM package.

• Bring the market back to the product. Feed member-organization and partner requirements into TENEX product and SOC teams to shape the roadmap for financial services customers.

What You Bring

• 10+ years in channel, alliances, or strategic partnerships, with at least 5 years leading a strategic partner relationship end to end.

• A track record of building and scaling a channel or partner program that delivered measurable sourced revenue.

• Experience building or scaling an SMB or mid-market sales motion: repeatable plays, efficient onboarding, and high deal volume.

• Experience selling into or partnering with financial institutions: banks, credit unions, or fintech/core processors.

• Strong program management skills. You’ve run complex, multi-stakeholder programs across internal teams and external partners, including steering committees and executive reporting.

• Working knowledge of cybersecurity services, preferably MDR, SOC, or managed security.

Bonus Points

• Direct experience working with or inside the financial services industry or serving it in a partner capacity.

• Familiarity with financial services regulatory and compliance frameworks (FFIEC, GLBA, NCUA, SOC 2).

• Experience at an early-stage or high-growth startup building a channel or SMB function from scratch.

• Exposure to AI-driven or automation-first security operations.

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Information Systems, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• Relevant certifications such as PMP, Security+, Salesforce, or hyperscaler partner credentials are a plus.

Why Join Us?

• Opportunity to own and scale TENEX’s flagship channel partnership in financial services, and to build the SMB motion TENEX takes to market.

• Collaborate with a talented and innovative team focused on continuously improving security operations.

• Competitive salary and benefits package.

• A culture of growth and development, with opportunities to expand your knowledge in AI, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.