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Sr. Director, VAR & Channel Partnerships
Jobgether
Source: Headcount Labs · original listing ↗
Job data: Headcount Labs, ODbL 1.0. Job descriptions belong to their employers.
Source date: 11/2/2026
About this role
This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior Director, VAR & Channel Partnerships based in Portugal. The Senior Director, VAR & Channel Partnerships will build and lead a global reseller and channel ecosystem, creating new revenue opportunities for an innovative AI infrastructure platform. This is a founding, zero-to-one leadership role focused on establishing a high-performing partner channel across North America, EMEA, and APJ. Initially operating as an individual contributor, you will recruit strategic value-added resellers (VARs), activate commercial relationships, and personally drive the first partner-sourced bookings. You will shape the channel strategy, commercial frameworks, enablement programs, and co-selling processes needed to turn partnerships into measurable revenue. As the program grows, you will build and lead a team responsible for scaling partner performance globally. Success will be measured by transacting partners, registered deals, pipeline contribution, and closed bookings—not simply the number of agreements signed. Accountabilities You will own the global VAR and channel strategy from initial partner recruitment through commercial execution and long-term expansion. Your responsibilities will include: Lead the development and execution of the global VAR and channel partnership strategy, managing executive relationships and commercial outcomes across North America, EMEA, and APJ. Identify, recruit, and activate high-potential national and regional VARs capable of generating demand for AI infrastructure and platform engineering solutions, prioritizing partners with genuine revenue potential. Manage the full partner activation lifecycle, from initial engagement and agreement negotiation to program admission, enablement, deal registration, and first transaction. Establish partner performance expectations and address underperformance by improving activation or discontinuing relationships that do not generate meaningful results. Design and manage the partner commercial model, including tiered discounts, deal-registration incentives, renewal margins, volume incentives, and named-account bonuses. Own deal registration and Partner of Record (PoR) processes, including regional ownership rules, active-engagement standards, renewal rights, and channel conflict resolution. Develop distribution relationships where they can accelerate partner transactions while maintaining efficient quoting, ordering, and fulfillment processes. Align internal sales incentives with channel objectives to encourage effective co-selling and prevent competition between direct and partner sales teams. Build named-account strategies connecting internal sales representatives with partner sellers, ensuring clear ownership and trusted deal-registration processes. Develop multi-party opportunities by connecting VAR relationships with relevant NVIDIA alliances, OEM and ISV partnerships, and distribution channels. Lead partner sales and technical enablement, certification programs, and tier requirements to help partner teams position, sell, and support the platform effectively. Direct joint marketing initiatives, including field events, webinars, named-account campaigns, and customer stories, with measurable pipeline objectives. Manage Market Development Funds (MDF), allocating investment based on expected pipeline contribution and measurable performance. Design the future channel organization, including regional coverage, partner management responsibilities, hiring priorities, and team structure. Recruit and lead partner managers and partner engineers as channel revenue expands. Own channel pipeline and revenue performance, applying MEDDPICC or an equivalent qualification methodology and reviewing opportunities on a weekly basis. Establish reliable partner attribution and reporting processes, tracking sourced and attached pipeline, bookings, registered deals, win rates, certified resources, and MDF returns. Lead regular quarterly business reviews covering revenue performance, account plans, certifications, marketing execution, renewals, and future-quarter priorities. Requirements The ideal candidate is an experienced channel leader with a proven ability to build revenue-generating partnerships from the ground up. You should combine strong executive relationships, commercial expertise, and an understanding of AI infrastructure with the hands-on mindset required to establish a new global program. Key qualifications include: At least 8 years of experience in channel, reseller, or partner sales within infrastructure software, AI infrastructure, or cloud technology. A proven track record of building partner channels from an early stage into revenue-producing ecosystems, ideally across multiple regions. Demonstrable results in recruiting, activating, and developing partners, supported by measurable partner-sourced bookings and transactions. Established executive-level relationships with national and regional VARs, ideally including organizations such as WWT, Computacenter, SHI, CDW, Insight, Presidio, AHEAD, ePlus, Connection, Softcat, Mark III, or Pacific Teck. Strong understanding of how VARs operate commercially, how their sales teams are compensated, and what motivates them to prioritize particular solutions. Practical knowledge of channel program mechanics, including partner tiers, discount structures, deal registration, Partner of Record, renewal rights, distribution, and MDF governance. The ability to negotiate commercial terms, manage channel conflicts, protect partner relationships, and make commercially sound decisions. Working knowledge of Kubernetes, cloud-native architecture, GPU infrastructure, and AI infrastructure, with the ability to communicate credibly with technical partner teams and translate technical value into commercial opportunities. Experience launching and scaling channel programs as an individual contributor before building and leading a dedicated team. Previous experience hiring or managing partner managers, channel sales professionals, or partner engineering teams, or a clear readiness to take on this responsibility. Strong cross-functional leadership and the ability to mobilize Sales, Marketing, Legal, and Enablement teams without direct reporting authority. Excellent commercial judgment, disciplined opportunity qualification, forecast management, and reporting capabilities. Familiarity with MEDDPICC or a comparable sales qualification framework. A builder's mindset, with the ability to operate independently in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment and turn strategy into measurable execution. Strong communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills. Additional experience that would be an advantage includes: Experience within the NVIDIA partner ecosystem, including NCP and reseller-facing programs. Distribution experience with Arrow, TD SYNNEX, Ingram Micro, or regional equivalents. Channel leadership experience across EMEA and APJ in addition to North America. Experience with public sector, sovereign infrastructure, or regulated-industry channel partnerships. Familiarity with open-source commercial models and strategies for helping partners sell solutions alongside free tiers. Benefits On-target earnings of $225,000–$280,000 , including base compensation and commission. Equity participation. Competitive compensation determined by role scope, seniority, location, and current market benchmarks. Premium health, dental, vision, and life insurance, with coverage options for eligible dependents. Benefits may vary by country. Flexible working schedule, with an emphasis on results rather than fixed daily hours. Remote-first workplace flexibility, with the ability to adapt the working environment as personal circumstances change. How Jobgether works: We use an AI-powered matching process to ensure your application is reviewed quickly, objectively, and fairly against the role's core requirements. Our system identifies the top-fitting candidates, and this shortlist is then shared directly with the hiring company. The final decision and next steps (interviews, assessments) are managed by their internal team. We appreciate your interest and wish you the best! Why Apply Through Jobgether? Data Privacy Notice: By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Jobgether will process your personal data to evaluate your candidacy and share relevant information with the hiring employer. This processing is based on legitimate interest and pre-contractual measures under applicable data protection laws (including GDPR). You may exercise your rights (access, rectification, erasure, objection) at any time. LI-CL1