Strategic Channel Manager

About the role

You will act as the primary strategic thought partner for key VARs in the EMEA region, owning the end-to-end relationship and commercial success of the partnership. You will build and scale a book of major resellers, ensuring that Vanta's value proposition is clearly articulated and consistently delivered. This role requires you to drive rep-level engagement and education, translating Vanta's vision into actionable enablement for partner teams. You will launch and execute joint account mapping initiatives to uncover co-selling opportunities and align priorities with Vanta's AEs and SDRs. A core part of your responsibility is to facilitate direct co-selling between partners and the Vanta team to generate net-new ARR. You will also provide ongoing enablement and training to ensure partner teams understand how working with Vanta benefits their business. Additionally, you will proactively share partner insights, GTM feedback, and competitive intelligence to continuously refine Vanta's channel strategy. Finally, you will manage your portfolio effectively, providing regular updates on pipeline generation progress and overall performance against targets.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Conduct in-depth discovery sessions with strategic VAR partners to understand their business goals and tailor Vanta's value proposition accordingly.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive view of the partner ecosystem, mapping stakeholders, decision processes, and historical deal patterns.
• Create and execute quarterly business reviews and strategic planning sessions to ensure partner objectives are met and exceeded.
• Partner with marketing to co-develop targeted campaigns, content, and events that resonate with the VAR audience and drive engagement.
• Analyze partner performance metrics and deal flow to identify trends, roadblocks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Collaborate closely with product and engineering teams to translate partner feedback into actionable requirements and product enhancements.
• Negotiate and structure deals with partners to ensure mutual benefit and alignment on pricing, terms, and incentives.
• Provide hands-on support to VAR sellers during the sales cycle, including solution demonstrations, proof-of-concept setups, and proposal reviews.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation of partner agreements, sales playbooks, and enablement materials.
• Track and report on key performance indicators such as pipeline generated, closed deals, and partner satisfaction scores.
• Identify and engage with emerging partners that align with Vanta's strategic goals in the security and compliance ecosystem.
• Represent Vanta at industry conferences, partner summits, and virtual events to strengthen relationships and brand awareness.
• Serve as the central point of contact for partner escalations, ensuring timely resolution and continued trust.
• Continuously monitor the competitive landscape and share insights that can inform Vanta's positioning and messaging.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in channel sales, strategic partnerships, or business development within the technology sector.
• Proven success working for or with large value-added resellers such as CDW, SHI, Guidepoint, or Optiv in the security or compliance space.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-moving, high-growth environment with a strong bias toward action and execution.
• Deep understanding of reseller sales cycles, incentive models, and co-sell motions across multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with internal teams such as sales, marketing, and product.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the capability to influence at both strategic and operational levels.
• Willingness and ability to travel as needed for partner events, conferences, and on-site meetings across the EMEA region.
• Open to using AI tools to amplify skills and strengthen work output, demonstrating curiosity, a willingness to learn, and sound judgment in applying AI responsibly to improve efficiency and impact.
• Commitment to following Vanta's standard processes, policies, and guidelines without deviation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a dynamic environment while maintaining a high level of accuracy.
• Willingness to adhere to all contractual and compliance requirements as they relate to partner agreements and data handling.
• Readiness to participate in regular training and certification programs to maintain and enhance product and solution knowledge.
• Alignment with Vanta's mission to help businesses earn and prove trust through continuous security monitoring and verification.

Nice to have

• Prior experience with security or compliance-focused VARs and managed service providers.
• Familiarity with security frameworks such as SOC 2, HIPAA, ISO 27001, or similar standards.
• Experience using sales enablement platforms and partner relationship management (PRM) tools.
• Background in coaching or training sales teams on new products and solutions.
• Knowledge of the technology reselling landscape in the EMEA region.

Practical notes

• Ability to travel is required for partner events and conferences.
• Employment is full-time and based in the London, UK location.
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the United Kingdom without sponsorship.