Head of Channel Partnerships

Success in this role requires previous experience building a channel programme from the ground up. Not inheriting one, not managing one someone else built - building one. You know what it feels like to start with a blank page and no existing partner base, and you have the results to show for it.

BlueOptima sells into one of the most relationship-dependent buying environments in enterprise software - engineering leaders and finance executives at the world's largest banks and enterprises. Our direct sales team is performing. What we do not yet have is a partner network that gets us into conversations that outbound alone cannot reach, with buyers who are already primed by a trusted third party. Building that network is this job.

We have already validated the concept. An existing partner relationship is generating committed pipeline without a formal programme behind it. That is your proof of concept and your starting point. What comes next is yours to build.

You will be the first dedicated channel hire at BlueOptima. You will report directly to the CRO and have a defined path to Head of Channels and Alliances as the programme scales.

You will not be doing this alone. The CRO will be an active sponsor in partner recruitment conversations. RevOps will support pipeline tracking and HubSpot structure. Marketing content and research assets are available for partner enablement. The strategy and infrastructure to support this role exist. Ownership of the strategy, execution, and outcomes sits with you.

What You Will Be Responsible For

• Building the programme architecture before a single external partner conversation happens - ideal partner profile, commercial model, referral fee structures, co-sell mechanics, and legal agreement templates signed off by the CRO and CFO
• Recruiting a focused portfolio of partners from a curated target list, prioritising regional and multi-regional systems integrators with embedded relationships inside enterprise financial services and technology accounts, alongside complementary SaaS vendors serving the same engineering and finance buyers with adjacent, non-competing products

What We Are Looking For

• You will have at least six years in B2B channel sales or alliances, with a meaningful portion of that spent building a programme from scratch. You have owned a partner-sourced pipeline number before and you are comfortable being held to one. You know the difference between a signed partner agreement and an active revenue relationship, and everything you build is oriented around the latter.
• You will be expected to speak specifically to a channel programme you built from scratch - the partner archetypes you recruited, the commercial model you designed, the pipeline you generated, and what you would do differently. Candidates who can speak to this with specificity and evidence are the profile we are looking for.
• You are strong on channel economics. You can build a referral fee model, stress-test the margin assumptions, and present a commercially robust business case to a CFO. You understand how long enterprise deals take to close and you structure your programme around that reality.
• You have genuine credibility inside large enterprise accounts, specifically with engineering leadership and finance buyers. You can hold a peer-level conversation with a CTO or VP of Engineering without relying on a technical resource to carry the room.
• You build your own target list, run your own outreach, and generate pipeline independently. You do not wait for partners to come to you and you do not wait for internal teams to create the conditions for you to succeed.

What We Are Not Looking For

• Candidates whose channel experience is primarily managing an established partner base, or working within large GSI governance structures at a mature vendor, are likely to find this role a difficult adjustment. The first phase of this job is construction. There is no existing playbook, no pre-signed partner base, and no inbound partner pipeline to manage.
• Candidates from high-velocity SMB or transactional reseller environments will also find the adjustment significant. Our buyers are CTOs and CFOs at tier-one financial institutions. The sales motion is deliberate, account-based, and relationship-driven.

What Success Looks Like

Success will be measured through active partner engagement and the volume of qualified partner-sourced pipeline entering the business within the first year. In practical terms: a programme framework and commercial model signed off by the CRO and CFO within the first two months, a focused portfolio of active signed partners co-selling by mid-year, and a channel motion generating meaningful partner-sourced pipeline by year end that the direct sales team trusts and competes to work alongside. The personal outcome for the right candidate is a track record at BlueOptima that makes Head of Channels and Alliances the natural next step.

Additional Information

• London HQ, 3 days in office, 2 remote
• 32 days holiday including bank holidays
• 12 weeks paid maternity and paternity leave
• 4 weeks per year flexible remote working from anywhere
• Annual leave purchase up to 10 extra days
• Work from home equipment allowance
• Pet friendly office
• Sponsored learning opportunities
• Cycle to work scheme
• Team socials

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