Director, Channel Sales - Software

<div>Esko is creating a <b>new Director, Global Channel Sales</b> role to establish one consistent global partner program for its software business. This leader will assess today's varied regional approaches and build the commercial and operating model that enables partners to sell Esko's business-application software effectively-including partner strategy, agreements, program tiers, economics, recruitment, enablement, performance standards, and rules of engagement with direct sales. <br/><br/><b>Location and travel:</b> This role may be based remotely in <b>Europe, the U.S. Eastern or Central time zones, or Eastern Canada</b>, with convenient access to a major airport. The leader will work extensively across Europe, APAC, and Latin America and <b>must be able to travel globally up to 75%, particularly during the first year as the program and partner network are established</b>. <br/><br/>This is a hands-on builder role and Esko's first position dedicated exclusively to channel. The successful candidate will have personally built or transformed a global software channel program, recruited partners, and converted program design into measurable channel revenue. Initially, the leader will directly assess and develop partner coverage across Europe, APAC, and Latin America; as the model scales, they are expected to build and lead a global team, including channel managers in APAC and Latin America. <br/><br/><b>What makes this role distinctive: </b>This is not a mature-program maintenance assignment. You will create the global software partner model, recruit the ecosystem, launch it across multiple regions, and establish the operating discipline that turns partner potential into sustainable commercial performance. <br/><br/><b>What You'll Do </b><br/><ul><li>Assess Esko's existing regional channel approaches, then design and launch one global software partner program with clear partner types, tiers, eligibility criteria, benefits, obligations, and performance standards. </li></ul><ul><li>Build the commercial framework, including partner agreements, discount and margin structures, incentives, deal registration, and rules of engagement with direct sales. </li></ul><ul><li>Recruit, onboard, certify, and enable partners across Europe, APAC, and Latin America, prioritizing coverage gaps by geography, customer segment, and product line. </li></ul><ul><li>Serve initially as Esko's first dedicated channel leader, then build and lead a global team that is expected to include channel managers in APAC and Latin America. </li></ul><ul><li>Own global indirect bookings performance and create a reliable view of partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline, revenue contribution, partner productivity, and forecast accuracy. </li></ul><ul><li>Create joint business plans, partner scorecards, pipeline reviews, and quarterly business reviews that translate strategy into measurable action. </li></ul><ul><li>Develop executive-level relationships with partners of different sizes, support priority opportunities, and hold partners accountable for forecasting, enablement, and results. </li></ul><ul><li>Partner with Product Management, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Legal, and Commercial Operations to equip partners to sell Esko's software portfolio, including new and acquired offerings. </li></ul><ul><li>Define the systems, reporting, governance, and operating cadence required to scale a consistent global program and improve its economics over time. </li></ul><br/><br/><b>What We're Looking For </b><br/><br/><b>Required Qualifications </b><br/><ul><li>Approximately 8-10 years of progressive channel sales experience, including direct ownership of building or materially transforming a global B2B software partner program. </li></ul><ul><li>Demonstrated success recruiting and developing a meaningful partner ecosystem and growing channel-driven revenue; able to explain the regions covered, number and types of partners, program scale, time to impact, and revenue contribution. </li></ul><ul><li>Experience in business-application or ERP-adjacent software channel models; software channel experience is essential. </li></ul><ul><li>Multi-region channel experience, preferably across at least two of Europe, APAC, and Latin America; North American channel experience is not required. </li></ul><ul><li>Proven people-leadership experience, including leading remote or globally distributed teams, coaching leaders, and driving performance accountability. </li></ul><ul><li>Hands-on expertise developing partner agreements, program tiers, economics, enablement, deal registration, forecasting, and rules of engagement with direct sales. </li></ul><ul><li>Bachelor's degree and professional fluency in English, with the ability to influence executives, partners, and cross-functional stakeholders across cultures and time zones. </li></ul><br/><br/><b>Preferred Qualifications </b><br/><ul><li>Packaging, print, workflow, manufacturing, or adjacent industry experience. </li></ul><ul><li>An established, relevant partner network or strong country-level knowledge of potential software partners in target regions. </li></ul><ul><li>Proven experience consolidating and harmonizing disparate partner programs into a single, unified partner program. </li></ul><ul><li>Additional language capabilities beyond English and an MBA or other advanced degree </li></ul><br/><br/>