Senior Manager, Channel Strategy & Operations

at SolarWinds (View all jobs)

Charlotte, North Carolina

Req ID: 202647

At SolarWinds, we’re a people-first company. Our purpose is to enrich the lives of the people we serve—including our employees, customers, shareholders, partners, and communities. Join us in our mission to help customers accelerate business transformation with simple, powerful, and secure solutions.

The ideal candidate thrives in an innovative, fast-paced environment and is collaborative, accountable, ready, and empathetic. We’re looking for individuals who believe they can accomplish more as a team and create lasting growth for themselves and others. We hire based on attitude, competency, and commitment. Solarians are ready to advance our world-class solutions in a fast-paced environment and accept the challenge to lead with purpose. If you’re looking to build your career with an exceptional team, you’ve come to the right place. Join SolarWinds and grow with us!

About the Role
SolarWinds is seeking a Senior Manager, Channel Strategy & Operations to join our Revenue Operations organization. This is a systems-first, design-led role for a senior operator who can architect and build the end-to-end technology stack and operational processes that power SolarWinds’ channel ecosystem. You must have deep expertise in SFDC

You will serve as the primary strategic and systems partner to Channel Sales leadership—owning the architecture, configuration, and continuous evolution of Salesforce (SFDC) and our Partner Relationship Management (PRM) platform, Impartner. You will design scalable systems and processes to support our channel operating models, help define routes-to-market frameworks, and translate channel GTM goals into working system and process reality.

This is a design-and-build role: you don’t hand off system requirements to someone else—you own the architecture, drive implementation, and partner with Sales Ops & Analytics to ensure data and processes deliver expected outcomes at scale.

You will report to the Director of Revenue Operations and sit at the intersection of partner strategy, systems architecture, process design, and cross-functional leadership across Channel, Sales, Customer, Marketing, Finance, and BizApps.

Your Impact
As Senior Manager of Channel Strategy & Operations, you will own the Transform-the-Business mandate for channel—designing and building the CRM and PRM systems architecture to support channel operating models, and process frameworks that scale SolarWinds’ partner ecosystem.

This role is built for a strategic operator who has designed and implemented channel systems from the ground up. You know how to translate GTM revenue goals into an operational plan that gets built and adopted in the systems.

What You’ll Do
Channel Systems Architecture & Implementation
• Own end-to-end architecture and configuration of Salesforce and Impartner (PRM) for all channel operations—including partner account hierarchies, deal registration workflows, pipeline attribution logic, and portal experience design.
• Design and implement scalable SFDC data models for channel: partner account hierarchies, opportunity attribution, and rules-of-engagement enforcement between direct and indirect.
• Lead system design and build for Impartner: partner onboarding flows, tier management, MDF workflows, deal registration, and co-selling enablement functionality.
• Define channel data governance standards and own their implementation in Salesforce—ensuring clean, consistent, and auditable partner data.
• Partner with BizApps on system integration architecture between SFDC, Impartner, and adjacent GTM systems (CPQ, Sales and Marketing Tech stack).

Channel GTM & Routes-to-Market Strategy
• Partner with Channel Leadership & Programs Leader to design and maintain SolarWinds’ channel routes-to-market framework, including partner tier implimentation, engagement models, and maintain rules of engagement between direct and indirect sales.
• Translate channel strategy into systems and process design: own the journey from GTM intent to working operational infrastructure.
• Lead cross-functional alignment across Sales, Customer, Product, Marketing, and Finance to ensure channel processes integrate well with the end-to-end revenue motion.

Operating Model Design & Process Transformation
• Scope, design, and lead implementation of new channel processes and system architecture end to end—from requirements to rollout.
• Define and enforce partner data governance standards in Salesforce, including pipeline attribution, deal registration rules, and account hierarchies.
• Identify opportunities to pilot AI-driven process improvements within channel and GTM operations.

Roadmap & Strategic Initiatives
• Own the Channel Ops roadmap—maintain a prioritized backlog of strategic initiatives, scope projects end-to-end, and drive execution across stakeholders.
• Translate roadmap priorities into business and system requirements; drive implementation directly or in partnership with the Channel Systems & Process Analyst.
• Report on initiative progress, blockers, and business impact to the Director of Revenue Operations and Channel Sales leadership.

What You’ll Bring
Required
• 6–10+ years of experience in Channel Operations, Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, or Channel Strategy in a B2B SaaS or enterprise software environment.
• Deep, hands-on Salesforce expertise: partner account data models, opportunity and pipeline management, custom objects, workflow automation, and reporting. You can design and configure, not just interpret reports.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience architecting and implementing a PRM platform—Impartner strongly preferred—including deal registration, partner tiering, MDF workflows, portal UX design, and system integration with Salesforce.
• Demonstrated track record of designing channel or partner GTM systems and motions from scratch—not just optimizing existing programs.
• Experience owning a channel operating model or routes-to-market framework, including partner segmentation, rules of engagement, and program design.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills with a proven ability to drive alignment across Sales, Marketing, Product, and Finance without formal authority.
• Experience partnering directly with sales leadership as a strategic business partner, translating commercial goals into operational plans and system designs.
• Strong program management skills—able to scope complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives and drive them to completion.

Preferred
• Experience leading a full systems transformation in a GTM or channel operations context—SFDC re-architecture, PRM migration/implementation, or partner portal overhaul.
• Background in channel program design including MDF, partner incentives, deal registration, and tiering structures—and translating these into system configurations.
• Familiarity with SolarWinds product family and their partner ecosystems.
• Experience in a private-equity-backed or restructuring-oriented business environment.
• Proficiency in analytics tools such as Tableau, SFDC dashboards, or Excel to develop and interpret channel performance reporting.
• Experience identifying and piloting AI-driven process improvements within a GTM or channel operations context.

What Success Looks Like
• Channel Sales leadership views you as an indispensable strategic and systems partner—not a support function.
• Salesforce and Impartner are architected, documented, and operating as a unified, reliable system of record for all channel activity.
• SolarWinds’ routes-to-market framework is clearly defined, documented, and consistently enforced in the systems across partner tiers.
• New channel programs and operating model changes are designed, scoped, built, and handed off to Sales Ops & Analytics with clean RACIs and measurable SLAs.
• Data quality, pipeline attribution, and partner account governance in Salesforce and Impartner improve measurably within the first two quarters.
• The Channel Ops roadmap is actively maintained, prioritized, and delivering against strategic objectives on a quarterly basis.
• You grow into a recognized leader within Revenue Operations and are seen as a key driver of SolarWinds’ channel growth strategy.

SolarWinds is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. SolarWinds will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

All applications are treated in accordance with the SolarWinds Privacy Notice: https://www.solarwinds.com/applicant-privacy-notice