How to hire a channel development manager

How to hire a channel development manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step channel development manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a channel development manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new channel development manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a channel development manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a channel development manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A channel development manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, channel development managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of channel development managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Channel Development Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Channel Development Manager	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$30-65
   Pricing Manager	Pricing managers are employees who oversee the pricing needs of the organization. They identify the best pricing schemes for the company's product or service offerings... Show more	$38-71
   Media Manager	Media managers oversee the department that works on the different communication needs of the company. They execute the communications strategies of the company... Show more	$31-67

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Channel Development
   • Business Development
   • Cloud
   • Contract Negotiations
   • CRM
   • Product Line
   • Sales Targets
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Business Plan
   • Channel Strategy
   • Sales Strategies
   • Channel Marketing
   • Sales Growth
   • Marketing Campaigns

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage UAT scripting definition and testing process of CRM and web systems.
   • Design and manage marketing initiatives and activities including company- sponsor events around a reseller, product, or customer territory.
   • Develop channel strategy and market for host cloud services and applications.
   • Major contributor to all aspects of the selling process for install and cloud base SaaS base solutions.
   • Streamline forecasting and reporting through the use of Salesforce CRM.
   • Establish pricing & terms for new contracts; create promotions & target group buys; develop ROI model.

   More channel development manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your channel development manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A channel development manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, channel development managers' average salary in nebraska is 42% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level channel development managers earn 53% less than senior-level channel development managers.
   • Certifications. A channel development manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a channel development manager's salary.

   Average channel development manager salary

   $94,149yearly

   $45.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level channel development manager salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average channel development manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$109,709	$53
   2	New York	$108,898	$52
   3	Maryland	$107,263	$52
   4	Arizona	$104,175	$50
   5	Massachusetts	$96,820	$47
   6	New Jersey	$94,707	$46
   7	Virginia	$93,447	$45
   8	Illinois	$92,036	$44
   9	Texas	$91,973	$44
   10	Minnesota	$91,156	$44
   11	Georgia	$77,839	$37
   12	North Dakota	$77,654	$37
   13	Colorado	$69,023	$33
   14	Louisiana	$67,581	$32

   Average channel development manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Walt Disney Company	$136,664	$65.70	20
   2	Atlassian	$136,569	$65.66	25
   3	Cadence Design Systems	$131,316	$63.13	3
   4	Seagate Technology	$130,043	$62.52	1
   5	Dataminr	$117,472	$56.48	5
   6	Amazon	$106,193	$51.05	373
   7	Zebra Technologies	$105,574	$50.76	16
   8	Bank of America	$103,122	$49.58	82
   9	Cummins	$99,651	$47.91
   10	Verizon Communications	$98,433	$47.32	1
   11	Donaldson	$97,799	$47.02
   12	Dassault Systèmes	$96,998	$46.63
   13	CVS Health	$96,568	$46.43	311
   14	Sunnova Energy	$95,779	$46.05
   15	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$95,322	$45.83	110
   16	Cartera Commerce	$94,974	$45.66
   17	Arrow Electronics	$94,241	$45.31	15
   18	Bic Corporation	$92,834	$44.63
   19	Hewlett Packard Enterprise	$92,015	$44.24	60
   20	Verkada	$88,338	$42.47	31

4. Writing a channel development manager job description

   A channel development manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a channel development manager job description:

   Channel development manager job description example

   At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.
   
   As the Channel GTM Development Manager, you will be responsible for successfully creating and the delivery of multiple, concurrent, and high-impact, revenue generating programs at the corporate level. We are looking for someone who can credibly coordinate between various teams both within WFO (i.e. Direct Sales, Channel Sales, Operations, Support), across Cadence (i.e. Marketing, Business Units, Finance, Legal) and working directly with Cadence Partners. The Channel GTM Development Manager, will drive the implementation and adoption of program and project management process within the Channel Sales organization and its Operations. This also includes maintaining the tools, templates, procedures and training, while driving and adapting needed capabilities to facilitate the launch of core Channel related programs
   Responsibilities
   
   + Ensure successful management of multiple parallel projects and programs
   
   + Oversee and drive project or program execution from inception to delivery for Channel success
   
   + Actively manage key projects and programs while advocating Channel through cross-functional teams
   
   + Interact with various roles across Channel Partners and the Cadence teams to identify, define and design projects impacting Partner GTM.
   
   + Create, maintain and inspect relevant project status information to stakeholders
   
   + Monitor, manage, and report on key strategic program initiatives and metrics
   
   + Design Programs that are scalable and can be used across the whole range of partner initiatives
   
   Qualifications
   
   + 10+ years of experience managing projects and programs with long term ongoing efforts
   
   + Proven track record of working with Channel Partners and Channel Program execution
   
   + Demonstrated experience working and communicating exceptionally well with multiple stakeholders and cross functional teams, including C suite and Executive teams, business development, product management, product marketing, program management, legal, as well as external partners
   
   + SaaS experience is welcomed but not necessary
   
   + Remain flexible to changing priorities
   
   + Must be a result-oriented individual with the initiative to ensure that schedules and milestones are met across teams and projects
   
   + Strong organizational and follow-up skills with effective capacity to coordinate and prioritize multiple tasks and projects without compromising on attention to detail
   
   We're doing work that matters. Help us solve what others can't.
   
   Cadence is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, basis of disability, or any other protected class.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right channel development manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your channel development manager job on Zippia to find and recruit channel development manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting channel development managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new channel development manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the channel development manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new channel development manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a channel development manager?