Channel Sales Manager I

The Channel VAR Development Manager is responsible for turning newly recruited and newly assigned reseller reps into confident, self-sufficient sellers of Lantronix technology. This is an enablement-and-activation role: you are the first point of contact for a new VAR rep after they're signed, and your job is to get them from "aware of Lantronix" to "actively closing Lantronix deals at their end customers" as fast as possible.

You will build and run structured onboarding journeys for partner sales reps across Lantronix's three core product lines - Network Infrastructure (NI), Out-of-Band Management (OOB), and Industrial IoT (IIoT) - teaching them how to identify Lantronix-fit opportunities, position against incumbents, and bring a deal from discovery to close. You'll work in close partnership with Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) and the channel team, acting as the connective tissue between a partner's onboarding and their first real pipeline.

• Own the onboarding journey for newly recruited VAR Partner Sales Reps from kickoff through their first qualified opportunity.
• Deliver structured welcome and orientation calls that introduce new reps to Lantronix's product lines, value proposition, and how to sell alongside their existing portfolio.
• Build individualized onboarding plans based on each rep's territory, vertical focus, and prior experience with adjacent technologies.
• Track onboarding milestones (training completion, certification, first registered deal, first closed deal) and proactively follow up to keep new reps moving.

• Teach new reps how to spot Lantronix-fit opportunities at their end customers - refresh cycles, EOL equipment, competitive displacement, and greenfield IoT/OOB use cases.
• Walk reps through positioning against incumbent console server, switching, and cellular gateway vendors, and how to handle common objections.
• Coach reps on qualification basics: use case, application, environment, quantity, timeline, budget, decision process, and competition.
• Coordinate access to enablement resources - sales engineering, LEVEL technical services, demo units, and evaluation samples - so new reps can bring in technical support when they need it.
• Host and follow up on enablement webinars and training sessions, ensuring new reps attend and retain key material.

• Proactively call new partner reps to surface early-stage opportunities and help them register their first deals.
• Walk reps through deal registration, quoting, and partner portal navigation until they can do it independently.
• Shadow or co-call on a new rep's early prospecting efforts, offering live coaching on positioning and discovery.
• Escalate qualified opportunities to the appropriate RSM with complete, documented context, and stay engaged until the rep has closed their first deal.

Develop working knowledge across all three assigned product lines so you can teach it credibly to new reps:

• Out-of-Band Management – console servers and edge management gateways, KVM, and centralized management software for remote access, network resiliency, and automated recovery.
• Network Infrastructure – managed and unmanaged switches, PoE, media converters, and fiber connectivity for the edge and IDF.
• IoT – industrial 4G/5G routers, cellular gateways, telematics, embedded modules, along with the cloud platforms that manage them.
• Understand key verticals and their drivers: enterprise IT and data center, government and public sector, healthcare, banking and financial services, utilities and substations, transportation, retail, and industrial.
• Stay current on the competitive landscape, pricing dynamics, and common objections; feed onboarding gaps and rep feedback back to product marketing and sales leadership.

• Log all onboarding activity, milestones, and rep progress accurately and in real time in VAR Rep Onboarding Tracker and Salesforce.
• Maintain clean data hygiene - VAR Partner Sales Rep records, onboarding stage, certification status, and next steps.
• Report on onboarding-to-activation metrics: time-to-first deal-registered, time-to-first-close, and VAR Partner Sales Rep engagement rates, in partnership with the channel team.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, Technology, Engineering, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• Minimum of 3+ years, preferred 5+ years of experience in channel sales, partner management, business development, or a related sales role.
• Experience working with VARs, system integrators, distributors, or channel partner organizations preferred.
• Experience using CRM platforms such as Salesforce preferred.
• Experience supporting technology, networking, industrial, embedded systems, or IoT-related products preferred.

• Strong channel sales and partner relationship management skills.
• Ability to build and maintain productive business relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal, written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong organizational, time management, and prioritization skills.
• Results-oriented approach with a focus on revenue growth and opportunity development.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving and business development capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Willingness to travel occasionally to support partner and customer engagement activities.

• Experience utilizing Salesforce CRM or similar customer relationship management platforms.
• Ability to present and communicate technical solutions to both business and technical audiences.
• Understanding of channel sales models, partner ecosystems, and go-to-market strategies.
• Knowledge of networking technologies, remote management solutions, Industrial IoT, or related technologies preferred.
• Ability to analyze sales opportunities, market trends, and partner performance to drive business growth.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and standard business software tools.

Location: Remotely located in Washington, DC (USA). 

**Annual Base Salary, not including commission potential: $95,000-130,000**