Partner Development Manager

Apollo's partner ecosystem already spans thousands of agencies, consultancies, and solution providers who've raised their hand — but most of that potential goes untapped without a dedicated motion to find, qualify, and activate the right ones. As Partner Development Manager (PDM), you'll own that motion end to end: identifying high-potential partners across every segment, driving them through certification and enablement, and pushing each one to their first real activation — a managed customer or a qualified referral.

That's what makes this such an exciting moment to join: you're not stepping into an established program, you're helping build the one that gets to define how Apollo turns partner interest into partner value. We're looking for someone with a genuine builder mentality who wants a real hand in shaping what this program becomes.

Apollo's ambition goes beyond any single integration or referral channel — we want our partner program to be at the heart of the revolution GTM AI is bringing to outbound sales. Agencies of every kind are core to that, and you're the one turning it into real partners, activated and growing in whatever way fits their business.

You'll run a structured, self-paced activation pathway across a book of 40–60 partners at a time, and you'll make the call on whether each one is ready to graduate into Apollo's high-touch named-partner program, move into scaled/automated nurture, or step back. This is a builder's role: the acquisition-to-activation playbook is still being defined, and how you run it will shape how Apollo's partner organization scales.

Key Responsibilities

Target and Recruit

• Source high-potential partners across all segments — inbound applications, customer referrals, ecosystem research, and partner nominations
• Score and prioritize every candidate against Apollo's Ideal Partner Profile (IPP) before investing further time
• Build and maintain a live cultivation list of 40–60 active partners

Qualify and Segment

• Determine each partner's segment (e.g., RevOps, lead-gen, sales training, AI-native/headless GTM, or generalist marketing agency), specialization, ICP, and delivery model
• Separate partners with a genuine, Apollo-centered motion from generic interest

Certify and Enable

• Drive partners through Apollo's certification curriculum and onboarding
• Help each partner package a concrete Apollo offer, referral motion, or delivery service
• Prepare partners for their first live customer conversation

Create the First Activation

• Push every partner toward a first measurable activation event: a qualified referral, a registered opportunity, or a managed customer
• Track progress against a shared, partner-visible activation plan with clear gates and goals

Develop Toward Graduation

• Run a consistent cadence with each partner across the activation pathway, and keep them accountable to it
• Recommend next steps for every partner: promotion into Apollo's named-partner (PAM) program, a move to scaled/automated nurture, or deprioritization
• Partner cross-functionally with Partner Operations on data quality and reporting, and with Partner Marketing on segment-specific enablement and recruitment campaigns

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in partner development, channel sales, business development, or a related partnerships role, ideally in B2B SaaS
• Track record building relationships with agencies, consultancies, or solution-provider partners from first contact through onboarding
• Comfortable running a structured, multi-stage pipeline across a high-volume book of accounts (40+)
• Strong qualification instincts — able to separate a partner's real potential from surface-level interest
• Excellent program-management skills; you'll be building the playbook as you run it, not just following one
• Clear, confident communicator who can enable and certify both non-technical and technical partners

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within the HubSpot or Salesforce agency/partner ecosystems
• Experience with partner/channel scoring or qualification frameworks (e.g., an Ideal Partner Profile or lead-scoring model)
• Familiarity with partner-management or PRM tooling (PartnerStack, Crossbeam, or similar)
• Background operating in a GTM/RevOps ecosystem, or with agencies that build on top of sales-engagement or data platforms
• Experience designing or running a partner certification/enablement curriculum