Are you ready to unlock intelligence? If you don’t think you meet all of the criteria below but are still interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box - we’re looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others. Are you ready to unlock intelligence? If you don't think you meet all of the criteria below but are still interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box. We're looking for candidates who are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others. Partner sales is one of Kong's biggest growth engines. The Partner Sales Manager drives revenue through partners: you build joint business plans, grow partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline, and close business alongside Kong's Account Executives. You own Kong's partner business in your territory across resellers, systems integrators (SIs), and consultancies in AMER. This is a quota-carrying, senior individual contributor role, and you run your territory as your own business with your territory's sales leader.
Partner Sales Manager Responsibilities
- Be a business advisor to the partners in your territory, and own the number. Drive a joint business plan with each focus partner that sets shared goals for pipeline and revenue, and sell Kong's full portfolio — products, renewals, professional services, and support — through and with them.
- Partner with Kong Account Executives to increase partner attach. Bring the right partner into live deals, align on target accounts, and make it easy for AEs to win with partners.
- Orchestrate co-sell, co-marketing, and co-solutioning with each focus partner. You drive the outcomes across all three and coordinate the Kong team — sales engineers, marketing, enablement, and operations — who help you deliver.
- Sign new partners where there's room to grow, and map your territory to spot new joint opportunities.
- Drive partner-sourced pipeline. Set targets, run a steady cadence with each partner, and focus on net-new business.
- Coordinate deal registration, lead sharing, and co-sell for Kong Gateway, Kong AI Gateway, Kong Mesh, and Konnect, and resolve route conflicts fairly.
- Create joint assets with focus partners, such as reference architectures, blueprints, and solution briefs that field teams on both sides can pick up and use.
- Run joint marketing events and campaigns that build pipeline.
- Learn how your partners make money, where Kong fits, and what it takes to win together.
- Work with Partner Sales Engineers so partners have the technical readiness to sell and deliver Kong.
- Build strong relationships with Kong Account Sales Managers and geo leadership, and involve sales leadership and support as needed to hit shared targets.
- Contribute to quarterly business reviews and annual planning for the Partner organization.
- Share a weekly forecast, and keep partner and opportunity data current in Salesforce and the partner portal.
- Raise critical business issues early with Partner Sales leadership.
- Collaborate with Finance, Partner Operations, and Sales Operations, and prepare territory plans, presentations, and reports as needed.
Partner Sales Manager Requirements
- 5+ years in partner, channel, or alliances sales, with a track record of driving go-to-market through resellers and SIs or consultancies
- A drive to source net-new business and grow it with partners
- The organization to run many partners and activities in parallel
- Experience selling infrastructure, developer platforms, or API and AI technology to enterprise buyers
- Experience selling open source solutions
- Experience with B2B sales, deal registration, partner quoting, and co-selling
- Experience with Salesforce and partner management systems, such as a partner portal
- Clear written and verbal communication, strong interpersonal skills, and a steady presence under pressure
- An established network in the industry
- A results-oriented approach
- Interest in Kong and open source software, and the ability to use Kong
- Shares Kong's values and works in accordance with them
- Ability to travel up to 50% and comply with the company's travel policy
Nice to have:
- Prior Partner Sales Manager or partner leadership experience at an API, integration, or open-source-led company
- Hyperscaler co-sell experience, such as AWS ISV Accelerate, Azure IP Co-sell, or GCP Partner Advantage
- Existing relationships with AMER SIs, regional consultancies, or value-added resellers
- Sales methodology training, such as MEDDPICC or Command of the Message #LI-JS2
About Kong: Kong Inc., the AI Connectivity Company, is building the connectivity layer of AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500® and AI-native startups alike, Kong’s unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic — on any model, any cloud. For more information, visit www.konghq.com .
