Partner Development Manager

Apollo.io

1d•Remote

About The Position

Apollo.io is seeking a Partner Development Manager (PDM) to build and own the end-to-end motion for identifying, qualifying, and activating high-potential partners. This role is crucial for developing Apollo's partner program, which aims to be at the forefront of AI's impact on outbound sales. The PDM will be responsible for creating and executing an acquisition-to-activation playbook, managing a book of 40-60 partners at a time, and determining their progression within the partner program. This is a unique opportunity to shape a new program and contribute to Apollo's growth.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in partner development, channel sales, business development, or a related partnerships role, ideally in B2B SaaS.
Track record of 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 to separate real partner potential from surface-level interest.
Excellent program-management skills; ability to build the playbook as you run it.
Clear, confident communicator capable of enabling and certifying both non-technical and technical partners.

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

Identify high-potential partners across all segments, including inbound applications, customer referrals, ecosystem research, and partner nominations.
Score and prioritize potential partners against Apollo's Ideal Partner Profile (IPP).
Build and maintain a live cultivation list of 40-60 active partners.
Determine each partner's segment, specialization, ICP, and delivery model.
Differentiate partners with a genuine, Apollo-centered motion from those with generic interest.
Drive partners through Apollo's certification curriculum and onboarding process.
Assist partners in packaging a concrete Apollo offer, referral motion, or delivery service.
Prepare partners for their first live customer conversation.
Guide every partner toward a first measurable activation event, such as a qualified referral, registered opportunity, or managed customer.
Track progress against a shared, partner-visible activation plan with clear gates and goals.
Maintain a consistent cadence with each partner across the activation pathway and ensure accountability.
Recommend next steps for each partner, including promotion to the named-partner (PAM) program, scaled/automated nurture, or deprioritization.
Partner cross-functionally with Partner Operations on data quality and reporting.
Collaborate with Partner Marketing on segment-specific enablement and recruitment campaigns.