Lead - Channel Sales

We are looking for a Channel Manager – Middle East & Africa (MEA) to build, activate and grow Freshworks’ partner ecosystem across the region. This role is responsible for creating incremental business through the partner ecosystem — identifying the right partners, enabling them to sell and deliver Freshworks solutions, building joint go-to-market motions, generating qualified pipeline and ensuring strong execution across the partner lifecycle. The role requires a strong balance of commercial ownership, partner management, sales alignment and operational discipline . The Channel Manager will work closely with Sales, Solution Consulting, Customer Success, Marketing, Alliances and other cross-functional teams to make partners a meaningful growth channel for Freshworks. . Partner Strategy & Business Development Develop and execute the partner strategy for assigned markets and segments across MEA. Identify and recruit partners that can provide meaningful customer access, technical capability, industry expertise or geographic coverage. Evaluate partners based on their ability to generate pipeline, influence customers, implement solutions and build a sustainable Freshworks practice. Develop joint business plans with priority partners, including revenue objectives, target accounts, GTM activities and capability-building priorities. Build relationships with senior stakeholders within the partner organization and establish clear mutual accountability. 2. Partner Activation & Readiness Own the activation of newly recruited partners and move them from onboarding to productive engagement. Drive partner readiness across product knowledge, sales capability, solution positioning, certifications and implementation capability. Identify capability gaps and create focused enablement plans rather than relying on generic training. Establish measurable activation milestones and monitor progress against them. Ensure partners have the tools, knowledge and internal champions required to independently position and sell Freshworks. 3. Pipeline Generation & Revenue Growth Own partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline generation for the assigned territory. Build joint campaigns, account-mapping exercises, workshops, roundtables and other pipeline-generation initiatives with priority partners. Identify opportunities where partner access or capability can create incremental Freshworks revenue. Work with Sales teams to convert partner-generated pipeline into qualified opportunities and closed business. Track partner contribution across the funnel — from recruitment and activation through pipeline, conversion and revenue. Identify gaps early and build corrective action plans with partners and internal stakeholders. 4. Joint GTM & Field Alignment Build strong relationships with Freshworks Account Executives and Sales leadership to align partner activity with territory priorities. Facilitate joint account planning between Freshworks and partners. Bring partners into relevant enterprise opportunities where they add customer access, technical expertise, implementation capability or commercial leverage. Ensure the right level of partner involvement based on the opportunity rather than involving partners purely for attribution. Support strategic partner-led and partner-assisted opportunities through the sales cycle. 5. Partner Governance & Performance Management Establish regular operating cadences with priority partners, including pipeline reviews, business reviews and action tracking. Maintain visibility into partner performance, pipeline quality, conversion, activity and readiness. Hold partners accountable to agreed commitments and follow through on action items. Identify underperforming or inactive partners and develop clear activation, remediation or rationalization plans. Maintain accurate partner and opportunity information across Freshworks systems and reporting mechanisms. 6. Opportunity & Deal Support Support partner registration, opportunity align