Channel Partner Manager - OT EMEA

Description

Channel Partner Manager – OT EMEA

Location: flexible in Europe

Join Fortinet, a cybersecurity pioneer with over two decades of excellence, as we continue to shape the future of cybersecurity and redefine the intersection of networking and security. At Fortinet, our mission is to safeguard people, devices, and data everywhere. 

Role Overview 

OT security is one of Fortinet’s top corporate strategic priorities and a central growth engine for our business in EMEA. Fortinet is recognized as the sole leader in this fast paced, technology centric, high growth OT cybersecurity market. We are seeking a highly motivated individual who wants to play a proactive leadership role in shaping, accelerating, and winning this market.

Operational Technology is fundamentally different from IT and requires deep domain understanding, sector specific context, safety aware risk thinking, long term trust building, and specialized partner capabilities.

The Channel Partner Manager for OT in EMEA will report directly to the EMEA OT Practice Lead and will play a pivotal role in developing and scaling our reseller partner ecosystem. The focus is on cultivating OT capable partners who can position, sell, implement, and support Fortinet OT solutions. This individual will be the connective link between the OT EMEA SME Practice and the EMEA Channel organization, owning the development pathway for existing OT Specialized reseller partners and driving expansion by onboarding both native OT partners and IT partners evolving into OT competency. This includes working closely with the Channel team to design and deploy enhancements to the Engage Channel Program specifically to accelerate OT partner recruitment, strengthen OT partner value creation, and expand a growing portfolio of active and loyal OT capable Channel partners. This role will further accelerate the OT specialization journey for partners and drive measurable year over year OT business growth through a high performing OT partner ecosystem. This role will also own a new operating mechanism with the regional OT CAMs, driving alignment, coordination, forecasting discipline, and joint partner execution, and will co-lead the reward and recognition program for OT reseller partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the cross functional bridge between the EMEA OT SME Practice and the EMEA Channel Partner organization to ensure alignment on goals, messaging, prioritization, and execution.
  Own, evolve, and drive the OT Specialized Partner development and capability roadmap for reseller partners.
• Expand the OT reseller partner ecosystem by identifying and recruiting net new OT native reseller partners and enabling existing IT focused reseller partners to build meaningful OT specialization.
• Own and drive the operating rhythm with regional CAMs, ensuring synergy with a new operating mechanism owned with the regional OT CAMs to guide shared visibility, prioritization, partner execution, and pipeline discipline.
• Co-lead with Channel leadership the design, execution, and continuous refinement of incentive, tiering, and reward programs specifically for OT reseller partners.
• Establish trusted relationships with key reseller partner stakeholders and executive leadership across EMEA.
• Mobilize internal support resources including services, SE technical teams, GTM, SME and marketing to support partner initiatives.
• Drive OT appropriate enablement programs including sales framing, technical certifications, and co selling methods.
• Support partner driven forecasting, pipeline shaping, and market coverage insights.
• Collaborate directly with Channel leadership to refine and communicate the OT specific
• Channel Value Proposition and ensure this differentiation is reflected in partner benefits, enablement, and incentivization within the Engage framework.
• Track measurable OT partner performance progression and derive actions that accelerate capability, alignment, and revenue contribution across the OT partner ecosystem.
• Represent Fortinet OT practice at joint partner events, briefings, sessions, and regional engagements.

Experience and Skills Required

• 10 plus years of channel sales, partner development, or reseller-oriented business development experience in networking, IT security, or OT cybersecurity domains 
• Demonstrated ability to build, accelerate, and operationalize reseller ecosystems
• Strong understanding that OT security is not IT in unusual places, including awareness of control system safety, industrial lifecycle, field realities, and risk differentiation
• Experience influencing across a matrixed organization combining technical and commercial stakeholders
• Strong entrepreneurial and proactive leadership approach, able to create momentum even in emerging or undefined environments
• Excellent written and verbal English, with additional European languages strongly valued
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively across EMEA
• High interpersonal intelligence, diplomacy, credibility, and relationship stewardship
• Effective in fast moving environments with adaptability and resilience
• Self-driven, collaborative, competitive, and accountable

Why This Role Matters

The OT security market in EMEA is rapidly expanding across industries such as energy, utilities, manufacturing, water, transportation, defense, and other critical services. Fortinet is the recognized market leader in OT security, and the OT Channel ecosystem is one of the critical strategic multipliers of this growth. This role is instrumental in designing, scaling, and enabling a high-performance OT partner community through targeted Engage Channel Program enhancements, deeper OT specialization, and partner led growth outcomes.

Why Join Us?

At Fortinet, we embrace diversity and inclusivity. We encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and identities. Explore our welcoming work environment designed for a rewarding career journey with an attractive Total Rewards package to support you with your overall health and financial well-being. Join us in bringing solutions that make a meaningful and lasting impact to our 830,000+ customers around the globe. 

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