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What does an Alliance Manager do? (And how people get the job)

An alliance manager looks after the tie between your company and a few large partners. Companies hire for it to grow sales by selling together with those partners.

By ChannelCareers. Updated . Built from our live job posts and public sources, listed at the bottom.

See Alliances and Strategic Partnerships jobs

Key takeaways

  • A channel account manager works with many smaller partners. An alliance manager works with fewer, bigger ones.
  • The four kinds are cloud providers, global system integrators, software companies and AI and data platforms.
  • Your side also matters: at a vendor, at a cloud provider or at a reseller.
  • Co-sell is the core tool. At some companies, cloud marketplace work is a big part of the job too.
  • Most of these jobs are mid to senior.
  • Common roads in are channel account manager, partner development, solutions engineering and consulting.

What does an alliance manager own?

You own the tie between the two companies. You are the main contact. You and the partner agree on a joint plan, track results against goals and review it.

You also get people working together. You help your own sellers work deals with the partner's sellers. You help the partner see why your product is worth their time.

Titles vary. Alliance Manager and Strategic Partner Manager can describe close to the same work. Some cloud jobs say Partner Development Manager. Read the duties.

We found no standard week for this job. In our view, expect a mix of planning calls, deal reviews and time with your own sellers.

Which kinds of alliances are there?

Most alliance jobs fall into four groups.

  • Hyperscaler: a very large cloud provider, like AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud. The work covers co-sell, the cloud marketplace and partner program status.
  • GSI (global system integrator): a very large firm that builds and runs technology for big companies. KPMG, Infosys and TCS are examples. The work is joint solutions and getting the GSI to recommend your product. Our job data has a title called GSI Partner Lead. Accenture says it works with partners to co-develop new solutions and go to market together. It prefers fewer, deeper relationships.
  • ISV (independent software vendor): a software company. You might link two products together or sell together. Our job data has a title called ISV Partnerships Manager.
  • AI and data platform: a data or AI company, like Databricks, Snowflake or NVIDIA. Roles lean more technical. A Databricks partner engineer builds integrations between platforms. On the vendor side, a Celonis post asks the manager to define the joint business plan with Databricks.

These platforms run partner programs with levels. NVIDIA Partner Network lists Registered, Preferred and Elite. Snowflake Partner Network lists Registered, Select, Premier and Elite. Levels change, so check the current pages.

This split, and the point that AI and data roles lean technical, is our own way to sort the jobs.

Which side of the alliance are you on?

The work changes with the side you work on.

  • At a vendor: You manage your own company's tie with a cloud provider, GSI or software partner. This guide covers this side most.
  • At a cloud provider: You work for a company like AWS, Microsoft or Google. You manage many outside partners. You help them build, list on the marketplace and co-sell. Amazon's post asks for a partner development plan for target partners. Google's says to build the ISV co-sell plan. Microsoft's says to own the ISV partner revenue. These posts ask for many years of experience, such as 10+ at Microsoft and 15 at Google.
  • At a reseller or distributor: You manage the suppliers it sells. SHI and Pax8 posts list joint business plans, partner certifications, being the main contact, promotions and forecasts. SHI asks for 5+ years and Pax8 for 7+.

The Amazon, Google, Microsoft, SHI and Pax8 posts are closed. They show typical duties. Sorting jobs by side is our own way to make sense of them.

What is co-sell?

Co-sell means your sellers and the partner's sellers work a deal together. Microsoft describes co-selling as working together on building demand, planning sales and sharing sales leads. It also covers sales through the marketplace.

Each cloud provider runs its own program. Here are two public examples.

  • AWS: AWS partners manage co-sell deals in a tool called ACE Pipeline Manager. A partner can ask AWS for co-sell support on a deal. A partner can also register a deal just so AWS can see it.
  • Microsoft: Microsoft gives co-sell statuses to a partner's offers. Two are Co-sell ready and Azure IP co-sell eligible. With the second, sales through Microsoft Marketplace count toward a customer's Azure spending commitment.

The AWS page is from November 2023 and the Microsoft page was updated in October 2026. Programs change, so check the current pages.

What are cloud marketplaces and private offers?

A cloud marketplace is an online store run by a cloud provider. Companies list software there. Buyers can pick it up inside the cloud account they already use.

A private offer is an offer a seller extends to one buyer's AWS account in AWS Marketplace. It shows up on the buyer's Private offers page.

A cloud alliance post from Text asks for someone to lead the launch and growth of its products on the cloud marketplaces. It also asks for know-how in how big companies buy and pay through the marketplaces. Not every alliance job includes this.

How is it different from a channel account manager?

Our Channel Account Manager guide covers the job of working with many resellers, MSPs and technology advisors. Read it for that side. Here is the short comparison.

  • Number of partners: Channel account manager: many. Alliance manager: a few large ones.
  • Main goal: Channel account manager: recruit, train and help partners win deals. Alliance manager: build joint sales and joint solutions.
  • Who you meet: Channel account manager: partner sales and owners. Alliance manager: partner leaders and the partner's own alliance team.
  • How you win: Channel account manager: partner sales through the program. Alliance manager: co-sell revenue and strong ties with leaders.

This table is our own summary. Each company splits the work in its own way.

What skills help?

  • Know the cloud partner program: The Text post asks for experience working with hyperscalers, and partner program experience is a plus. Learn the levels and the rules.
  • Know the marketplace basics: Buying steps and billing come up in the Text post.
  • Sell through relationships: Alliances run on trust with a few people. Show up, follow through and tell the truth early.
  • Talk to leaders: You will often meet senior people on both sides. Clear and short beats long.
  • Work with your own team: The partner deal only works when your sellers care about it too.

The last two points are our view.

Is alliance work for you?

Five quick questions. Answer yes or no.

Would you rather work with a few large partners than many small ones?
Will you show up, follow through and tell the truth early?
Are you fine talking with senior people on both sides?
Would you learn one cloud provider's partner program in detail?
Do you need an entry-level job to start?

Your answers stay on this device. We only count the result, never who you are.

How do people get into alliances?

We found no standard ladder. This road is our suggestion. Many people skip steps.

  • Channel account manager: You learn how partners work with a vendor, and how a deal gets registered and won.
  • Partner development: You learn to find partners and start a plan with them.
  • Solutions engineering: You learn the product, and how to prove it works on a call with a partner.
  • Consulting: You learn how big firms and their clients think about technology.

A good next step is to pick one cloud provider and learn its partner program. Public pages from AWS and Microsoft are a start. Then look for alliance roles that name that provider.

Applying does not guarantee an interview, and every company hires in its own way.

Which alliance jobs are open to people earlier in their career?

Support jobs sit next to alliance manager jobs. The years they ask for vary.

  • Partner marketing: You keep partner pages and campaigns current and report results. An SHI post asked for 1 to 3 years and a degree or relevant work experience.
  • Alliances operations: You run the paperwork and data behind a partnership. A Nasuni post lists funding claims, marketplace listings and private offers, co-sell and deal registration data, and scorecards. It asked for 5+ years.

We saw no entry-level jobs of either kind. Partner marketing looks like the nearest door. Our Channel and Partner Marketing guide and our Partner Ops guide cover these jobs.

No source we read says support jobs lead to alliance manager. Any path from here is our suggestion.

Where does it lead?

Our job board shows senior titles on the alliance side. Two examples are RVP, Channels and Alliances for the Americas, and Alliance RVP. RVP means regional vice president.

Other partner jobs, like channel marketing and partner operations, are in the related guides.

  1. Alliance ManagerYou are here. Look after the tie with a few large partners
  2. Senior alliance titlesOur board shows titles like Alliance RVP, a regional vice president

Which channel words do you need?

Here are the words you will hear most in alliance jobs.

  • Alliance: a close tie between your company and one large partner.
  • ISV (independent software vendor): a company that makes software.
  • Hyperscaler: a very large cloud provider. AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are the usual examples.
  • Co-sell: you and the partner work the same deal together.
  • Cloud marketplace: an online store run by a cloud provider, where buyers can pick up software inside their cloud account.
  • Joint business plan: a shared plan between you and a partner with goals, actions and a review schedule.
  • Partner engineer: a technical partner role that builds integrations between two products.

What does it pay, and who is hiring?

109open jobs
61companies hiring now
38%remote
89jobs show pay

Typical base pay: $150,000 to $207,000

$55,000$408,000

From 80 jobs that list a yearly base salary. The dark part is the typical range.

Senior roles can pull the top end up. Some jobs list pay with a bonus included, so read each post.

From the Alliances and Strategic Partnerships jobs on ChannelCareers on November 1, 2026. These numbers change as jobs open and close.

Who is hiring right now

Amazon Web Services 10ServiceNow 8Celonis 6Nvidia 5HPE 4Palo Alto Networks 4

Newest Alliances and Strategic Partnerships jobs

Questions, answered fast

Can a channel account manager move into alliances?

Yes, it can be a step. See the section "How do people get into alliances?" for the other roads in.

Is working at AWS the same as being an alliance manager at a software company?

No. At a cloud provider you manage many outside partners. See the section "Which side of the alliance are you on?"

Do you need cloud certifications for an alliance job?

Our research did not find a rule. Check the post for each job.

Are alliance jobs remote?

Both remote and onsite jobs show up in our listings. Check the workplace line on each job.

Meet people in the channel

Young Channel Leaders is a community for people early in their channel careers.

Sources

Our own live jobs, plus the pages below. Many are company blogs, so we treat their numbers as rough.