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What does a Partner Marketing Coordinator do? (And how to get your first channel marketing job)

A Partner Marketing Coordinator helps a tech company market its products through partners. Partners are other companies that sell or support the product, like resellers and managed service providers (MSPs). You help plan campaigns, track the marketing funds and make sure partners have what they need to promote the product.

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

See Channel and Partner Marketing jobs

Key takeaways

  • Channel marketing is marketing done with partners, so their customers hear about the product too.
  • Entry-level work is mostly coordination. Think briefs, calendars, tracking sheets and reports.
  • Marketing funds come with rules, dates and proof. Keeping them straight is a big part of the job.
  • Job posts ask for organization, attention to detail and clear writing again and again.
  • Coordinator and specialist jobs are the way in. Manager jobs usually ask for more years in the field.

What is channel and partner marketing?

Many tech companies do not sell only to customers directly. They also sell through partners. A partner is another company that sells, sets up or supports the product. The company that makes the product is called the vendor.

Channel marketing, also called partner marketing, is the marketing that supports those partners. Sources split it into two parts:

  • To-partner marketing: marketing aimed at the partners themselves. The goals are to recruit new partners and keep current ones up to date on products and programs.
  • Through-partner marketing: marketing that reaches the partners' customers. The vendor gives partners ready-made campaigns, and partners send them to their own customers. The vendor keeps the brand message steady.

Who are the partners?

  • Reseller: a company that buys products from a vendor and sells them to customers. Many also add setup and support.
  • MSP (managed service provider): a company that runs IT for other businesses as an ongoing service.
  • Distributor: a company that supplies products to many resellers.
  • TSD (technology services distributor): a distributor in the middle that gives technology advisors, resellers and MSPs access to many providers.
  • Technology advisor: a person or firm that advises businesses on their technology. They earn a commission when they refer or sell a provider.

Partners are sales businesses first. Many have little marketing time, and small MSPs often lack dedicated marketing staff. That is why they lean on the vendor's marketing team.

What are MDF and co-op funds?

MDF stands for market development funds. It is money a vendor gives partners to spend on marketing that promotes the vendor's products. Common uses include webinars, trade show booths and events.

Co-op funds are a close cousin. Companies use the two words in different ways, so read each program's rules. One common split is that MDF is approved before the sales happen. Co-op is earned from past sales and often paid back later.

Here is how a request often goes:

  • The partner sends a short plan. It says what they want to do, what it will cost and what results they expect.
  • The vendor approves it. Dates matter. One vendor in an MSP report asked for requests at least 45 days before an event.
  • The partner runs the campaign.
  • The partner shows proof, like leads and closed sales. Job posts call this proof of execution.
  • The vendor pays or reimburses the partner, then looks at the results.

This is where a coordinator helps. Job posts ask for help with four things. Track budgets and approvals. Write campaign briefs. Check that activity follows the program rules. Report on results.

Some funds go unused. In August 2026, Channel Dive reported research from Omdia. Two in five channel partners said they fail to get the most from MDF. Forrester has written that vendors often hand out these funds with little guidance. That leads to wasted resources and frustrated partners.

Funds and rules differ by vendor. Always read the program terms.

What is a PRM?

PRM stands for partner relationship management. It is software that works like a CRM, the tool that tracks customers, but built for partners. Vendors use one for partner records, training, a partner portal, co-branded marketing material, deal registration and MDF requests.

Deal registration means a partner tells the vendor about a deal early. The vendor then agrees to protect it for that partner.

Not every team has a PRM. You may use Salesforce, a marketing automation tool and shared spreadsheets instead. Two of the job posts we read name Salesforce.

What does a normal week look like?

Mostly support and follow-through. Entry-level posts show a mix of tasks like these:

  • Plan: help with campaign briefs and partner planning sessions.
  • Run: help put on webinars, events and email campaigns with partners.
  • Track: keep budgets, fund approvals and claim dates up to date.
  • Check: make sure partner material follows brand and quality rules.
  • Report: follow leads, pipeline and results, then share them with the team. Pipeline means deals that might still close.
  • Support: help the partner programs team with training and guides for partners.

This list comes from job posts. Every company runs the week its own way.

What makes a good partner marketing coordinator?

  • Stay organized: Many campaigns and funds run at once, and each has its own dates. Posts at every level ask for organization.
  • Keep proof as you go: Funds are paid on evidence. Save lead lists, screenshots and results while the campaign runs. Do not wait for the claim.
  • Make it easy for partners: A vendor guide lists late content, the wrong format and no local fit as common problems. Send things early, in a form partners can use.
  • Write clearly: Posts ask for strong written and spoken communication. Emails, briefs and reports all work better in short, plain words.
  • Protect the brand: When partners change materials with no guardrails, the results can be off brand. Know the rules and share them kindly.
  • Learn the numbers: Leads, pipeline and return on spend. Posts ask for KPI tracking and ROI reports. A KPI is a number the team agrees to watch.
  • Learn the tools: Salesforce, a marketing automation tool and, at some companies, a PRM.
  • Ask for help early: If a claim looks wrong or a date slips, say so right away.
  • Stay curious about the partner: How do they make money? Who are their customers? Better questions lead to better campaigns.

One vendor guide says partners often run a single email when a short series would work better. A simple kit helps. Think a few emails, a social post and a landing page they can use as is.

What is hard about the job?

  • You work with people who do not report to you. Partners decide how much time your campaign gets.
  • Rules differ by vendor and by fund. A missed date or missing proof can stop a payment.
  • Credit is shared. Posts talk about marketing-sourced and marketing-influenced results.
  • Priorities move fast. Posts ask for comfort with changing plans.

What mistakes do new coordinators make?

  • Handing partners funds or files with little guidance. Forrester points to this as a cause of wasted money.
  • Sending content late or in a format partners cannot use.
  • Writing vague plans for fund requests. A channel marketing firm says vague plans get turned down.
  • Waiting until the end to collect proof.
  • Missing the request date.
  • Treating every partner the same. One partner engagement plan says to focus on partners that fit your ideal profile.
  • Skipping the follow-up. Vendors want leads and sales reported back, and good results help make the case for more funding later.

How do the first 90 days go?

Plans differ by company. This rough shape comes from a partner engagement plan and from what job posts ask coordinators to do.

  • Days 1 to 30: learn. Study the products, the partner types and the fund rules. Get access to the tools. Meet sales and the partner programs team.
  • Days 31 to 60: take on a small set of partners or funds. Help build a shared plan with each partner. Start tracking budgets and campaign results.
  • Days 61 to 90: help run a campaign from brief to report. Join your first quarterly business review (QBR). That is a meeting where a partner and the vendor look at last quarter and plan the next.

How do you get a partner marketing job with little experience?

Know the bar. One coordinator post we read asks for about a year of partner or channel marketing experience. Other posts for the same level may ask for less, so read each one. These routes build the experience:

  • Internships and assistant jobs: Marketing internships, part-time marketing work and volunteer projects all count. Pick ones that touch events, email or campaigns.
  • Work for a partner: Small MSPs often lack dedicated marketing staff. A marketing helper there learns how partners think and work.
  • Move over from another marketing job: Email, events and project work carry over. Show how you kept dates and worked with other teams.
  • Learn the tools: Salesforce has a short Trailhead module on channel marketing, and the posts we read name Salesforce.
  • Learn the words: MDF, co-op, PRM, deal registration, QBR. Using them correctly shows you did your homework.
  • Make a sample: Write a one-page brief for a pretend partner campaign. Add a simple sheet that tracks budget and results. Bring both to the interview.
  • Meet people: Channel events and early-career groups are a good start.

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

What titles will you see?

  • Partner Marketing Coordinator
  • Channel Marketing Coordinator
  • Partner Marketing Specialist
  • Channel Marketing Specialist
  • Partner Marketing Content Specialist
  • Partner Marketing Programs Manager
  • Partner Marketing Manager
  • Channel Marketing Manager
  • MDF Manager

These overlap. Partner and channel often mean the same thing. Coordinator and Specialist titles are the usual first rung. Manager titles, especially ones with Senior in front, usually ask for more years in the field.

Read the job text. Some posts center on funds, some on events and some on content.

Where does it lead?

The next step is usually Partner Marketing Manager. Posts at that level ask for more experience. One MDF manager post asked for 3 to 5 years. A manager post focused on MSPs asked for 5 or more.

Bigger jobs cover more ground. One post for a TSD channel marketing manager covers the marketing plan for a whole distributor program. That includes events and sales incentives. The plan ties in with the sales team.

Some people move to jobs that work with partners every day, like Channel Account Manager. Others move into partner programs and operations. See the related guides.

  1. Partner Marketing CoordinatorYou are here. Plan campaigns, track funds, support partners
  2. Partner Marketing ManagerCover more ground in partner marketing
  3. OrChannel Account ManagerWork with partners every day
  4. OrPartner programs and opsMove into partner programs and operations

What does it pay, and who is hiring?

46open jobs
28companies hiring now
26%remote
37jobs show pay

Typical base pay: $125,000 to $173,000

$60,000$288,000

From 37 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 Channel and Partner Marketing jobs on ChannelCareers on November 1, 2026. These numbers change as jobs open and close.

Who is hiring right now

Amazon Web Services 8Cohesity 4Samsung Electronics 4Horizon3.ai 3Freshworks 2Logitech 2

Newest Channel and Partner Marketing jobs

Questions, answered fast

Is partner marketing the same as channel marketing?

Often yes. Companies use both names for marketing done with and through partners. Read the job text to see what the work is.

Is it a marketing job or a sales job?

It is a marketing job that works closely with sales. You help partners and partner sellers promote the product. Results are tracked in leads and pipeline.

What is the difference between MDF and co-op funds?

Both are vendor money for partner marketing. A common split is that MDF is approved before sales and co-op is earned from past sales. Companies use the words in different ways, so read the program rules.

What is a PRM?

A PRM is partner relationship management software. It works like a CRM, but for partners. Vendors use it for partner records, training, marketing material, deal registration and fund requests.

Do I need to know Salesforce?

Many posts name it. It helps to have used it. Salesforce has a short Trailhead module on channel marketing that is a good place to start.

Can this lead to a Channel Account Manager job?

It can. Partner marketing teaches you how partners work and how funds and programs run. Account manager posts often ask for sales or partner experience, so ask about a path when you interview.

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.