Global Director Channel Partner

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies. 

We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards. 

John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries

We have an exciting opportunity for a Global Director Channel Partner to join our Commercial & Service leadership team. Reporting to the VP Commercial and Service, this strategic leadership role is responsible for defining, developing and expanding John Crane's worldwide channel partner network while driving our global route-to-market (RTM) strategy.

The Global Director Channel Partner will shape the strategic direction of our channel partner organisation across all regions, leading a global team of Channel Partner Managers and building strong executive-level relationships with strategic partners. This role is accountable for accelerating growth through indirect sales channels, increasing market penetration, and delivering sustainable revenue growth worldwide.

Working closely with Regional General Managers, Sales, Marketing, Finance and Legal teams, you will establish best-in-class governance frameworks, partner enablement programmes, and performance management processes that ensure long-term success and alignment with John Crane's business strategy. 

This position can be based from any John Crane site within Europe and operates within a hybrid working model. Significant international travel will be required to support global teams and channel partners. 

John Crane is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. 

Duties & Responsibilities (not limited to)

Global Channel Partner Strategy

• Define and execute the global route-to-market and channel partner strategy aligned with company objectives.
• Identify, evaluate and recruit high-potential channel partners across all regions.
• Establish partner selection criteria, governance frameworks and operating standards.
• Drive global expansion through strategic channel partnerships and market development initiatives.
• Collaborate with regional and functional leadership teams to deliver strategic and tactical growth plans. 

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing global team of regional Channel Partner Managers.
• Set clear performance expectations, succession plans and development opportunities for team members.
• Build executive-level relationships with strategic channel partners and key stakeholders.
• Partner with Regional GMs, Sales, Marketing, Finance and Legal teams to align global and regional priorities.
• Lead regular business reviews and strategic planning sessions with channel partners.

Sales Enablement & Growth

• Develop global partner enablement frameworks, including training, certification and performance management programmes.
• Establish KPI dashboards and governance structures to measure channel effectiveness.
• Support partners in selling John Crane products and services through tools, resources and best practices.
• Collaborate with Marketing teams to develop and execute co-branded demand generation initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement and standardisation of channel partner processes globally. 

Performance Management & Governance

• Define and monitor global partner performance metrics and business objectives.
• Analyse sales data, pipeline metrics and market trends to identify opportunities and risks.
• Drive agreement renewals, compliance and escalation management activities.
• Prepare and present regular performance reports and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Ensure channel partners operate in accordance with company policies and commercial standards.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Extensive experience in channel partner management, indirect sales, business development or sales leadership within an industrial, engineering or B2B manufacturing environment.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful global route-to-market strategies.
• Demonstrated experience leading geographically dispersed and culturally diverse teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience managing channel partner agreements, contracts and legal compliance requirements.
• Proven ability to build and maintain executive-level stakeholder relationships.
• Experience managing and growing global channel partner networks and indirect sales channels.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret commercial and sales data to drive business decisions.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, presentation and influencing skills.
• Proficiency with CRM platforms, sales analytics tools and Microsoft Office applications.
• Self-motivated, results-oriented and capable of operating effectively within a matrix organisation. 

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Marketing, Business Administration or a related discipline.
• MBA or advanced business qualification preferred.

Languages

• Fluent English required.
• Additional European or international languages would be advantageous.

Work Environment

• Based at any John Crane location within Europe.
• International travel required (approximately 30-40%).
• Flexibility to work across multiple global time zones.
• Opportunity to engage with senior leaders, strategic partners and customers globally.

With colleagues stretching across the globe, we are proud of our diversity. To foster inclusivity, we run employee resource groups (ERGs) to provide a safe space for employees to connect and support each other. Our cross-business ERGs include Veterans, Pride Network, Black Employee Network, Women@Work Network, and Neurodiversity. 

Across our company, we recognize excellence, culminating in the Smiths Excellence Awards, our annual celebration of the most extraordinary activities, people, and projects that best showcase our strengths and help drive our business forward. We announce these on our annual Smiths Day, a global celebration of Smiths around our network. 

Join us for a great career with competitive compensation and benefits, while helping engineer a better future. 

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)