About this role.
Canonical is seeking a Channel Partner Sales Executive for the Japan market to drive growth through reseller and distributor partnerships. This role focuses on developing and executing channel strategies, recruiting new partners, and managing the sales pipeline for Canonical's open source and cloud solutions. The ideal candidate is a self-starting, detail-oriented sales professional with experience in technology sales and a strong understanding of Linux/Ubuntu. The position offers a distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints and requires fluency in English.
Role DNA
A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.
Job Complexity
4/5Pace & Pressure
4/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
4/5Salary analysis
Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.
Core skills
Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity.
Cover letter sample
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am writing to express my strong interest in the Channel Partner Sales Executive, Japan position at Canonical. With a proven track record in technology sales and a deep passion for open source solutions, I am excited about the opportunity to drive Canonical's channel growth across Japan. My experience in recruiting and managing reseller and distributor partners aligns perfectly with the farming and hunting requirements of this role.
I possess a solid understanding of Ubuntu, Linux, and cloud technologies, which allows me to effectively communicate technical value to partners and customers. My ability to thrive in a globally distributed, autonomous environment has been honed through previous startup and remote work experiences. I am particularly drawn to Canonical's mission of making open source ubiquitous in enterprise technology.
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the possibility of contributing to your team and driving successful channel partnerships in Japan.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Sample interview questions
I would start by researching the local partner ecosystem, identifying key distributors and resellers that align with Canonical's technology. I would prioritize building trust through consistent communication and face-to-face meetings, as Japanese business culture values long-term relationships. I'd craft a strategy that combines co-marketing activities, partner enablement, and joint go-to-market plans, while leveraging my network to recruit new partners.
In my previous role, I identified a potential partner by attending a regional tech conference and engaging their sales team. I then arranged a meeting to present the value proposition, conducted a needs analysis, and provided a customized onboarding plan. I followed up consistently, aligned their sales team with our training, and set joint targets. Within three months, they became a top-tier partner.
Hunting requires proactive prospecting, networking, and clear criteria for partner qualification. Farming involves regular check-ins, understanding partner performance, and providing enablement. I use a time-blocking approach, dedicating specific days to each activity. For example, I might spend mornings on outbound recruitment and afternoons on strategic reviews with existing partners, ensuring a pipeline and a healthy portfolio.
I'd explain that open source software is freely available, but commercial support and enterprise features come through subscriptions like Canonical's. I use an analogy: it's like a restaurant recipe—open source gives you the recipe for free, but paying for a chef ensures it's cooked correctly, served safely, and tailored to your taste. This helps partners see the value in Canonical's offerings.
I'm passionate about open source and the impact Ubuntu has on enterprise technology. Canonical's distributed model requires self-discipline and strong communication. I'm experienced with remote collaboration tools and have a proven record of meeting targets autonomously. I also value the twice-yearly in-person sprints as opportunities to strengthen team alignment and build relationships.
Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is very widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include the world’s leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with 1200+ colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office-based roles. Teams meet two to four times yearly in person, in interesting locations around the world, to align on strategy and execution.
The company is founder-led, profitable, and growing.
Canonical is growing its channel sales team to capitalize on rapidly growing demand from channel partners, leveraging their expertise and connections to bring open source technology to organizations across a multitude of industries.
The Channel Partner Sales Executive, Japan role reports to the Director, APAC Channel Sales and requires a mix of both farming and hunting capabilities. The successful candidate will be responsible for achieving assigned annual growth quotas.
They should be able to identify, prospect, and engage reseller and distributor partners to build and maintain relationships and grow Canonical’s business within the assigned territory.
The successful candidate must be comfortable owning and leading initiatives in an unstructured, startup-like environment. This individual must be able to sell open source, cloud, virtualization, and technical software solutions.
Although the role is focused primarily on reseller and distributor channel partners, the successful candidate must be capable of and comfortable with initial customer discovery calls and presentations as appropriate.
Location: Japan
The Role Entails
- Develop and execute channel strategy for distributors and resellers within the assigned territory
- Increase awareness of Canonical as a lead player in Open Source and Cloud (Private, Hybrid, Multi, and Public models)
- Identify and recruit new potential partners in assigned territory
- Leverage personal network and prospecting skills to engage new partners and build on Canonical’s already-successful relationships
- Guide partners through onboarding and enablement
- Develop mutually beneficial go-to-market plans and commitments with partners
- Arrange and execute sales and pre sales trainings to these resellers
- Drive and manage channel pipeline through recurring partner interactions
- Support partner’s satisfaction and act as trusted advisor and point of contact
- Maintain a regularity/frequency of contact with priority resellers and distributors.
What we are looking for in you
- Bachelor’s level degree, preferably in a technology field
- Experience in software or technology sales from the specified market
- Fluency in English
- An understanding of open source, Linux and Ubuntu
- A self starter with a proven track record of achieving sales targets
- Detail oriented with strong follow-up skills
- Effective negotiating skills with ability to close sales
- Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills (written and verbal)
- Productive in a globally distributed team through self-discipline and self-motivation
- Mature approach to long-term relationship development with customers
- The ability to represent the company at external events
- Start-up experience would be an advantage
What we offer colleagues
We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We revisit compensation annually (and more often for graduates and associates) to ensure we recognise outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus or commission. We provide all team members with additional benefits, which reflect our values and ideals. We balance our programs to meet local needs and ensure fairness globally.
- Distributed work environment with twice-yearly team sprints in person
- Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year
- Annual compensation review
- Recognition rewards
- Annual holiday leave
- Maternity and paternity leave
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Opportunity to travel to new locations to meet colleagues
- Priority Pass, and travel upgrades for long haul company events
About Canonical
Canonical is a pioneering tech firm at the forefront of the global move to open source. As the company that publishes Ubuntu, one of the most important open source projects and the platform for AI, IoT and the cloud, we are changing the world of software. We recruit on a global basis and set a very high standard for people joining the company. We expect excellence – in order to succeed, we need to be the best at what we do. Most colleagues at Canonical have worked from home since its inception in 2004. Working here is a step into the future, and will challenge you to think differently, work smarter, learn new skills, and raise your game.
Canonical is an equal opportunity employer
We are proud to foster a workplace free from discrimination. Diversity of experience, perspectives, and background create a better work environment and better products. Whatever your identity, we will give your application fair consideration.
#LI-remote
Annual salary information is not provided for this position. Explore salary ranges for similar roles in our Salary Directory ›
Upload your resume now
- To unlock remote work opportunities and be discovered by global employers.
This job listing has been manually reviewed by the Jobicy Trust & Safety Team for compliance with our posting guidelines, including verification of the company's legitimacy, accuracy of job details, clarity of remote work policy, and absence of misleading or fraudulent content.
