Sales Development Representative
Job description
About the role
This role focuses on generating new business by qualifying opportunities with senior decision-makers in the UK and Ireland. The role operates through collaboration with Sales Account Executives and structured outreach activities to build a qualified sales pipeline.
Sales roles connect a company's product with the customers who need it. Representatives research accounts, run demos, handle objections, and close deals. The work is quota driven and moves quickly. Strong sellers combine listening skills with product knowledge and steady follow through. Sales roles reward consistent activity and honest qualification of deals. Most companies use a defined sales process, and reps are trained on it before being left on their own.
Key facts
What you'll do
General market research uncovers pains and opportunities within prospective organizations to inform early conversations with stakeholders in sales decision-making.
Prospect qualification nurtures prospects into fully qualified leads that advance through the sales funnel and support pipeline targets.
Sales tools track activity on Salesforce.com to maintain accurate engagement records and pipeline visibility for the sales team.
Career growth develops the skills needed for promotion into a closing or leadership role over time through structured pathways.
Requirements
A degree is mandatory for the role and must be provided as part of the application materials.
Prior sales or customer-facing experience in recruitment, property sales, B2B, or B2C is beneficial for understanding target buyer contexts.
Outbound B2B sales experience is beneficial for accelerating pipeline creation and shortening sales cycles.
Experience in customer-facing roles and competitive target-driven environments is beneficial for managing activity levels and expectations.
High activity levels maximize performance and enable consistent target overachievement through disciplined outreach.
An entrepreneurial mindset with a hunger to succeed drives daily execution, resilience, and continuous improvement.
Salesforce, startup, or FinTech experience is beneficial for faster ramp-up and effective tool adoption.
Passion for communicating GoCardless value is required to articulate solutions clearly to diverse sectors.
Self-motivation and the ability to motivate teammates are required to sustain team performance and uphold standards.
Embodiment of core values is required to represent GoCardless professionally in all external interactions.
Practical notes
The role is based in Leeds, UK, and may include travel within the territory as needed.
Typical interview steps
Sales hiring often includes a role play, a discovery call simulation, and a presentation. Candidates may be asked to pitch a product to a panel or handle a tough objection. Behavioral questions focus on past quota attainment and deal history. Energy and preparation matter. Interviewers often simulate the job in the interview itself, so be ready to run a short discovery call or demo. Practicing your own sales pitch out loud helps.
Good to know
Tech and SaaS sales experience provides a clear growth path to Account Executive and exposure to modern revenue tools.
The payment platform connects to over 350 platforms used by businesses worldwide, supporting diverse sales contexts.
Annual processing exceeds $130bn across 30+ countries in recurring and one-off payments, reflecting global scale.
Wellbeing, adaptive working, parental leave, and learning budgets support professional development and work-life balance.
General SaaS sales roles rely on CRM tools like Salesforce to manage pipeline, forecasting, and stakeholder engagement.
Self-directed motivation and peer coaching are common traits in high-performing sales teams that emphasize collaboration and results.
Career growth
Sales careers can move from SDR or associate to account executive, senior AE, manager, and director roles. Some sellers move into partnerships, account management, or revenue operations. Compensation typically mixes a base with commission tied to results. High performers in sales typically move into larger accounts, team leadership, or sales operations. Quota history and references carry the most weight in promotion.