Director, Sales Development

About the role

You will build sales development organizations from the ground up, creating playbooks, processes, and outbound motions rather than only inheriting and running existing ones. You will define and communicate a clear vision for the SDR organization, developing multi-year outbound and pipeline generation strategy aligned to GTM objectives, and evolving the motion as the market shifts. You will design, document, and operationalize repeatable sales development playbooks; continuously test, measure, and iterate on messaging, sequencing, territories, and workflows. You will build AI-powered workflows that automate research, prioritization, outreach, coaching, and administrative work, leveraging tools like Nooks, Clay, 6sense, Gong, Outreach, or similar, and thinking in terms of agent orchestration rather than just adding headcount. You will own ongoing hiring, mentoring, and development of SDR Managers and SDRs, including recruiting, hiring, and training new members, and creating clear career paths into AE and leadership roles. You will deliver against a series of monthly and quarterly revenue and pipeline generation goals, driving activity, pipeline, weekly forecasts, and closed deals to ensure quota attainment. You will regularly report on team and individual results through pipeline management, forecasting, and strategic initiative reporting.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect and launch end-to-end SDR motions that generate predictable pipeline for Commercial, Enterprise, and Strategic segments.
• Lead, develop, and scale a team of 3 Front Line Managers and over ~30 Sales Development Reps, consistently meeting monthly, quarterly, and annual revenue targets.
• Partner with senior sales leadership to translate GTM objectives into a repeatable outbound and pipeline generation engine.
• Own the full sales development lifecycle from messaging and sequencing to outreach cadences, pipeline hygiene, and conversion optimization.
• Implement AI-driven automation in research, prioritization, outreach, and coaching to amplify team productivity without sacrificing relationship quality.
• Build and iterate on sales playbooks, documenting workflows, decision criteria, and success metrics for scalable execution.
• Drive data-informed decisions by interpreting pipeline metrics, forecasting accuracy, and activity patterns to guide strategic investments.
• Recruit, hire, mentor, and develop high-performing SDRs and managers, establishing clear career ladders and performance standards.
• Lead organizational transformation during periods of rapid growth, market shifts, or restructuring, maintaining clarity and alignment.
• Collaborate closely with RevOps, marketing, product marketing, and enablement to ensure alignment on targets, positioning, and content.
• Coach sellers on value-based messaging and consultative techniques, embedding best practices such as Command of the Message into daily workflows.
• Own pipeline generation targets, driving weekly forecasts, activity levels, and closed deals to reliably hit quota.
• Communicate performance insights and strategic recommendations to executive stakeholders with clarity and conviction.
• Evaluate competitive dynamics and buyer personas to refine SDR positioning and messaging as market conditions evolve.
• Act as an independent operator who thrives in ambiguity, leading by example in a fast-scaling, high-growth environment.

Requirements

• Proven, repeated track record as a builder, having built organizations from scratch rather than inheriting and optimizing them.
• Demonstrated success creating playbooks from scratch and introducing new technology and AI into workflows to scale from one stage of growth to the next.
• Deep understanding of AI-first sales motions and a track record of applying them to improve efficiency and pipeline generation.
• Deep expertise in outbound prospecting strategy, account-based motions, intent data, buying signals, and multi-threading.
• Obsessive focus on pipeline quality, not just activity metrics, and rigorous management of the prospecting process.
• Mastery of key business metrics, using data to diagnose issues, prioritize investments, forecast outcomes, and build business cases for executive stakeholders.
• Excellence in forecasting accuracy and the ability to lead high-velocity deal cycles of less than 6 months.
• Mastery of coaching to value-based selling methodology, such as Command of the Message, and commitment to consistent methodology adoption.
• Strong executive presence, with the ability to communicate strategy, performance, recommendations, and investment plans to senior leadership.
• A high bar for inspection, evolution, and execution in the business, with an uncompromising standard for results.
• Deep understanding of buyer personas, market dynamics, and competitive positioning, ensuring SDR messaging evolves with customer needs and GTM priorities.
• Succinct, concise, and compelling written and verbal communication that drives clarity through periods of change.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain impeccable cross-functional partnerships across sales, marketing, product, and operations.
• A strong eye for talent, with proven skill in hiring high-performing individuals and advancing the careers of team members.
• Capacity to operate as an independent leader, capable of steering a team in a rapidly changing hyper-growth environment.

Nice to have

• Prior experience in an AI-first sales environment where automation and agent orchestration are actively used to drive pipeline.
• Hands-on experience with sales intelligence and engagement platforms such as Nooks, Clay, 6sense, Gong, Outreach, or similar tools.
• Background in selling into highly regulated industries where security and compliance are top of mind.
• Experience building career paths for SDRs into AE and leadership roles, with documented success in internal mobility.
• Demonstrated success managing hybrid or remote-first teams while maintaining high engagement and performance.

Practical notes

This role requires an in-office hybrid schedule, with 3 days per week in the SF or NY office with preference for NY.