Sales Leader, Sales Development, Enterprise
perplexity
Híbrido
San Francisco
Project Manager
Systems Analyst
Account Manager
Product Manager
Public Relations
Advertising
Job Score
100 pts
Hybrid model (+80)
Project Manager (+10)
Systems Analyst (+10)
Account Manager (+10)
Perplexity is seeking a Sales Leader to build and scale our enterprise BDR organization. In this second-line leadership role, you will inherit a team of Business Development Representatives, hire, coach, and lead BDR managers, equipping them to build high-performing teams that generate qualified pipeline for our Account Executives.
This role is ideal for a creative, agile sales development leader who knows how to scale through managers without losing touch with buyers or frontline execution. In the near term you are expected to be hands on with BDRs and in the weeds. You will set the strategy, develop the team, and build an org that is adaptable to keep pace with the company quickly evolving.
We are looking for someone who brings original ideas, moves rapidly from insight to execution, and knows when to scale, adapt, or stop an approach. You will build what works for Perplexity, not simply import a playbook from your last company.
Responsibilities
Hire, onboard, and develop BDRs and BDR managers, establishing clear expectations for team performance, coaching quality, hiring, and talent development
Own the organization's contribution to sourced pipeline and qualified opportunities, holding managers accountable for pipeline quality and conversion, not activity volume alone
Set the sales development strategy across inbound and outbound motions, partnering with Sales leadership on coverage, capacity planning, account prioritization, and resource allocation
Build a culture of creative experimentation across targeting, vertical messaging, channels, campaigns, and AI-native workflows; give managers room to test ideas, measure results, and scale what works
Lead with agility as products, buyer behavior, and business priorities evolve, translating new information into clear decisions and fast execution without creating unnecessary process
Coach managers to build vertical fluency and product expertise on their teams so BDRs can engage credible buyers and connect the right Perplexity offering to each account
Establish the management operating rhythm: manager 1:1s, pipeline and conversion reviews, coaching calibration, talent reviews, and a consistent performance scoreboard across teams
Partner with Sales, Marketing, RevOps, and Strategic Finance on campaign strategy, lead quality, routing, handoff standards, source attribution, headcount planning, and compensation design
Stay close to calls, messaging, and buyer feedback to identify patterns and remove systemic blockers while empowering managers to own day-to-day execution
Build a strong leadership bench and internal talent pipeline, developing BDRs into future Account Executives and high-performing managers into broader leadership roles
Qualifications
8+ years in SaaS sales or business development, including 3+ years in sales development leadership
Proven track record of building or scaling a multi-team pipeline generation organization in a high-growth environment, with measurable improvements in qualified pipeline, conversion, and productivity
Demonstrated ability to hire, coach, and develop managers, build accountability through leaders, and improve performance without becoming the team's day-to-day manager
Creative approach to pipeline generation, with examples of original campaigns, messaging, channels, or workflows you tested and translated into repeatable results
Demonstrated agility in ambiguous, fast-changing environments; able to make sound decisions with incomplete information, learn quickly, and change course when evidence warrants it
Strong commercial judgment and experience aligning sales development priorities with enterprise sales cycles, buyer needs, and revenue goals; prior closing experience strongly preferred
Data-driven operating style with experience in funnel analysis, capacity planning, forecasting pipeline contribution, and distinguishing meaningful outcomes from vanity metrics
Hands-on experience with modern prospecting tools, AI-native sales workflows, and CRM systems such as Salesforce, with a clear point of view on where automation improves execution and where human judgment matters
Exceptional written and verbal communication; able to align senior cross-functional stakeholders and translate strategy into clear priorities for managers and their teams
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
What did you think of this job?
Loading comments...
About Project Manager
The Project Manager is the professional responsible for planning, executing, and controlling projects end-to-end, ensuring they are delivered on time, within budget, and with the expected quality. With the growing complexity of businesses, project management professionals are fundamental to organizational success.
Key skills include planning and scheduling, scope, cost, risk, quality, and resource management, stakeholder communication, cross-functional team leadership, and use of agile and traditional methodologies. Certifications like PMP, PRINCE2, and Six Sigma are important differentiators.
Project Managers in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban), tools like Jira and MS Project, and can deliver complex projects efficiently. The field offers opportunities from project analyst to head of PMO, with a focus on execution, governance, and business value.
About Systems Analyst
The Systems Analyst is the professional responsible for analyzing, designing, and implementing technology solutions that meet business needs. They act as a bridge between business areas and the development team, ensuring that systems deliver real value to the organization.
Key skills include requirements gathering and analysis, process modeling (BPMN), data modeling, technical and functional documentation, system integration (APIs, microservices), and knowledge of ERPs and CRMs. Tools like Jira, Confluence, Visio, and project management platforms are essential.
Systems Analysts in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master agile requirements analysis (user stories, backlog), system integration, and solution architecture. The field offers opportunities from junior analyst to solution architect, with a focus on efficiency, quality, and technological innovation.
About Account Manager
The Account Manager is the professional responsible for managing and expanding the relationship with clients after the sale. They act as a strategic partner, ensuring satisfaction, retention, and account growth, connecting client needs with company solutions.
Key skills include relationship management, negotiation, upsell and cross-sell, contract renewal, account planning, business reviews, metrics analysis (NPS, churn, LTV), and CRM knowledge (Salesforce, HubSpot). Communication, empathy, and business vision are fundamental differentiators.
Account Managers in technology and SaaS companies are highly valued, especially those who can increase recurring revenue (MRR/ARR) through account expansion and churn prevention. The field offers opportunities from account executive to director of accounts, with a focus on strategic relationship, revenue growth, and customer success.
About Product Manager
The Product Manager (PM) is the professional responsible for defining the strategy, vision, and roadmap of a digital product. They work at the intersection of technology, business, and user experience (UX), leading the discovery and delivery of solutions that solve real problems in a viable way for the company.
Key skills include product discovery, data and metrics analysis (AARRR, NPS, LTV), user research, go-to-market strategy, roadmapping, strategic prioritization, and leadership by influence. Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Hotjar, Jira, and Notion are fundamental.
Product Managers play a central role in the growth of startups, scale-ups, and large technology companies, with career progression opportunities to Product Leader, Head of Product, and Chief Product Officer (CPO).
About Public Relations
The Public Relations (PR) area focuses on managing the reputation, image, and communication of an organization with its various stakeholders (such as clients, investors, employees, media, and the community). PR professionals develop corporate communication strategies, manage media relations (press relations), organize institutional events, and work in image crisis prevention and management.
About Advertising
The Advertising area is aimed at the planning, creation, and delivery of communication campaigns to promote brands, products, ideas, or services. Professionals in the sector work in advertising agencies or in-house marketing departments in creative fields (art direction, copywriting), strategic planning, account management, and media buying.
Discover Other Areas
Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.
About Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence (BI) is the area responsible for transforming raw data into strategic information for decision-making. BI professionals build dashboards, reports, and analyses that help companies understand their performance and identify growth opportunities.
Key skills include data modeling (star schema, snowflake), ETL (extraction, transformation, loading), advanced SQL, BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker), data warehousing, KPIs, and business metrics analysis (MRR, churn, cohort). Knowledge of dbt, Airflow, and data pipelines is a differentiator.
BI professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master data visualization, analytics engineering, and can translate complex data into actionable insights for the business. The field offers opportunities from BI analyst to head of data, with a focus on data-driven decision making.
About Infrastructure and DevOps
Infrastructure and DevOps are responsible for creating, maintaining, and optimizing IT environments that support applications at scale. This area is fundamental for system reliability and performance.
Key technologies include AWS, GCP, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins), and monitoring (Datadog, Grafana, Prometheus).
DevOps engineers and SREs are highly sought-after professionals, with salaries among the highest in the technology sector.
About IT Governance
IT Governance is the area responsible for ensuring that information technology resources are used strategically, efficiently, and in compliance with standards and regulations. IT governance professionals ensure that technology supports business objectives in a secure and reliable manner.
Key skills include IT service management (ITIL), IT audit and compliance, risk management, business continuity, disaster recovery, metrics and indicators (SLAs, KPIs), and strategic alignment between IT and business. Frameworks like COBIT, ITIL, ISO 27001, and compliance standards are essential.
IT Governance professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master ITSM, IT audit, and risk management. The field offers opportunities from governance analyst to CIO/CTO, with a focus on efficiency, compliance, security, and business value.
About Web3
The Web3 area represents the new phase of the decentralized internet, built on blockchain technology. Web3 professionals create decentralized applications (dApps), interact with smart contracts, manage digital assets (cryptocurrencies and NFTs), and utilize DeFi (Decentralized Finance) protocols, revolutionizing how data, ownership, and finance are managed online.
About Customer Success
Customer Success is the area responsible for ensuring clients achieve their goals when using the product or service. It is a strategic function for retention, expansion, and customer satisfaction.
Key skills include account management, churn analysis, NPS, onboarding, upsell, and cross-sell. Knowledge of CS tools like Gainsight, Totango, and ChurnZero is a differentiator.
CS is becoming increasingly strategic in SaaS companies, with professionals directly contributing to recurring revenue growth (MRR/ARR).
Comments 0