Senior Manager, Sales Development

Position Overview: 

The Senior Manager, Sales Development (EMEA) leads the EMEA BDR function from Galway (Hybrid), overseeing a team primarily based in Galway with a remote DACH BDR team. This leader directly manages a blended frontline structure of BDR Managers (one based in DACH) and Team Leads with an opportunity to also directly manage 1–2 tenured BDR individual contributors to stay close to the front line. The team’s mission is to generate high-quality Initial Meetings (IMs) from true cold outbound—phone, email, and social—to net-new prospects, while Account Executives (AEs) own opportunity creation and close. They have personally excelled at outbound earlier in their career and still actively prospects to model excellence and coach with credibility, building a consistent, predictable flow of AE-accepted IMs that convert to pipeline and revenue. 

Key Responsibilities

• Execute in line with the EMEA go to market plays, including outbound strategy and execution (ICP, target account lists, channel mix, messaging, sequencing) to consistently deliver high-quality, AE-accepted Initial Meetings from net-new accounts.
• “Roll up sleeves” to prospect & model behaviour across priority accounts to test messaging, demonstrate best practices, and translate live learning into coaching and playbooks.
• Directly lead a blended team of leaders and ICs: coach and develop BDR Managers, the Team Leader, and (as needed) tenured BDRs; set clear scorecards, operating rhythms, and career paths for each layer.
• Define and enforce clear IM acceptance criteria with Sales so AEs can reliably convert IMs into opportunities (AE-owned creation and close).
• Ensure airtight handoff excellence: pre-IM prep, context-rich notes, next steps, and impeccable CRM hygiene to support AE ownership and velocity.
• Run a continuous experimentation program (A/B tests across subject lines, openers, cadences, channels, value props) and operationalise winners into scalable EMEA playbooks.
• Establish a high-performance coaching rhythm: weekly 1:1s, live call coaching, message reviews, qualification and certifications (e.g., BANT/MEDDICC/Challenger) tied to measurable outcomes.
• Align tightly with AEs on account plans, multi-threading strategies, ICP, commercial plays, triggers, and priority segments to maximize IM quality and downstream conversion.
• Partner with Marketing and RevOps on data quality, lists, intent/signals, territories, and dashboards that enable effective outbound across EMEA.
• Partner with Product Marketing and Enablement to ensure teams elevate understanding and effectiveness of new business outreach across key commercial plays in target accounts and personas.
• Lead a distributed team—majority in Galway plus remote German BDRs and a DACH-based manager—with clear operating rhythms, time-zone-aware coverage, and periodic in-person sessions.
• Maintain transparent reporting on IM coverage, quality, and risks; course-correct quickly with data-backed actions and crisp communications. 

Required Experience/Skills 

• 6–10+ years in B2B SaaS top-of-funnel roles (BDR/SDR/AE), including 2–4+ years leading BDR or Outbound Sales teams, with a track record of generating high-quality IMs from cold outbound. 
• Demonstrated personal excellence in outbound prospecting (phone, email, social, video) and the ability to still execute at a high level. 
• Proven MEDDPIC & AI skills to teach and coach best practice across the EMEA team and elevate front line manager coaching 
• Mastery of outbound systems: ICP definition, list strategy, sequencing, objection handling, multi-threading, and qualification that earns AE acceptance. 
• Coaching-first leadership with a bias to action—diagnose, demonstrate, drill, and reinforce—while maintaining a high-performance bar. 
• Metrics fluency across the top of funnel (coverage, connect/reply rates, held rate, AE acceptance, IM-to-opportunity conversion) and the ability to translate it into daily actions. 
• Proficiency with modern GTM stacks (CRM, sales engagement, data/intent, conversation intelligence, enablement) and impeccable CRM discipline. 
• Experience leading distributed teams across EMEA. 

How we’ll measure success

• Outbound Initial Meetings booked, held, and AE-accepted (monthly) against goal. 
• Show rate, connect/reply rates, and IM quality as defined by acceptance criteria. 
• IM-to-opportunity conversion (AE-owned opportunity creation; BDR quality and handoff accountability). 
• Target-account coverage, contact penetration, and engagement momentum across EMEA. 
• Handoff SLAs, data quality, and forecast predictability for IMs. 
• BDR ramp time, retention, attainment, and adoption of playbooks/tools; manager and team leader development and bench strength. 

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