Sr Manager, Sales Development or Business Development

About the Role

This is a founding leadership hire on a fast-growing AI startup transforming the insurance industry, backed by top-tier venture investors. Reporting to the SVP of Sales, this Manager of Enterprise GTM will own and scale an outbound business development function from day one, leading a team of five to six enterprise SDRs and BDRs with a clear path to Director as headcount and structure grow. The role exists because the company is at an inflection point where pipeline generation needs both sharper process and a people-first leader who can build for scale, not just maintain what is already there.

The ideal candidate is someone who has grown inside companies rather than hopped between them, who has hired and built a BDR or SDR team rather than simply inherited one, and who is equally comfortable coaching a rep through objection handling and sitting across the table from a C-level executive at a major insurance carrier. Startup scrappiness is non-negotiable here; candidates coming exclusively from large-enterprise environments without high-growth, early-stage experience will not be a fit. This person is a true player-coach who leads through the team, develops talent intentionally, and has the receipts to prove it.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead and develop a team of five to six enterprise SDRs and BDRs, with near-term plans to scale headcount and eventually manage two sub-team managers
2. Sharpen existing playbooks, messaging, and sequences while building out cadences, tooling, and ramp plans that accelerate pipeline generation
3. Coach reps on prospecting into C-level executives at large insurance companies, covering account mapping, outbound messaging, and objection handling
4. Own team pipeline targets and performance management, diagnosing conversion gaps and driving consistent, measurable improvement
5. Partner closely with Account Executives and Marketing to align on GTM strategy, ensure clean handoffs, and maintain strong feedback loops
6. Recruit and hire additional BDR and SDR talent as the team scales, drawing on your experience building teams from the ground up
7. Represent the team and function credibly in front of executive-level prospects and internal senior stakeholders alike

Required Skills & Experience

• 7 to 10 years of total experience in sales development or business development, with a focus on enterprise or strategic accounts
• 2 or more years managing an enterprise SDR or BDR team, with direct experience hiring and building that team (not inheriting it)
• Consistent career progression with demonstrated promotions within companies; a pattern of short stints with no clear upward trajectory is a disqualifying factor
• Proven track record as both a player and a coach, with teams that have hit quota and reps that have grown under your leadership
• Polished, executive-ready presence, comfortable and confident in front of C-suite buyers at large enterprises
• Experience in high-growth startups or scale-ups, Series A through C; some larger-company experience is fine but a purely big-company background is not
• Based in or willing to be in-office five days per week in San Francisco (Financial District) or Manhattan, New York
• Proficiency with Salesforce and Amplemarket or comparable sales engagement tooling

Preferred Skills

• Has scaled a BDR or SDR function beyond its starting size, expanding headcount and moving into new enterprise segments or regions
• Familiarity with the insurance industry or financial services verticals
• Experience managing or mentoring other team leads or junior managers
• Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving startup environments where process is still being built