Sales Operations Manager, Direct Sales

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Sales Operations Manager, Direct Sales based in the United States.

This is a manager-level individual contributor role focused on making a Direct Sales organization more efficient, predictable, and scalable.

You will partner closely with Sales leadership and cross-functional teams to strengthen pipeline management, forecasting, processes, and seller productivity.

The role combines analytical problem-solving with hands-on operational leadership, rather than serving as a reporting-only function.

You will diagnose friction, challenge assumptions, translate data into practical recommendations, and lead improvements from concept through adoption.

Automation and AI will be central to identifying smarter ways to reduce manual work, improve data quality, and surface risks earlier.

Success will be measured through stronger forecast confidence, healthier pipelines, better tool adoption, and greater seller efficiency.

This is an ideal opportunity for an ownership-minded operator who thrives in a remote, fast-moving environment and wants to create measurable business impact.

Accountabilities

• Own pipeline health, stage integrity, inspection frameworks, and forecasting practices across the Direct Sales organization.
• Partner with Sales leadership and frontline managers on weekly forecasting, pressure-testing assumptions using deal progression, aging, close-date movement, next steps, source quality, ICP fit, and historical conversion.
• Diagnose forecast and pipeline risks, identify root causes, and recommend practical actions related to process, coverage, deal quality, seller behavior, or market conditions.
• Audit and improve lead and opportunity workflows, CRM hygiene, sales stages, handoffs, and operating processes to increase efficiency and accountability.
• Establish scalable pipeline inspection and forecasting cadences that empower managers to own follow-up and performance accountability.
• Analyze sales cycle, conversion, win rates, velocity, source performance, deal quality, and performance trends across segments, territories, representatives, and cohorts.
• Translate complex analysis into clear recommendations, executive-ready narratives, and actionable insights for Sales and cross-functional leadership.
• Identify and implement automation and AI-enabled workflows that reduce administrative work, improve data quality, and accelerate decision-making.
• Explore use cases including CRM updates, call and note summarization, pipeline risk detection, qualification validation, account prioritization, manager inspection summaries, forecast reporting, and seller preparation.
• Partner with Business Systems, Analytics, and Enablement to define requirements, test solutions, support launches, and track adoption.
• Design and improve territory and account assignment models, partnering with Sales leadership, Finance, Analytics, and SDR Operations on quota, capacity, and coverage planning.
• Evaluate account potential, whitespace, ICP fit, historical performance, pipeline coverage, rep capacity, and segment dynamics to support planning decisions.
• Build feedback loops with Marketing, SDR Operations, Partners, Product, Enablement, and Customer Success based on funnel performance and field insights.
• Drive measurable improvements in seller efficiency, sales-cycle visibility, pipeline quality, tool adoption, and forecast accuracy.
• Serve as a trusted operating partner to Sales leadership, bringing clarity, urgency, sound judgment, and practical solutions to complex business challenges.

Requirements

• Proven experience in Sales Operations, Revenue Operations, or a closely related operational role, with a track record of building scalable processes and driving measurable business impact.
• Strong understanding of Direct Sales motions, including lead management, opportunity management, pipeline generation, forecasting, sales stages, handoffs, and performance management.
• Demonstrated ability to act as a consultative partner to Sales leadership by diagnosing business problems, challenging assumptions, and translating analysis into decisions and action.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with experience interpreting funnel performance, conversion rates, sales velocity, win rates, pipeline quality, and forecast trends.
• Experience with CRM systems and sales technology, particularly Salesforce or comparable platforms, and the ability to translate business requirements into practical system improvements.
• Experience partnering with Business Systems, Enablement, Analytics, Finance, Marketing, SDR Operations, or other cross-functional teams to implement operational changes.
• Understanding of territory design, quota setting, capacity planning, account coverage, and scenario modeling is valuable.
• Experience using automation, AI, or workflow technologies to improve seller productivity, data quality, or operational decision-making is highly relevant.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to create concise executive narratives and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Highly organized, accountable, and comfortable managing ambiguity, changing priorities, and multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Self-starter with an owner’s mindset who focuses on outcomes rather than activity and is willing to surface problems early with clear recommendations.
• Collaborative approach and strong stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence without relying on formal authority.
• Comfortable working in a distributed, remote-first environment and collaborating effectively across teams and time zones.

Benefits

• Compensation: $135,000-$150,000 USD in annual on-target earnings, including base salary and variable incentive compensation tied to performance.
• Equity: Incentive stock options.
• Healthcare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Retirement: 401(k) matching.
• Time off: Flexible paid time off plus volunteer time off.
• Professional development: Dedicated annual time off and resources for learning, career development, and professional growth.
• Employee Resource Groups supporting an inclusive and connected workplace.
• Remote-first flexibility: Position can be based anywhere in the United States.
• Travel: Up to approximately 15 days of travel per year, including company meetings and necessary team travel.
• AI learning: Hands-on exposure and training in practical AI tools, with clear guidelines for responsible experimentation.
• Inclusive culture: A welcoming environment that values diverse perspectives, collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement.