Manager, Sales Development (1 year FTC)

Role Summary

The Sales Development Manager is responsible for, but may not be limited to, the management of all of Sophos’ UK based Sales Development Representatives. This comprisesa team of 8 SDRs across the EMEA region.

Key to this role is the ability to develop new salesskills and thinking across the team, oversee change programmesand build strong partnerships with other leaders in Sales, Marketing, Operations Team and the wider global SDR community.

It will also require assistingthe SDRDirector indriving innovation, bringinga new strategic focus to the function and increasingthe quality and productivity of the work performed by the wider EMEA SDR Team. As part of this, support for SDRs outside of the UK will be required.

The aim of this role is to build and manage a team of highly adaptable, energisedand productive SDRs, capable of consistently delivering a high volume of quality sales opportunities for the Sophos Sales teams and its Channel Partners to successfully progress to order. It is also to increase the levels of communication with senior stakeholders and, through working with them, create new synergies, stronger working practices, and new levels of value for those on both the Sales and Marketing sides of the SDR team.

They must also take responsibility for integrating the team into the wider Sales & Marketing communities, increasing collaboration across the EMEA SDR function, and delivering continued improvement at both a team and individual level. Within this, their skills and experienceas a coach or mentor will be essential.

With ambitious plans to innovate and redefine how the EMEA SDR team is seen, performs and defines its success. The job holder must be unafraid of change, able to build a collective purpose,and passionately believe in the importance of Sales Development as a key driver of business growth.

The role requires office attendance in Manchester (3 fixed days per week; Monday, Wednesdayand Thursday).

What will you do:

• Team Management: Is accountable for the performance and results of the team. Monitors, tracks and reports on KPIs. Performs regular team meetings and 1-1s. Promotes success, but also addresses underperformance. Uses all of this, in combination, to ensure team targets are hit.

• Team Development: Sets performance standards and, within wider (EMEA) context, targets for team. Develops new skills and awareness, unlocks potential, enables progression and delivers, as part of a wider coaching culture, regular coaching sessions.

• Peer Engagement: Engages positively with other Sales and Marketing leaders. Invites their feedback and shapes their thinking to improve the performance and financial contribution of the SDR team. Presents regular performance updates, new ideas and future plans as part of the Sales and Marketing Management meeting cycles. Able to learn from, raise debate with and positively influence the way this group views and works with the SDR team.

• Sales Methods and Mindset: Builds a sales mentality and methodology throughout. Readies team members for Sales roles. Works with enablement team to design and deliver training programmes that are fit for a modern, progressive and future facing SDR team.

• Maintains Motivation: Sustains energy and purpose across the team through positive leadership, spotting and celebrating good performance, setting meaningful goals, maintaining a strong supportive presence, and providing attractive incentives/SPIFFs.

• Collaborates: Works in tandem with the EMEA SDR Manager to enable and create more time for strategic development of the SDR function. Forms partnerships with colleagues in Marketing and Sales to ensure campaigns are successful (ROI targets are hit), hand offs are seamless (Sales Acceptance Rates are high), and the UKIN SDR team is helping drive revenue growth (high Closed Won rates are sustained). Builds close and productive working relationships with others across the Global SDR Leadership team. Communicates frequently with own team and establishes a strong team ethos across the group.

• Enable Innovation: To achieve higher standards, new levels of success and greater collaboration, is willing to experiment, benchmark and take risks. Is unafraid to break with traditional models of acting and thinking. Regularly creates, shares and, after getting buy in, implements own ideas for improvement.

• Selection and Onboarding: Successfully recruits high calibre and high potential candidates. Designs and arranges extended induction programmes that enable new recruits to add value from early in their Sophos careers.

• Inspire Success: Leads from the front, brings energy, maintains credibility, ensures professionalism and gets people to see new possibilities.

What will you bring:

• Has had or has a strong desire to perform a Management role.
• 3+ Years experience within a sales environment.
• Successful track record in delivering targets.
• Has collaborated with, influenced and achieved productive working relationships with Senior Stakeholders.
• Defined, measured, interpreted and presented performance goals.
• Has successfully overseen change projects.
• Has used coaching to drive positive change and realise potential in others.
• Used to managing mixed priorities and activities.
• Lead, create purpose, maintain motivation.
• Manage/maximise performance and results.
• Collaboration.
• Recruit, develop and retain talent.
• Communication - individual, team and stakeholder.
• Emotional intelligence.
• Uses data to inform decision making.
• Prioritise, delegate and empower.
• Adapt, innovate, create.
• Define and raise standards of performance.