# Head of Sales Development

**Company:** [Exa](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/exa)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA, New York, NY
**Role:** Sales Development
**Salary:** $210k – $300k/yr
**Experience:** 7+ years
**Skills:** Outreach, Gong, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, 6Sense, ZoomInfo, Salesforce, Salesforce CRM, Pipeline Forecasting, Multichannel Outbound, Ai Tools For Prospecting
**Posted:** 2026-05-20

> Build and lead a high-performing SDR organization from scratch, owning global sales development strategy, pipeline generation, team development, and data-driven operations to support rapid company growth.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Own Exa's global Sales Development strategy and operating model, including outbound and inbound motions, capacity planning, segmentation, and coverage to support company revenue goals.
- Build, scale, and lead a high-performing SDR organization. Set the bar for talent, leadership expectations, and long-term succession planning.
- Establish a data-driven growth engine using performance analytics and continuous optimization to improve pipeline quality, conversion rates, and efficiency.
- Create and sustain a culture of excellence, accountability, and operational rigor. Align performance management, coaching frameworks, and standards across the team.
- Design compensation, incentive, and recognition programs that drive consistent over-performance while aligning SDR behavior to revenue and pipeline priorities.
- Develop future revenue leaders by implementing career paths, readiness frameworks, and promotion criteria.
- Handle SDR performance reporting and forecasting. Define KPIs, SLAs, and dashboards that give executive leadership clear visibility and inform strategic decisions.
- Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, RevOps, and Sales Leadership to align demand generation, territory strategy, tooling, and process improvements.

## Requirements
- 7+ years of sales / SDR leadership experience in a high-growth technology company.
- Located in the San Francisco Bay Area and willing to commute to the office a minimum of 2x per week.
- Deep understanding of modern SDR processes and tools such as Outreach, Gong, LinkedIn Sales Nav, 6sense, and Zoominfo.
- Experience executing an outbound multichannel strategy.
- Consistent track record of exceeding quota while both leading a team and as an individual contributor.
- Strong analytical experience with managing pipeline goals and forecasting.
- Builder mindset with experience starting or rebuilding an SDR org from scratch.
- Outbound operator experienced in personally running multichannel outbound at the message level.
- Data-driven with experience forecasting pipeline, modeling capacity, and using metrics to manage performance.
- Talent magnet who has developed SDRs into AEs and managers into directors.
- AI-native with experience integrating AI into outbound workflows, prospecting, and rep enablement.
- Comfortable with ambiguity and building from zero. High grit and hunger.

## Nice-to-Haves
- Experience advocating for a product and caring deeply about building perfect search.

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