Director, Sales Development (Upmarket)

At Vanta, our mission is to help businesses earn and prove trust. We believe that security should be monitored and verified continuously, and we empower companies to practice better security and prove it with ease. Vanta has a kind and talented team, and while some have prior security experience, many have been successful at Vanta without it. This role requires an in-office hybrid schedule, with 3 days per week in the SF or NY office with preference for NY. We are seeking an experienced Director of Sales Development (Upmarket) to drive pipeline generation and new business acquisition across our Commercial, Enterprise and Strategic segments . This leader will be responsible for a significant portion of our quarterly new business. You’ll lead, develop, and scale a team of 3 Front Line Managers and over ~30 Sales Development Reps, consistently meeting monthly, quarterly, and annual revenue targets. In this role, you’ll have a direct impact on near term outcomes at a high-growth company, while influencing how we build and support our customers' future success.

Responsibilities

• Build sales development organizations from the ground up: creating playbooks, processes, and outbound motions rather than only inheriting and running existing ones

• Define and communicate a clear vision for the SDR organization, developing multi-year outbound and pipeline generation strategy aligned to GTM objectives, and evolving the motion as the market shifts

• Design, document, and operationalize repeatable sales development playbooks; continuously test, measure, and iterate on messaging, sequencing, territories, and workflows

• Build AI-powered workflows that automate research, prioritization, outreach, coaching, and administrative work, leveraging tools like Nooks, Clay, 6sense, Gong, Outreach, or similar, and thinking in terms of agent orchestration rather than just adding headcount

• Own ongoing hiring, mentoring, and development of SDR Managers and SDRs, including recruiting, hiring, and training new members, and creating clear career paths into AE and leadership roles

• Deliver against a series of monthly and quarterly revenue and pipeline generation goals, driving activity, pipeline, weekly forecasts, and closed deals to ensure quota attainment

• Regularly report on team and individual results through pipeline management, forecasting, and strategic initiative reporting

• Partner with senior sales management, marketing, RevOps, product marketing, and enablement to build and align teams around a unified GTM and pipeline generation strategy

• Lead the org through transformation: scaling teams through periods of rapid growth, reorganization, or market change, and creating clarity amid ambiguity

How to be successful in this role: • Proven, repeated track record as a builder: building organizations rather than inheriting them, creating playbooks from scratch, introducing new technology and AI into workflows, and scaling from one stage of growth to the next

• Deep understanding of AI-first sales motions and how to apply them to improve efficiency and pipeline generation

• Deep expertise in outbound prospecting strategy, account-based motions, intent data, buying signals, and multi-threading; obsesses over pipeline quality, not just activity metrics

• Rigorous command of the key metrics of the business; uses data to diagnose issues, prioritize investments, forecast outcomes, and build business cases that influence executive stakeholders

• Excellence in forecasting accuracy

• Master of the prospecting process in high velocity orgs (deal cycles less than 6 months)

• Mastery of coaching to value-based selling methodology (such as Command of the Message)

• Strong executive presence: confidently communicates strategy, performance, recommendations, and investment plans to senior leadership, and influences without authority while building trust across the org

• A high bar for inspection, evolution, and execution in the business

• Understands buyer personas, market dynamics, and competitive positioning, and ensures SDR messaging evolves with customer needs and GTM priorities

• Succinct, concise, and compelling written and verbal communication; drives clarity through periods of change

• Impeccable cross-functional partnerships

• Strong eye for talent, both in hiring and in advancing the careers of Vantans

• Independent operator, capable of leading a team in a rapidly changing hyper growth environment

What you can expect as a Vantan: • Industry-competitive compensation

• 100% covered medical, dental, and vision benefits with dependents coverage

• 16 weeks fully-paid parental Leave for all new parents

• Health & wellness and remote workplace stipends

• Family planning benefits through Carrot Fertility

• 401(k) matching

• Flexible work hours and location

• Open PTO policy

• 11 paid holidays in the US

• Offices in SF, NYC, London Dublin, and Sydney

At Vanta, we are committed to hiring diverse talent of different backgrounds and as such, it is important to us to provide an inclusive work environment for all. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender identity, age, religion, sexual orientation, veteran or disability status, or any other protected class. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage and welcome people of all backgrounds to apply. About Vanta We started in 2018, in the wake of several high-profile data breaches. Online security was only becoming more important, but we knew firsthand how hard it could be for fast-growing companies to invest the time and manpower it takes to build a solid security foundation. Vanta was inspired by a vision to restore trust in internet businesses by enabling companies to improve and prove their security. From our early days automating security monitoring for compliance standards like SOC 2, HIPAA and ISO 27001 to creating the world's leading Trust Management Platform, our vision remains unchanged. Now more than ever, making security continuous—not just a point-in-time check— is essential. Thousands of companies rely on Vanta to build, maintain and demonstrate their trust— all in a way that's real-time and transparent. Referral Instructions If you are being referred for the role, please contact that person to apply on your behalf.