Manager, Sales Development Representative at Penguin Solutions

Job description

At Penguin Solutions (Nasdaq: PENG) – The AI Factory Platform Company – we’re building a team of innovators who thrive on collaboration, creativity, and the opportunity to help shape the future of AI. As part of the AI technology revolution, our teams design, build, deploy, and manage AI factories for enterprises, sovereign AI initiatives, and neocloud providers worldwide. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, Penguin Solutions operates globally through a network of R&D, manufacturing, and sales locations. For nearly three decades, we have operated at the intersection of memory and AI/HPC infrastructure. That engineering expertise positions us to power the next generation of AI workloads, from training to inference and agentic AI at scale. Penguin Solutions brings together differentiated infrastructure software, advanced memory, compute systems, end-to-end services, and industry-leading partner solutions in a full-stack AI factory platform designed to help customers deploy and scale AI workloads with speed and precision. At Penguin Solutions, we value ideas over hierarchy and believe in servant leadership, where leaders enable teams to do their best work. We empower employees to take ownership, drive innovation, and grow through challenging work, continuous learning, and exposure to advanced AI tools and technologies. With flexibility where it matters and a strong focus on outcomes, Penguin Solutions is a place to do your best work, grow your career, and make a meaningful impact. Job Overview We are looking for a high-energy, results-oriented, and hands-on Manager, Sales Development Representative (SDR) to build, scale, and lead a team of high-performing SDRs. This leader will establish the team, processes, and operating cadence required to translate Penguin’s AI Factory Platform positioning into high-quality conversations with enterprise and technical buying teams. The SDR Manager will lead by example in creating qualified pipeline for Penguin’s AI data center memory and infrastructure business. This role is ideal for a proven leader who can build a scalable growth engine and develop the next generation of sales talent at Penguin Solutions. Responsibilities • Team Leadership & Development: Recruit, train, and coach a team of SDRs committed to customer success, delivering results, and continuous learning and improvement. • Strategy & Execution: Design and execute multi-channel prospecting strategies to achieve pipeline goals across target segments while serving as an active player-coach. • Performance Management: Set and manage individual and team goals, track performance against key metrics and conversion rates, and provide regular coaching and feedback. • Process Optimization: Refine account- and persona-based prospecting, lead qualification criteria, and sales handoffs to ensure alignment with Account Executives and quality pipeline generation. • Marketing & Sales Alignment: Collaborate closely with Marketing and Sales leadership to ensure strategic alignment on campaigns, target accounts, messaging, and overall go-to-market strategy. • Reporting & Analytics: Report on SDR team performance, pipeline development, and market insights to Sales and Marketing leadership, using data to inform strategies and pursuits. • Enablement & Training: Manage and optimize SDR tools and processes, including CRM, ABM/intent platforms, outbound activity reviews, and account planning sessions, to maximize effectiveness. Qualifications • Experience: 5+ years of B2B technology sales, sales development, business development, inside sales, or related experience, including 2+ years managing SDRs or similar frontline sales teams. • Knowledge: Demonstrated success prospecting or selling into enterprise technology markets; familiarity with data center AI infrastructure and memory solutions is strongly preferred. • Coaching: Proven ability to develop and mentor an SDR team in achieving and exceeding goals with a player-coach style that values transparency, accountability, and recognition. • Mindset: Data-driven strategic thinker who can build and execute a plan, adapt to a fast-paced market, and drive lead conversion, opportunity quality, and pipeline generation. • Communication: Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and executive-presence skills, with the ability to collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Solutions Architects, Operations, and senior executives. • Tech-Savvy: Hands-on proficiency with Salesforce, sales engagement and intelligence tools, and customer ABM/intent technology and platforms. Location This is a hybrid role in Durham, North Carolina. The hybrid schedule is 3x per week onsite. Travel Travel requirements to be determined based on business needs. Compensation & Benefits The base pay range that the Company reasonably expects to pay for this position in the United States is $108,000 - $136,000; the pay ultimately offered may vary based on business considerations, including job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and education. The position is bonus-eligible, and there are medical, dental, and vision benefits available. There is a 401k saving plan and other benefits, such as Paid Time Off, Life Insurance, and an Employee Assistance Plan. Inclusion & Belonging Statement We are committed to creating an inclusive environment that embraces differences and fosters belonging for all. Equal Opportunity Statement We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly committed to all policies which will afford equal opportunity employment to all qualified persons without regard to age, national origin, race, ethnicity, creed, gender, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Requirements

Must-haves

Job Overview
Team Leadership & Development: Recruit, train, and coach a team of SDRs committed to customer success, delivering results, and continuous learning and improvement.
Strategy & Execution: Design and execute multi-channel prospecting strategies to achieve pipeline goals across target segments while serving as an active player-coach.
Performance Management: Set and manage individual and team goals, track performance against key metrics and conversion rates, and provide regular coaching and feedback.
Process Optimization: Refine account- and persona-based prospecting, lead qualification criteria, and sales handoffs to ensure alignment with Account Executives and quality pipeline generation.
Marketing & Sales Alignment: Collaborate closely with Marketing and Sales leadership to ensure strategic alignment on campaigns, target accounts, messaging, and overall go-to-market strategy.
Reporting & Analytics: Report on SDR team performance, pipeline development, and market insights to Sales and Marketing leadership, using data to inform strategies and pursuits.
Enablement & Training: Manage and optimize SDR tools and processes, including CRM, ABM/intent platforms, outbound activity reviews, and account planning sessions, to maximize effectiveness.
Experience: 5+ years of B2B technology sales, sales development, business development, inside sales, or related experience, including 2+ years managing SDRs or similar frontline sales teams.
Coaching: Proven ability to develop and mentor an SDR team in achieving and exceeding goals with a player-coach style that values transparency, accountability, and recognition.
Mindset: Data-driven strategic thinker who can build and execute a plan, adapt to a fast-paced market, and drive lead conversion, opportunity quality, and pipeline generation.
Communication: Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and executive-presence skills, with the ability to collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Solutions Architects, Operations, and senior executives.
Tech-Savvy: Hands-on proficiency with Salesforce, sales engagement and intelligence tools, and customer ABM/intent technology and platforms.
This is a hybrid role in Durham, North Carolina. The hybrid schedule is 3x per week onsite.
Travel requirements to be determined based on business needs.

Nice-to-haves

Knowledge: Demonstrated success prospecting or selling into enterprise technology markets; familiarity with data center AI infrastructure and memory solutions is strongly preferred.

Application prep

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Keywords to mirror

aigo

Platform: successfactors
Effort: medium

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

Vision

401k

Paid Time Off