Cognex

Director of Global Sales Development & Technology

Cognex$160K — $210K *
Enterprise Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 12+ years in Marketing/Revenue Operations or Inside Sales with leadership experience in $1B+ B2B tech companies
  • Proven experience managing global SDE/SDR teams of 15+ reps
  • Deep expertise in sales development tools like Outreach, Salesloft, and Gong
  • Success in defining metrics-driven partnerships with Sales and Demand Generation
  • Expert-level analytical skills in Power BI or similar BI tools

Responsibilities

  • Lead, mentor, and scale the global Sales Development Engineer (SDE) team
  • Collaborate closely with Sales leadership to align outbound strategy with marketing intent
  • Orchestrate Account-Based Marketing (ABM) campaigns with SDE outreach
  • Shift the team's approach from inbound response to an account-centric framework
  • Own and optimize the SDE technology stack, ensuring effective process integration
  • Drive AI and automation strategies to enhance outbound workflows
  • Develop cross-functional dashboards to measure SDE productivity and campaign ROI

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) retirement plan with company matching
  • Employer-paid disability and family leave
  • Life insurance coverage
  • Paid time off including holidays
  • Wellness and recognition programs
Full Job Description
Job Description

We are working on a hybrid schedule, 3 days in the office, 2 at home.

As we enter our next phase of growth, we are looking for a Director of Global Sales Development & Technology who is more than a process manager—you are a visionary leader, technologist, and change agent. Based at our corporate headquarters in Natick, MA, you will report directly to the Head of Marketing to transform our global sales development team into a best-in-class outbound and ABM execution engine. 

The Mission 

Your primary responsibility is to lead, scale, and transform our global team of  Sales Development Engineers (SDEs) into a high-performing outbound and Account-Based Marketing (ABM) powerhouse. Success requires building deep, tight alignment with Sales leadership and the Head of Global Demand Generation and owning the SDE technology stack and its AI evolution, leveraging automation and AI to optimize outbound processes and supercharge team productivity. 

Key Responsibilities

Transform Global Outbound & ABM Execution

  • Lead a Global SDE Team: Manage, mentor, and scale our global team of 18 sales development professionals, instilling modern outbound methodologies and account-centric hunting excellence. 

  • Drive Sales & Demand Gen Alignment: Partner closely with Sales leadership and the Head of Global Demand Generation to coordinate outbound plays, define target accounts, and ensure zero gap between marketing intent and SDE outreach. 

  • Orchestrate ABM Campaigns: Align outbound SDE sequences with active marketing campaigns, ensuring a seamless, high-touch experience for target accounts. 

  • Redefine Account-Centric Frameworks: Shift the global team from traditional inbound response models into a sophisticated, unified account-centric framework (e.g., buying group identification and account penetration). 

Own SDE Tech Stack Evolution & AI Automation

  • Own the SDE Tech Stack: Serve as the owner of the specialized SDE toolset, (e.g. Outreach, Salesloft, 6sense, Gong, etc.) and defining efficient processes and SLAs with core platforms like Salesforce CRM and Account Engagement. 

  • Drive AI & Automation Strategy: Architect and embed artificial intelligence into the outbound workflow to optimize email personalization, predictive sequencing, and automated multi-channel nurturing, while automating the inbound workflow.  

  • Operationalize Predictive Intent Data: Connect AI-driven intent architectures with core SDE platforms to automatically trigger high-priority outbound plays the moment target accounts display active buying signals. 

Governance, Strategy & Analytics

  • Govern Unified Account Scoring: Collaborate with the Demand Gen and Marketing Operations to establish shared account-scoring models that combine fit, engagement, and third-party intent data. 

  • Build the ABM Performance Engine: Create unified cross-functional dashboards that measure account-tier penetration, pipeline contribution, global SDE productivity, and overall campaign ROI. 

Critical KPIs (The "North Stars")

  • Target Account Engagement Rate: % of ABM accounts showing active intent signals across channels. 

  • Pipeline Velocity: The speed at which an account moves from "Intent" to Closed-Won. 

  • BDR Pipeline ROI: Total Pipeline Dollar Value Generated from Target Accounts divided by the Total Cost of the BDR Org (Salaries + Tech Stack + Overhead).  

  • Tech Stack Utilization: Active adoption rate of ABM and AI tools, and data validated of improved efficiency / impact.    

Who You Are

  • A Technologist First: You don't just use tools; you understand how they work. You have a deep understanding of Salesforce’s AI and Data Cloud capabilities and can architect complex, automated workflows. 

  • A Change Agent: You have a proven track record of leading organizations through significant technical shifts, specifically moving from human-heavy processes to automated, AI-driven models. 

  • High-Impact Leader: You are comfortable leading global teams and have the executive presence to present complex data and technical trade-offs to the leadership team and the board. 

Role Requirements

  • Experience: 12+ years in Marketing/Revenue Operations or Inside Sales, with a significant portion in leadership roles within $1B+ B2B tech companies, driving ABM strategies. 

  • Global Team Management: Proven experience managing and scaling global SDE/SDR teams across multiple regions, with a baseline of handling teams of 15+ reps. 

  • SDR/SDE Tech Expertise: Deep hands-on experience owning and evolving sales development stacks (e.g., Outreach, Salesloft, ZoomInfo, 6sense, Clay, Gong, etc.) with a track record of deploying AI/automation to lift rep efficiency. 

  • Cross-Functional Alignment: Demonstrated success building tight, metrics-driven partnerships with Sales leaders and Demand Generation heads. 

  • Analytical Skills: Expert-level capability in Power BI or similar BI tools, with the ability to turn complex datasets into actionable business narratives. 

  • Location: This is a hybrid role based out of our Natick, MA headquarters. 

A reasonable estimate of the base salary range for this role is 160,000 USD - 210,000 USD. Please note that actual salaries may vary within the range based on factors including, but not limited to, education, training, experience, professional achievement, business need, and location. In addition to base salary, employees will participate in either an annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance or a sales incentive plan. 

This position is also eligible for equity under the Cognex Equity Program.

This position provides a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance; a 401(k) retirement plan with company matching; employer-paid disability, family leave, life insurance, paid time off (including holidays), optional voluntary benefits, and recognition and wellness programs.

About Cognex

Cognex Corporation is an American manufacturer of machine vision systems, software and sensors used in automated manufacturing to inspect and identify parts, detect defects, verify product assembly, and guide assembly robots. Cognex is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, USA and has offices in more than 20 countries. The company's flagship product, the In-Sight series, is a line of industrial cameras that are used to automatically inspect products on manufacturing lines. Cognex is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the symbol CGNX. The company was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Shillman, who is still the chairman of the board and chief culture officer.
Learn more about Cognex
Size
2,257 employees
Market Cap
$8 billion
Industry
Net Income
$176.1 million
Founded
1981
5 Year Trend
+14.4%
Revenue
$811 million
NASDAQ

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