10+ years in technical sales or business development within cloud infrastructure, SaaS, or AI/ML.
5+ years of experience leading sales teams with measurable revenue impact.
Proven track record in recruiting and coaching Account Executives.
Strong understanding of cloud technologies and ability to engage with technical stakeholders.
Familiarity with digital-native companies and their buying behaviors.
Comfortable operating as a player-coach in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
Responsibilities
Lead and execute the direct sales strategy for startups and digital-native verticals.
Own pipeline and revenue attainment from lead to close.
Coach the team on negotiations and deal structuring, stepping in on strategic deals as needed.
Enable the team to articulate DigitalOcean's platform value to decision-makers.
Build relationships with key customers and ecosystem influencers.
Partner with Marketing and Product to create predictable pipeline through targeted campaigns.
Recruit and develop a high-performing sales team, fostering accountability and improvement.
Benefits
Eligible for DigitalOcean's annual bonus plan and potential equity grant.
Remote work flexibility.
Opportunity to work with innovative startups in SaaS, FinTech, and AI.
Access to a collaborative and customer-focused sales culture.
Full Job Description
We are looking for a Director of Sales for DigitalOcean's core services who is passionate about startups and digital-native enterprises fueling the next wave of SaaS, FinTech, and AI innovation.
As Director of Sales, you will build and lead a high-performing team of Account Executives (and the front-line managers who support them) focused on acquiring and expanding the most promising SaaS, FinTech, and AI startups, from stealth founders to rapidly scaling teams. You will balance hands-on deal involvement with team leadership, creating a customer-obsessed sales culture and working across the organization so the world's top innovators have the simple, powerful cloud they need to succeed.
This is a high-impact role that directly drives revenue through new customer acquisition and existing account expansion. Responsibilities
Sales Leadership & Execution
Lead and execute the direct sales strategy for your segment, focused on acquiring, growing, and retaining customers across startups, SaaS, generative AI, Web3, and other digital-native verticals.
Own pipeline and revenue attainment for your team, from lead to close.
Coach and support the team on negotiations, deal structuring, and closing key accounts, and step in on strategic deals as needed.
Enable the team to articulate the value of DigitalOcean's platform, including Droplets, Kubernetes, App Platform, and GPU offerings, to both technical and business decision-makers.
Build relationships with key customers, prospects, and ecosystem influencers.
Go-To-Market Partnership
Partner with Marketing, Product, and Revenue Operations to turn GTM strategy into predictable pipeline, including targeted campaigns, ABM programs, and events.
Serve as the voice of the customer to Product, Engineering, and AI GTM teams, bringing field insights on product-market fit and new opportunities.
Team Building & Enablement
Recruit, hire, and develop Account Executives and front-line managers, fostering a culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Partner with Enablement on onboarding, product and sales methodology training, and career development.
Implement and reinforce a consistent sales methodology and process.
Operational Excellence
Deliver accurate forecasts to sales leadership and own the team's operational KPIs.
Manage territories, quota allocation, and performance against targets, in partnership with Sales/Revenue Operations.
Track and report on key metrics, including pipeline generation, conversion rates, deal velocity, average contract value, and cost of sale, to drive data-driven decisions.
Work with Revenue Operations to refine sales processes, optimize CRM usage, and ensure the team has the right tools and data.
Qualifications
10+ years of experience in technical sales or business development within cloud infrastructure, SaaS, or AI/ML, including 5+ years leading sales teams and managers with measurable revenue impact.
Proven success recruiting, onboarding, and coaching Account Executives, and working alongside solution architects and technical account managers.
Understanding of cloud concepts and technologies (IaaS, PaaS, containers, Kubernetes, developer tools, AI/ML frameworks, GPU workloads) and the ability to engage credibly with technical and commercial stakeholders.
Familiarity with the needs and buying behaviors of digital-native companies, such as SaaS startups, AI-first businesses, e-commerce platforms, Web3 companies, and dev-centric teams, and experience with GTM motions targeting them.
Comfort operating as a player-coach, leading a team while staying close to key deals.
Strong business acumen and operational discipline, including pipeline management, forecasting, and sales performance metrics.
Experience working cross-functionally with Product, Marketing, Legal, Finance, and Customer Success.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and executive engagement skills, with the ability to influence internally and externally.
Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort navigating ambiguity and executing quickly in a fast-scaling environment.
Compensation Range:
$230,000 - $260,000
Non-sales roles: In addition to base salary, this role is eligible to participate in DigitalOcean's annual bonus plan and may be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility. Bonus amounts depend on company and individual performance.
Sales roles (sales compensation eligible): In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible to earn incentive compensation under the applicable sales compensation plan and may be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility.
