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Sales Development Specialist (SDS): Job Description
Position Title: Sales Development Specialist (SDS)
Department: Sales Development Operations
Reports To: Production Manager
Supervisory Responsibility: None
FLSA Status: Administrative Exempt
Job Summary
The Sales Development Specialist is vital to the Company's operations and its clients. This position oversees a portfolio of client projects, developing new business while creating direct, long term, trusting relationships with those clients. The SDS is not closely supervised and must be an independent thinker and decisionmaker. The standard project load is four (4) concurrent client projects, reached through a four-month ramp progression described below.
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What Success Looks Like
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A successful SDS consistently:
- Delivers at least 85% of assigned quota across the assigned project portfolio, using the Company's established quota methodology.
- Maintains strong command of the systems and tools required to operate assigned projects.
- Independently identifies and addresses performance, process, data, or operational issues.
- Uses project data and direct experience to improve messaging, targeting, outreach strategy, and execution.
- Maintains accurate and timely CRM, reporting, and project records.
- Communicate effectively with clients, prospects, and internal stakeholders.
- Takes ownership of assigned projects and follows issues through to resolution.
- Adapts quickly as client requirements, technology, and sales development strategies change.
Essential Functions
Client Project Ownership
- Own the operational health of assigned client projects, identifying risks to performance or client satisfaction, and taking timely corrective action or escalating issues when appropriate.
- Develop a working understanding of each client's objectives, target market, ideal customer profile, and program requirements.
- Maintain accurate project documentation and ensure client specific requirements are consistently followed.
Sales Development Execution & Performance Optimization
- Formulate, affect, interpret, and implement changes to the delivery of sales development programs for clients, improving strategic approach and maximizing client engagement.
- Independently manage and execute sales development activities, including proactive outreach and detailed account and contact research to identify opportunities for enhanced marketing strategies.
- Critically evaluate and analyze the effectiveness of project strategies, messaging, and overall processes; independently initiate improvements based on direct, hands-on experience.
- Independently execute, validate, and review project metrics and KPIs; provide expert analysis and recommendations to refine these metrics for accuracy and effectiveness.
- Proactively and independently identify, troubleshoot, and resolve operational challenges within projects.
- Demonstrate a high level of initiative and leadership in operational excellence.
Core Competencies
The following competencies are essential to successful performance in the SDS role:
- Ownership: takes responsibility for assigned projects and follows issues through to resolution rather than waiting for direction.
- Analytical Thinking: uses data, evidence, and direct project experience to evaluate performance, identify root causes, and make informed decisions.
- Independent Judgment: makes sound decisions within established authority and recognizes when an issue requires escalation.
- Client Orientation: understands client objectives and makes decisions with consideration for client outcomes, program requirements, and long-term relationships.
- Adaptability: learn new systems, processes, technologies, and client requirements quickly and apply that knowledge effectively.
- Communication: communicates clearly, concisely, professionally, and appropriately with prospects, clients, coworkers, and management.
- Continuous Improvement: looks for practical ways to improve project performance, efficiency, quality, and consistency.
- Execution: consistently completes required work accurately, on time, and to the expected standard.
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Qualifications & Required Skills
Education
- High school diploma or equivalent required.
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field preferred.
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Experience
- 3 years of experience in sales development, inside sales, or another client-facing role.
Required Qualifications
- Demonstrated success generating high-quality sales development results across a variety of industries.
- Demonstrated proficiency using CRM, preferably Salesforce.com and/or HubSpot.
- Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
- Ability to demonstrate report/dashboard creation.
- Excellent organizational skills.
- The Company may consider equivalent combinations of education, training, experience, and demonstrated capability when evaluating candidates.
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Required Skills
- Reading Comprehension: able to read and comprehend business communications, training materials, and client documentation at a twelfth grade reading level.
- Business Writing Proficiency: able to write with brevity, clarity, and high scannability, crafting outreach messages, email sequences, and reports that a busy business reader can process quickly.
- Consultative Communication: able to speak clearly, actively listen, build rapport, and hold a natural conversation with the average business decisionmaker evaluating a purchase.
Required Technical Proficiency & Tool Mastery
Mastery of every platform tied to the assigned project load is required and maintained on an ongoing basis, not assumed from prior experience. Required platforms currently include:
- HubSpot (primary CRM): enrolling contacts in sequences and acting on engaged prospects; managing a task list; using views/segments; creating new records; completing deal writeups; confirming executed meetings and SALs and updating deal records.
- Additional CRM platforms in use across the assigned client portfolio (e.g., Salesforce): logging project time; updating pacing records with leads generated and meetings executed.
- Call cadence and outreach tools used to manage prospecting activity, including Aircall/phone system: using the dialer; leveraging the Chrome extension and Power Dialer tool.
- Excel for reporting and dashboard work.
- Email: managing a client inbox in an efficient, organized manner.
- ZoomInfo: searching ICPs as needed and adding resulting records to the CRM.
- General: setting up the authenticator tool for email/CRM access; using Teams to collaborate and access project details; adopting new technology introduced by Company leadership.
- Power Dialer utilization: minimum 1 hour of active dialing time per week, per assigned project (e.g., 4 projects = 4 hours/week minimum).
- Any additional software required by a specific client project.
- Technology used to run client projects evolves continuously. This list, and the proficiency standards tied to it, are not fixed. Required platforms and the mastery criteria above may change as the Company adopts new tools, and the SDS is expected to adapt accordingly.
Onboarding: Ramp Up Period
Employees moving into the SDS role, whether new hires or promotions from Sales Development Representative, transition to the full role standard through a structured four-month project load progression. Proficiency in the tools and systems above is required during the ramp and is not assumed based on prior SDR experience.
Month | Project Assignment |
Month 1 | Onboarded and assigned to 2 projects. |
Month 2 | Assigned 2 projects; onboarded to 3rd project by end of month. |
Month 3 | Assigned to 3 projects; onboarded to 4th project by end of month. |
Month 4 | First full month with all 4 projects assigned. |
This progression is subject to business needs; if a project is not available for assignment or onboarding on the schedule above, it will be adjusted accordingly. The 85% quota performance standard (below) applies throughout the ramp period. Ramp reviews occur at the end of each month (Months 1 through 4) covering quota performance, tool mastery, proactivity, and overall performance before the next stage begins. A missed quota or tool mastery standard during the ramp suspends the ramp review and moves the employee to a PIP with a thirty-day improvement period, set by the Production Manager and HR; project load progression is paused or adjusted until resolved.
Performance Standards & Management
Standard Project Load
Four (4) concurrent client projects. Project load assignment is subject to business needs; if a project is not available on the standard schedule, load is adjusted at the Sales Development Manager's discretion.
Quota Standard
- Every SDS must maintain an average quota achievement of at least 85% across all assigned projects.
- Individual project quotas are set by the Director of Sales Development Operations, the VP of Operations, or the CRO, based on client contract terms and historical account/industry performance.
- Each project's monthly quota is prorated based on the amount of time the project was assigned that month.
- Any individual project's performance above 100% is capped at 100% for purposes of the average calculation.
- Overperformance on one project does not offset underperformance on another.
Worked example:
Project | Actual Performance | Credited Performance |
Project 1 | 150% | 100% |
Project 2 | 125% | 100% |
Project 3 | 70% | 70% |
Project 4 | 70% | 70% |
Portfolio Average | N/A | 85% |
Ongoing Review Cadence
Once ramped to the standard project load, the Sales Development Leader or Account Manager reviews every SDS on a standing monthly basis against the standards defined above: quota performance, tool mastery, and Power Dialer utilization, along with proactivity in resolving project challenges and overall performance against the Essential Functions. Power Dialer utilization is measured by views approved by the Account Manager.
Support & Improvement Process
If a monthly review shows an SDS is falling short of the 85% quota standard, the tool mastery criteria, or the weekly Power Dialer minimum, the standard review pauses and the SDS and their manager move into a structured, formal support process, a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), designed to close the gap. Essential Functions and proactivity remain part of the standard monthly review but are not, on their own, triggers for this process. The plan is built around:
- A clear, specific description of where performance needs to improve, tied to quota, tool mastery, or Power Dialer utilization
- Specific, measurable goals, and the metrics used to track progress toward them
- A defined two-week improvement period, set by the Sales Development Manager with HR (30 days if the plan starts during the ramp period)
- Dedicated resources and support during that period, including additional training, coaching, or shadowing
- Regular check-ins, typically weekly, to review progress together and keep the plan on track
- Clear, upfront metrics for successfully completing the plan, and what happens if they aren't met, up to and including separation from employment
While a plan like this is active, it replaces the standard review (or ramp review) process, and project load progression may be paused or adjusted at the discretion of the Sales Development Manager and HR until it's resolved. The goal of this process is to give the SDS a clear, supported path back to the standard, not to catch someone off guard.
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Conduct & Confidentiality
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Decision Making Authority
The SDS has authority to independently modify project strategy and processes, initiating adjustments to optimize client engagement and program effectiveness, and identifying and resolving performance issues in real time, without prior approval.
Professionalism & Integrity
The SDS is expected to professionally represent the Company, including professional conduct, integrity, sound business decisions, professional appearance, and leading by example. The SDS makes judgment decisions without input from the Director of Sales Development Operations and uses discretion to determine when the Director's input is appropriate.
Confidentiality
The SDS will be made aware of confidential, nonpublic company and client information, including business decisions or direction, personnel matters, account details, and financial data. This information may not be disclosed outside the Company. If uncertain whether specific information is confidential, the SDS should ask the Director of Sales Development Operations before sharing it.
Other Responsibilities
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Work Environment
This is a work from home position for all or part of the work week. The Company may, at its discretion, request in office meetings or other reasons to be in the office, and compliance with such requests is required.
Physical Demands
The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift or move office products and supplies up to 20 pounds.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The Company is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, training, discipline, and termination, are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.
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