Director of Global Sales Development & Technology

About us- Cognex is the largest most successful and recognized global player in industrial machine vision! We are a financially strong international company with no debt and have been in business for over 40 years. Using advanced optics image sensors and artificial intelligence software Cognex vision and ID systems capture an image then analyze it to make sense of whats being are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment guided by our Work Hard Play Hard Move Fast culture which celebrates employee innovation determination and dedication in a dynamic fun and distinctive atmosphere.

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 manageryou 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 dont just use tools; you understand how they work. You have a deep understanding of Salesforces 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 is160000 USD-210000 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 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cognex is an equal opportunity employer. Cognex evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race color religion gender national origin age sexual orientation gender identity or expression protected veteran status disability/handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic.