Strategic Sales Director

Darktrace

Darktrace

Sales & Business Development
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Posted on Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Founded by mathematicians and cyber defense experts in 2013, Darktrace is a global leader in cyber security AI, delivering complete AI-powered solutions in its mission to free the world of cyber disruption. We protect more than 8,400 customers from the world’s most complex threats, including ransomware, cloud, and SaaS attacks.

Our roots lie deep in innovation. The Darktrace AI Research Centre based in Cambridge, UK, has conducted research establishing new thresholds in cyber security, with technology innovations backed by over 130 patents and pending applications. The company’s European R&D center is located in The Hague, Netherlands.

Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, Darktrace has more than 2,400 employees located globally. Customers include public sector agencies, education institutions, media, organizations supplying critical infrastructure, and businesses of all sizes worldwide.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a fast-growing company, named one of TIME magazine’s “Most Influential Companies” for 2021 and one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative AI Companies” in 2022. For more information on our cutting-edge technology, visit darktrace.com.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Sales Director to lead a team of regional, senior sales reps, focused on securing and expanding high-value, strategic accounts. This is a new opportunity, reporting into the US VP of Strategic Accounts; the successful candidate will drive enablement and performance management activities for their direct reports, and collaborate closely with cross-functional teams and leadership to win new business and promote Darktrace’s leading cybersecurity solutions.

Location: Home Office - West (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico)

Key Duties & Responsibilities

  • Team Leadership: Lead, manage, and motivate a strategic sales team to achieve sales goals and deliver exceptional results. Provide coaching, guidance, and professional development opportunities to individual reps; assist in recruiting, staffing, and onboarding activities to grow and maintain a high-performing team.
  • Strategic Sales Planning: Develop and execute comprehensive sales strategies that align with Darktrace's business objectives and target high-value strategic accounts. Identify market opportunities, competitive landscape, and customer needs to drive sales growth.
  • Sales Process Management: Oversee the end-to-end sales process, including prospecting, lead generation, qualification, proof-of-value (POV) design/deployment, proposal development, negotiation, and closing deals. Collaborate with internal teams to ensure seamless execution and delivery of Darktrace's solutions; identify gaps and propose ongoing process improvements to enhance efficiency.
  • Forecasting and Reporting: In partnership with Sales Ops, provide accurate sales forecasts, pipeline reports, and other sales-related metrics to senior management. Continuously monitor and analyze sales performance, making necessary adjustments to achieve targets.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with business development, marketing, SMEs, channel managers, renewals, and customer success teams to align strategies, share insights, and enhance overall customer experience.

Qualifications & Experience

  • 2+ years of recent experience leading enterprise or strategic sales reps in a fast-paced, matrixed environment. Sales management in computer and network security is strongly preferred.
  • 10+ years of full-cycle, B2B sales experience in complex software or security; a successful track record of winning new business at the enterprise and strategic level.
  • Demonstrated success in forecasting, territory account mapping, research and planning and running discovery meetings for key/strategic accounts.
  • Excellent communication skills; the ideal candidate will be a natural storyteller with the ability to articulate complex ideas and engage varied audiences with ease.
  • Ability to work autonomously while also collaborating with multi-disciplined teams.
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Benefits

  • 100% medical, dental and vision insurance, plus dependents
  • Paid parental leave
  • Pet insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Commuter benefits
  • 401(k)

For U.S. based candidates, the annual pay range is $300,000-$400,000 OTE. The actual offer will be based on the role, location, and individual experience.