Inside Sales Manager

The Role

As Manager, Demand Generation & Inside Sales, you will lead Kanerika's inside sales and SDR function as a fully integrated extension of the marketing engine. Your team is the critical bridge between marketing's demand creation and field sales revenue execution — converting campaigns, inbound signals, ABM plays, and outbound programs into a steady flow of high-quality, sales-ready opportunities.

You will own the funnel from first touch to qualified handoff, contributing to a $50M pipeline target while obsessing over lead quality, conversion efficiency, and the AI-powered tools that make your team sharper, faster, and more personalized than any competitor.

You are equally at home reviewing a campaign brief, coaching a rep through a discovery call, refining a lead scoring model, and testing a new AI outreach tool — all in the same day.

What You'll Own

1. Pipeline Contribution & Funnel Ownership

• Drive inside sales contribution toward a $50M qualified pipeline annually in partnership with field sales and marketing
• Own the full funnel from MQL to SQL — define qualification criteria, manage conversion rates, and ensure clean, context-rich handoffs to field sales
• Align outreach strategy with Kanerika's target verticals: Manufacturing, BFSI, Logistics, Healthcare, and Pharma — North America focus with coverage up to 12:00 PM EST
• Track pipeline contribution by source, campaign, vertical, and rep — and use that data to continuously optimize
• Partner with the CRO and field sales to ensure SQLs are truly sales-ready, reducing ramp time and improving close rates downstream

2. Demand Generation Integration

• Work hand-in-glove with the demand generation and content teams to align SDR outreach with active campaigns, content launches, webinars, events, and ABM plays
• Translate marketing programs into targeted outreach sequences — ensuring the inside sales team amplifies every campaign rather than operating in parallel to it
• Own post-event and post-campaign follow-up as a structured, time-bound process with clear conversion targets
• Provide the marketing team with front-line intelligence — objection patterns, messaging resonance, content gaps, and ICP feedback — to continuously sharpen Kanerika's go-to-market

3. Lead Scoring, MQL Definition & Marketing Ops Alignment

• Co-own the MQL-to-SQL definition with marketing operations; ensure lead scoring models reflect real buying signals rather than vanity engagement
• Monitor inbound lead quality and response times — target under 30 minutes for high-intent inbound leads
• Partner with marketing ops on CRM workflows, lead routing, attribution modeling, and funnel reporting
• Continuously refine the ICP definition based on conversion data — feeding insights back into targeting, content strategy, and paid campaigns

4. ABM Execution

• Execute account-based outreach plays for named target accounts identified by marketing through intent data, firmographic signals, and campaign engagement
• Coordinate with marketing on account selection, personalization strategy, and multi-touch sequencing for high-value enterprise accounts
• Track account-level engagement and progression — ensuring ABM accounts move through the funnel with coordinated marketing and sales touches

5. Team Leadership & Coaching

• Hire, onboard, coach, and retain a high-performing team of Inside Sales Representatives and Business Development Representatives (BDRs)
• Set individual targets based on MQL volume, SQL conversion, pipeline contribution, and activity metrics — not just revenue quotas
• Run weekly 1:1s, funnel reviews, and call coaching sessions with a focus on messaging quality, discovery skills, and AI tool adoption
• Build a team culture that values curiosity, experimentation, and genuine enthusiasm for Kanerika's AI and data solutions
• Create clear growth paths — from BDR to ISR to field sales or customer success — to retain top performers

6. AI-Powered Sales Development

• Champion the use of AI across the entire SDR and demand gen workflow — prospecting, outreach personalization, intent signal interpretation, sequence optimization, and performance analytics
• Evaluate, pilot, and embed AI tools: AI SDRs, conversation intelligence (Gong, Chorus), GenAI-based sequence writers, Clay for enrichment, intent platforms (6sense, Bombora), and AI-assisted CRM workflows
• Build and maintain AI-enhanced playbooks: persona-specific messaging, campaign-triggered sequences, objection handling, and discovery frameworks — all continuously refined using AI insights and A/B testing
• Act as the internal evangelist for AI-first selling — sharing learnings with the broader marketing and sales organization and pushing Kanerika to sell the way it builds: intelligently

7. Reporting, Forecasting & Funnel Analytics

• Own weekly funnel reporting to the CMO — MQLs, SQLs, conversion rates, pipeline contribution, cost per SQL, and sequence performance
• Maintain CRM hygiene across the inside sales team — accurate lead stages, complete contact data, and up-to-date activity logs
• Build and manage dashboards that give real-time visibility into funnel health for both marketing and sales leadership
• Participate in revenue forecast calls with the CRO, providing inside sales pipeline contribution data with accuracy and confidence

8. CAPA & Continuous Improvement

• Identify recurring issues in lead quality, conversion drop-offs, and process gaps
• File and track Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) items for systemic problems — whether in lead routing, messaging, tool performance, or team execution
• Drive CAPA closures in collaboration with marketing ops, sales ops, and the product/engineering team where platform issues are involved

Who You Are

You are a growth-minded sales development leader who thinks like a marketer and executes like a sales professional. You understand that in a CMO-led structure, pipeline is built through the marriage of great campaigns, sharp targeting, intelligent tools, and disciplined follow-through — and you've built that marriage before.

Experience & Background

• 6–10 years in B2B inside sales, sales development, or demand generation — with at least 2–3 years in a team leadership role
• Proven track record of contributing to pipelines in the $20M–$50M range in technology, SaaS, or data/analytics services
• Experience working within or alongside a marketing organization — familiarity with demand gen workflows, campaign structures, and marketing attribution is a strong plus
• Background selling into North American enterprise markets; comfort engaging CIO, CDO, and VP-level personas

AI Enthusiasm — Genuine, Not Performative

• You actively use AI tools in your daily workflow — for research, outreach personalization, sequence building, or performance analysis
• You've experimented with and formed opinions on AI SDR tools, GenAI writers, conversation intelligence platforms, and intent data tools
• You follow AI sales and marketing trends closely and bring new tool ideas to your team regularly
• You see AI not as a threat to sales development but as the single biggest lever available to outperform competitors

Domain Fluency

• You don't need to be a data engineer, but you can hold a credible conversation with a CIO or CDO about cloud data modernization, AI/ML, and digital transformation
• Familiarity with Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, Databricks, Informatica, or similar platforms is a strong advantage
• You understand what Kanerika's customers are trying to solve — and you can connect their pain to Kanerika's solutions with confidence

Collaboration & Communication

• Outstanding written English — capable of crafting compelling outreach, sharp briefs, and clear executive updates
• Confident on video calls with US-based enterprise prospects and internal stakeholders
• Strong collaborator — you work with marketing as a true partner, not a lead-dispensing machine, and with field sales as a valued upstream contributor, not a rival

Analytical Mindset

• You know your funnel numbers cold — MQL volume, MQL→SQL conversion, SQL→opportunity rate, pipeline velocity, cost per SQL
• You use data to coach your team, make sequencing decisions, and report to leadership with credibility