About Us
Diligent is the AI leader in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) SaaS solutions, helping more than 1 million users and 700,000 board members to clarify risk and elevate governance. The Diligent One Platform gives practitioners, the C-Suite and the board a consolidated view of their entire GRC practice so they can more effectively manage risk, build greater resilience and make better decisions, faster.
At Diligent, we're building the future with people who think boldly and move fast. Whether you're designing systems that leverage large language models or part of a team reimaging workflows with AI, you'll help us unlock entirely new ways of working and thinking. Curiosity is in our DNA, we look for individuals willing to ask the big questions and experiment fearlessly - those who embrace change not as a challenge, but as an opportunity. The future belongs to those who keep learning, and we are building it together. At Diligent, you're not just building the future - you're an agent of positive change, joining a global community on a mission to make an impact.
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Position Overview:
The Senior Manager, Sales Development (EMEA) leads the EMEA BDR function from Galway (Hybrid), overseeing a team primarily based in Galway with a remote DACH BDR team. This leader directly manages a blended frontline structure of BDR Managers (one based in DACH) and Team Leads with an opportunity to also directly manage 1–2 tenured BDR individual contributors to stay close to the front line. The team's mission is to generate high-quality Initial Meetings (IMs) from true cold outbound—phone, email, and social—to net-new prospects, while Account Executives (AEs) own opportunity creation and close. They have personally excelled at outbound earlier in their career and still actively prospects to model excellence and coach with credibility, building a consistent, predictable flow of AE-accepted IMs that convert to pipeline and revenue.
Key Responsibilities
* Execute in line with the EMEA go to market plays, including outbound strategy and execution (ICP, target account lists, channel mix, messaging, sequencing) to consistently deliver high-quality, AE-accepted Initial Meetings from net-new accounts.
* "Roll up sleeves" to prospect & model behaviour across priority accounts to test messaging, demonstrate best practices, and translate live learning into coaching and playbooks.
* Directly lead a blended team of leaders and ICs: coach and develop BDR Managers, the Team Leader, and (as needed) tenured BDRs; set clear scorecards, operating rhythms, and career paths for each layer.
* Define and enforce clear IM acceptance criteria with Sales so AEs can reliably convert IMs into opportunities (AE-owned creation and close).
* Ensure airtight handoff excellence: pre-IM prep, context-rich notes, next steps, and impeccable CRM hygiene to support AE ownership and velocity.
* Run a continuous experimentation program (A/B tests across subject lines, openers, cadences, channels, value props) and operationalise winners into scalable EMEA playbooks.
* Establish a high-performance coaching rhythm: weekly 1:1s, live call coaching, message reviews, qualification and certifications (e.g., BANT/MEDDICC/Challenger) tied to measurable outcomes.
* Align tightly with AEs on account plans, multi-threading strategies, ICP, commercial plays, triggers, and priority segments to maximize IM quality and downstream conversion.
* Partner with Marketing and RevOps on data quality, lists, intent/signals, territories, and dashboards that enable effective outbound across EMEA.
* Partner with Product Marketing and Enablement to ensure teams elevate understanding and effectiveness of new business outreach across key commercial plays in target accounts and personas.
* Lead a distributed team—majority in Galway plus remote German BDRs and a DACH-based manager—with clear operating rhythms, time-zone-aware coverage, and periodic in-person sessions.
* Maintain transparent reporting on IM coverage, quality, and risks; course-correct quickly with data-backed actions and crisp communications.
Required Experience/Skills
* 6–10+ years in B2B SaaS top-of-funnel roles (BDR/SDR/AE), including 2–4+ years leading BDR or Outbound Sales teams, with a track record of generating high-quality IMs from cold outbound.
* Demonstrated personal excellence in outbound prospecting (phone, email, social, video) and the ability to still execute at a high level.
* Proven MEDDPIC & AI skills to teach and coach best practice across the EMEA team and elevate front line manager coaching
* Mastery of outbound systems: ICP definition, list strategy, sequencing, objection handling, multi-threading, and qualification that earns AE acceptance.
* Coaching-first leadership with a bias to action—diagnose, demonstrate, drill, and reinforce—while maintaining a high-performance bar.
* Metrics fluency across the top of funnel (coverage, connect/reply rates, held rate, AE acceptance, IM-to-opportunity conversion) and the ability to translate it into daily actions.
* Proficiency with modern GTM stacks (CRM, sales engagement, data/intent, conversation intelligence, enablement) and impeccable CRM discipline.
* Experience leading distributed teams across EMEA.
How we'll measure success
* Outbound Initial Meetings booked, held, and AE-accepted (monthly) against goal.
* Show rate, connect/reply rates, and IM quality as defined by acceptance criteria.
* IM-to-opportunity conversion (AE-owned opportunity creation; BDR quality and handoff accountability).
* Target-account coverage, contact penetration, and engagement momentum across EMEA.
* Handoff SLAs, data quality, and forecast predictability for IMs.
* BDR ramp time, retention, attainment, and adoption of playbooks/tools; manager and team leader development and bench strength.
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LI-Hybrid
What Diligent Offers You
* Creativity is ingrained in our culture. We are innovative collaborators by nature. We thrive in exploring how things can be differently both in our internal processes and to help our clients
* We care about our people. Diligent offers a flexible work environment, global days of service, comprehensive health benefits, meeting free days, generous time off policy and wellness programs to name a few
* We have teams all over the world. We may be headquartered in New York City, but we have office hubs in Washington D.C., Vancouver, London, Galway, Budapest, Munich, Bengaluru, Singapore, and Sydney.
* Diversity is important to us. Growing, maintaining and promoting a diverse team is a top priority for us. We foster and encourage diversity through our Employee Resource Groups and provide access to resources and education to support the education of our team, facilitate dialogue, and foster understanding.
Diligent created the modern governance movement. Our world-changing idea is to empower leaders with the technology, insights and connections they need to drive greater impact and accountability – to lead with purpose. Our employees are passionate, smart, and creative people who not only want to help build the software company of the future, but who want to make the world a more sustainable, equitable and better place.
Headquartered in New York, Diligent has offices in Washington D.C., London, Galway, Budapest, Vancouver, Bengaluru, Munich, Singapore and Sydney. To foster strong collaboration and connection, this role will follow a hybrid work model. If you are within a commuting distance to one of our Diligent office locations, you will be expected to work onsite at least 50% of the time. We believe that in-person engagement helps drive innovation, teamwork, and a strong sense of community.
We are a drug free workplace. Diligent is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth, physical disability, mental disability, age, military status, protected veteran status, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including, but not limited to, cancer related or HIV/AIDS related), genetic information, or sexual orientation in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Diligent's EEO Policy and Know Your Rights. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at
To all recruitment agencies: Diligent does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Diligent employees or any other organization location. Diligent is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.