Director, Global Demand Generation
About The Position
Cognex is seeking a Director of Global Demand Generation to serve as the chief architect of our growth engine. You are a data-heavy strategist who thrives on turning complex market data into scalable execution. You will lead a 20-person global team, manage a $5M+ budget, build the blueprint for an expanded Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and Customer Marketing motion, and define a strategic roadmap for growth. Cognex is the largest, most successful and recognized global player in industrial machine vision. Using advanced optics, image sensors, and artificial intelligence software Cognex vision and ID systems capture an image, then analyze it to make sense of what’s being seen. Companies use Cognex vision and ID in their manufacturing processes to improve product quality, guide assembly robots, and track items through each stage of production and distribution. Cognex is focused entirely on solving the toughest problems in industrial machine vision and ID, and we have sold more solutions in these areas than any other company in the world. More than a billion products are made each day using Cognex vision. The only thing smarter than our vision and ID systems are the people that stand behind them. One of them could be you!
Requirements
- 12+ years of B2B Demand Generation experience in a high-growth tech environment (hardware or industrial tech experience is a plus).
- Expert-level ability to manipulate Salesforce data to track attribution, forecast lead volume, and prove marketing’s impact on the bottom line.
- Proven track record of building ABM programs from scratch, including platform selection (6sense, Demandbase, etc.) and sales/marketing alignment.
- Experience scaling marketing investment from low single-digits of revenue to industry benchmarks.
- Deep understanding of the Salesforce ecosystem and its integration with Account Engagement (Pardot) for global lead routing.
Responsibilities
- Develop and "sell" the multi-year demand generation vision to the executive team and sales leadership, justifying incremental headcount and budget based on data-backed ROI projections.
- Manage a distributed 20-person team organized by region (Americas, EMEA, APAC) and two specialized Centers of Excellence (Email and Tradeshows).
- Lead the selection and implementation of our first ABM platform. Design the "Cognex ABM Playbook" to penetrate top-tier accounts and new market segments, collaborating closely with the BDR team (housed in Marketing Ops).
- Build a program specifically designed to reduce churn by identifying "at-risk" behaviors through AI data mining and engaging customers with targeted value-add content.
- Design and execute cross-sell and up-sell campaigns to the existing global customer base, leveraging intent data and usage signals to identify expansion opportunities.
- Own the primary KPIs of New Contacts, Leads, Opportunities, and Sourced Bookings. You will identify friction points in the existing funnel to increase sales productivity.
- Continuously optimize the Marketing-to-Sales handoff. This includes setting Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for lead follow-up and monitoring the "days in status" for leads to prevent pipeline stagnation.
- Collaborating with Product Marketing to ensure global campaigns aren't just loud, but actually resonate with specific buyer personas in different regions.
- Oversee an initial $5M global budget across paid search, 3rd party media, and high-impact regional tradeshows, optimizing for the lowest CAC in existing core markets.
- Act as the strategic peer to the Director of Marketing Operations, Web, and Content to ensure a seamless tech stack (Salesforce/Account Engagement) and a unified brand voice.
Benefits
- health, dental, and vision insurance
- a 401(k) retirement plan with company matching
- employer-paid disability, family leave, and life insurance
- paid time off (including holidays)
- optional voluntary benefits
- recognition and wellness programs
- annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance or a sales incentive plan
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
