Manager, Demand Operations

Grant Thornton • Chicago, IL

2d • $112,000 - $168,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Demand Operations manages inbound lead processes, executes targeted outbound prospecting, activates priority accounts, and accelerates early-stage pipeline. This role oversees demand from initial intake and qualification through personalized outreach, meeting generation, and transition to sales or delivery teams.

The Manager uses buyer signals, industry triggers, persona-aligned messaging, account research, and sales intelligence tools to identify high-potential prospects, prioritize accounts, re-engage dormant relationships, and pursue whitespace opportunities. In collaboration with leaders, CREs, Marketing, and Sales Excellence, the role coordinates engagement and turns inbound interest and targeted outbound activity into qualified, revenue-generating conversations.

The position is part of Grant Thornton’s hybrid work model and requires in-person attendance at least three days per week at a Grant Thornton office or client site.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or another relevant field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5–7+ years of experience in demand generation, inside sales, business development, sales development, or a related B2B role.
• Demonstrated experience managing inbound lead processes and executing targeted outbound prospecting and account-activation motions.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to develop concise, personalized outreach for inbound follow-up and outbound prospecting.
• Strong verbal communication skills and ability to articulate value propositions and support discovery conversations across industries and buyer personas.
• Experience using CRM systems, sales engagement platforms, and sales intelligence tools.
• Strong project management, organizational, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage multiple inbound and outbound motions concurrently while maintaining disciplined follow-through.
• Analytical mindset and ability to interpret buyer signals, performance metrics, and conversion patterns and translate them into action.

Nice To Haves

• Professional services or solution-based marketing and sales experience.
• Experience supporting account-based, priority-account, or whitespace activation programs.
• Familiarity with marketing automation, lead-scoring models, qualification frameworks, and pipeline reporting.
• Experience working across Marketing, Sales Excellence, Revenue Operations, and client-facing teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage the inbound lead process, including intake, qualification, prioritization, assignment, and progression of qualified opportunities according to service-level expectations.
• Coordinate engagement with leaders, CREs, subject matter experts, and other stakeholders to support timely lead acceptance, preparation, participation, and follow-through.
• Facilitate rapid client engagement through outreach, meeting scheduling, briefing materials, stakeholder coordination, and monitoring response and meeting timelines.
• Maintain ownership of early-stage pipeline momentum until opportunities transition to sales or delivery teams.
• Maintain process governance and pipeline integrity by keeping CRM records, opportunity data, activity tracking, action items, and status updates accurate and current.
• Monitor adherence to lead-management SLAs, identify stalled opportunities, and escalate issues that could delay client engagement or pipeline progression.
• Plan and execute structured outbound prospecting to re-engage dormant accounts, activate colder prospects, and pursue whitespace segments.
• Develop personalized outreach using buyer signals, industry triggers, persona-aligned messaging, engagement history, and account research.
• Use sales intelligence, intent, and CRM platforms to identify target contacts, prioritize accounts, and optimize outreach timing.
• Execute professional outreach across approved channels, including personalized email and LinkedIn messaging.
• Test and refine targeting, sequencing, and messaging based on response patterns, conversion trends, and campaign performance.
• Coordinate outbound activity with priority solutions, industries, accounts, and broader demand-generation programs.
• Convert qualified inbound and outbound engagement into introductory calls, discovery sessions, and solution-oriented meetings with decision-makers and influencers.
• Prepare structured pre-call briefs for subject matter experts and engagement leaders with buyer context, pain points, engagement history, qualification insights, and recommended next steps.
• Coordinate meeting logistics and stakeholder participation; track outcomes, document action items, and ensure timely follow-up.
• Facilitate sales or delivery handoffs with the qualification insights and engagement information needed to advance opportunities.
• Work with Sales and Sales Excellence to apply qualification criteria, approved messaging, and coordinated sales motions.
• Maintain complete and accurate CRM contact, account, lead, and opportunity information, including touchpoints, dispositions, qualification notes, buyer insights, and next steps.
• Monitor inbound response times, outbound activity, sequence performance, connection rates, meeting generation, pipeline progression, and conversion outcomes.
• Identify patterns and gaps in lead quality, account alignment, prospect engagement, routing, and conversion; use performance data and test-and-learn approaches to improve targeting, messaging, workflows, and conversion.
• Partner with Sales Excellence and Revenue Operations to strengthen qualification practices, optimize workflows and dashboards, and improve campaign-to-sales feedback loops.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Personalized and comprehensive benefits; details are provided through the company benefits overview.
• Employees may be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus based on individual and firm performance, subject to applicable plan terms, conditions, and eligibility criteria.
• Work-life integration options and flexibility related to work location, weekly schedule, or flex time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager