Sales Development Representative

Inside Higher Ed • Washington, DC

10h • Hybrid

About The Position

Inside Higher Ed is seeking a proactive and ambitious Sales Development Representative (SDR) to join its commercial team. This role is crucial for sales growth, focusing on outbound prospecting to generate and qualify leads across the company's solutions. The SDR will engage with university leaders, academics, and administrative staff to understand their challenges and demonstrate how Inside Higher Ed and Times Higher Education can support their institutional missions. This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially minded individual to start a career in sales within a globally respected organization, contributing to early-funnel quality and pipeline development.

Requirements

• 1-3 years of experience in sales, business development, or cold outreach.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex value propositions clearly and concisely to C-level executives.
• A positive and “gritty” mindset with the resilience to handle rejection and the hustle to consistently hit daily activity and meeting-setting targets.
• A natural curiosity to understand client needs rather than just pitching a product; consultative by nature.
• Ability to manage a high volume of leads, prioritize tasks effectively, and follow through diligently in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable learning new tools.
• Comfortable using dashboards, activity metrics, and lead insights to guide daily priorities.
• A collaborative spirit, eager to share insights with the team and learn from senior sales colleagues.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Salesforce and Acoustic is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Initiate contact with potential clients through cold calling, personalized email campaigns, and social media outreach (LinkedIn).
• Identify and research target accounts to identify key decision-makers and stakeholders.
• Qualify leads based on an agreed framework to determine fit.
• Book demos and discovery meetings for regional managers and directors.
• Maintain, log, and update all activities, calls, and emails in the CRM system to ensure data integrity.
• Meet or exceed daily and monthly quotas, such as 40–50+ calls per day and 10–40 emails per day, resulting in a consistent pipeline.
• Work closely with the marketing team to provide feedback on campaign quality and lead intelligence, helping to refine targeting for future campaigns.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees