Sales Director, Scale

Braze•Chicago, IL

13d•$181,000 - $258,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Braze is seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial SaaS sales leader to build, scale, and lead its Braze For Startups (SMB) sales organization. This highly visible role combines hands-on sales leadership with strategic and operational responsibility for developing a repeatable growth engine. The director will lead SMB Account Executives and outbound prospecting professionals while establishing the sales motion, coaching approach, performance standards, hiring plan, and operating cadence needed to scale efficiently. The leader will own SMB sales performance and revenue outcomes, build demand and convert pipeline, improve productivity, and create predictable new-business revenue. The role calls for autonomy, sound decision-making, and close cross-functional partnership to develop the systems and programs needed to grow the segment. It also includes developing external relationships and partner ecosystems—including venture capital firms, portfolio companies, agencies, consultants, system integrators, and technology partners—to generate pipeline, support customer adoption, and expand market reach. Experience selling marketing technology, customer engagement, marketing automation, CRM, email, mobile, analytics, or related SaaS solutions is strongly preferred. The position is part of Braze’s hybrid working approach. For U.S.-based candidates, the stated base pay range is $90,500–$129,000 per year, with expected on-target earnings of $181,000–$258,000 per year, including bonus or commission. The role also qualifies for equity grants of restricted stock units. Compensation may vary based on location, knowledge, skills, and experience.

Requirements

At least 7 years of progressive SaaS sales and go-to-market experience, ideally including SMB, commercial, velocity, growth, or emerging-business segments.
At least 3 years of direct people-management experience leading SMB sales teams, including Account Executives and preferably SDR, BDR, or outbound prospecting organizations.
Demonstrated success building or materially scaling an SMB sales team, sales motion, or revenue segment in a high-growth or large-scale SaaS environment.
Strong record of hiring, coaching, developing, and retaining quota-carrying sales talent and frontline sales managers.
Experience owning meaningful revenue targets and consistently meeting new-business, pipeline, productivity, and forecast goals.
Deep knowledge of SaaS sales metrics and levers, including ARR, ACV, pipeline coverage, conversion rates, sales-cycle length, quota attainment, productivity, CAC efficiency, retention, and expansion.
Experience creating and improving sales processes, performance-management systems, forecasting cadences, qualification standards, and sales enablement programs.
Proven ability to lead both an outbound prospecting function and a full-cycle SMB Account Executive team.
Cross-functional leadership experience partnering with Marketing, Customer Success, Account Management, Product, Sales Operations, Finance, and Partnerships.
Experience building relationships with venture capital firms, accelerators, startup communities, agencies, system integrators, consultants, and/or technology partners.
Demonstrated ability to develop partner-sourced or partner-influenced pipeline through co-selling, referrals, agency relationships, technology integrations, or ecosystem programs.
Executive-level communication skills for customer conversations, executive presentations, QBRs, internal business reviews, and partner discussions.
Strong business acumen and ability to navigate organizations, identify economic buyers and decision-makers, and guide stakeholders through the SaaS buying process.
Data-driven operating style, sound judgment, high accountability, and comfort making decisions in an evolving, ambiguous environment.
Strong external presence and ability to build trusted relationships through professional communities, social channels, events, and industry networks.
Familiarity with current digital, mobile, AI, customer-engagement, and application-market trends.

Nice To Haves

Experience selling marketing technology, customer engagement, marketing automation, CRM, email, mobile, analytics, data, or related SaaS solutions.
Prior experience in a startup, scale-up, or high-growth technology company.
Experience leading SDR, BDR, or outbound prospecting organizations.

Responsibilities

Own strategy, execution, and performance of the SMB sales segment, including revenue attainment, pipeline generation, conversion, productivity, and forecast accuracy.
Build and lead a high-performing team of Account Executives.
Create a repeatable SMB sales motion across inbound, outbound, partner-led, and sales-assisted acquisition channels.
Establish the operating cadence, including pipeline reviews, forecast calls, deal inspection, performance management, quarterly planning, and executive business reviews.
Recruit, onboard, coach, develop, and retain sales talent; build the management bench and career paths needed to scale.
Develop sales playbooks, enablement programs, prospecting standards, qualification methodologies, discovery frameworks, and objection-handling tools.
Partner with Sales Operations on territory and account assignment, lead routing, pipeline definitions, capacity plans, compensation structures, dashboards, and forecasting processes.
Work with Marketing to improve demand generation, campaign conversion, targeting, lead quality, lifecycle programs, and attribution across the SMB funnel.
Collaborate with Customer Success and Account Management on customer handoffs, activation, retention, adoption, and expansion opportunities.
Build and operationalize relationships with venture capital firms, startup ecosystems, accelerators, agencies, consultants, system integrators, and technology partners.
Develop partner-led and ecosystem-led growth motions, including referral, co-sell, implementation, marketplace, and portfolio-company programs.
Represent Braze with customers, partners, industry communities, and senior stakeholders; share market, customer, and competitive insights with the broader go-to-market organization.
Identify data-driven opportunities to improve SMB packaging, pricing, onboarding, product adoption, and go-to-market efficiency.
Prioritize investments, improve execution, and build the programs needed to make SMB a durable growth engine.

Benefits

Competitive compensation that may include equity.
Retirement and Employee Stock Purchase Plans.
Flexible paid time off.
Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and disability benefit plans.
Fertility benefits and equal paid parental leave.
Professional development through formal career pathing, learning platforms, and a yearly learning stipend.
Curated in-office employee experience designed to foster community, team connections, and innovation.
Annual company-wide Volunteer Week and donation matching.
Employee Resource Groups.
Collaborative, transparent, and fun culture recognized as a Great Place to Work.