SENIOR DIRECTOR, GO TO MARKET & COMMERCIAL GROWTH

Persona Services Group•Arbutus, MD

About The Position

Persona Services Group is seeking a leader to drive go-to-market execution, brand visibility, market engagement, demand generation, and qualified sales pipeline across Hospitality, Restaurant, Retail, and Architectural markets. The role brings together marketing strategy, digital campaigns, events, and sales development to create measurable commercial opportunities, while overseeing RFP effectiveness and customer activation. The position is accountable for improving sales-accepted pipeline, RFP conversion, and speed to first revenue by building scalable, repeatable processes and fostering cross-functional collaboration, delegation, performance optimization, and accountability. The Senior Director owns day-to-day go-to-market priorities, marketing execution within delegated authority, SDR assignments, and team performance management. The role leads commercial operating reviews and reports results to the Chief Commercial Officer. Functional ownership remains with Sales for customer relationships and pursuit execution, Commercial Programs for formal RFP execution and technical readiness, and Customer Activation for onboarding, non-RFP quotation coordination, and activation. The leader drives outcomes through delegation, collaboration, and removal of operational barriers rather than taking over specialized activities. The position is primarily office-based, with regular computer use, sitting, standing, and occasional walking. Occasional travel to company facilities, customer meetings, and industry events is expected. Travel ability is required as business needs require; the work arrangement and travel expectations are to be confirmed.

Requirements

7–10 years of progressive experience in B2B marketing, demand generation, sales development, commercial operations, or related leadership roles.
Demonstrated success executing go-to-market strategies, integrated campaigns, and targeted outbound programs that generate measurable, sales-accepted pipeline and commercial growth.
Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop teams through delegation, performance management, and cross-functional accountability.
Experience driving customer acquisition, brand development, process improvement, and data-driven commercial performance.
Strong knowledge of brand positioning, digital marketing, LinkedIn, content development, trade shows, lead nurturing, and sales enablement.
Proficiency with HubSpot or a similar CRM and marketing automation platform, funnel analytics, source attribution, dashboards, and forecasting.
Strong communication, analytical, and commercial judgment skills, including balancing growth opportunities with customer needs and operational readiness.
Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship at time of hire.
Ability to travel as business needs require.

Nice To Haves

Experience in manufacturing, signage, retail, hospitality, restaurant, or multi-site enterprise environments.
Familiarity with complex RFPs, commercial proposals, customer activation, and revenue conversion.
Experience supporting complex products, national accounts, or large, multi-location customers.
MBA or advanced degree in Marketing, Business, or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

Lead integrated marketing and demand generation strategies across Hospitality, Restaurant, Retail, and Architectural markets, including campaign planning, execution, and performance measurement.
Oversee brand positioning, digital marketing, social media, thought leadership, customer stories, email campaigns, and targeted outreach to increase visibility and generate qualified opportunities.
Partner with Market Leaders, Business Development Executives, Operations, and subject matter experts to develop differentiated messaging, sales collateral, and customer-facing content.
Direct commercial strategy for trade shows and industry events, ensuring effective lead generation, follow-up, and measurable return on investment.
Manage marketing priorities, approved budgets, vendors, and deliverables in alignment with commercial objectives.
Recruit, develop, and lead the Sales Development Representative team, setting performance expectations, qualification standards, and accountability.
Allocate SDR resources across new customer acquisition, existing-account expansion, and cross-selling to generate sales-accepted qualified pipeline.
Oversee formal RFP processes to ensure timely, accurate, competitive, customer-focused proposals and appropriate technical, financial, and contractual approvals.
Monitor pursuit priorities, proposal milestones, resource capacity, conversion rates, and win/loss trends to identify improvement opportunities.
Ensure adherence to centralized quotation intake processes while maintaining accountability with designated RFP and quotation owners.
Lead customer activation efforts through the Customer Activation Manager, including onboarding, first-order success, progression to first revenue, and Account Manager handoffs.
Monitor activation milestones, customer readiness, and potential delays; escalate barriers and coordinate cross-functional solutions.
Lead commercial team operating reviews, using performance data to identify bottlenecks, improve conversion, allocate resources, and report results to the Chief Commercial Officer.
Provide leadership, coaching, and performance accountability across sales development, commercial programs, customer activation, and commercial operations.
Collaborate with Commercial, Operations, and Finance leaders to align priorities, improve processes, and support scalable commercial growth.
Own day-to-day go-to-market priorities, marketing execution within delegated authority, SDR assignments, and team performance management.
Drive results through effective delegation, cross-functional collaboration, and removal of operational barriers while maintaining established functional ownership.