SENIOR DIRECTOR, GO TO MARKET & COMMERCIAL GROWTH

Persona Services Group•Watertown, SD

About The Position

Lead Persona Services Group’s go-to-market execution across Hospitality, Restaurant, Retail, and Architectural markets. The role drives brand visibility, market engagement, demand generation, and qualified sales pipeline by integrating marketing strategy, digital campaigns, events, and sales development. It also oversees RFP effectiveness and customer activation, with accountability for improving sales-accepted pipeline, RFP conversion, and speed to first revenue through scalable, repeatable processes. The position leads marketing and demand generation, the Sales Development Representative team, commercial programs, and customer activation through the Customer Activation Manager. It establishes priorities, performance expectations, and operating reviews; uses data to improve conversion and allocate resources; and reports results to the Chief Commercial Officer. The role works closely with Commercial, Operations, Finance, Market Leaders, Business Development Executives, and subject matter experts. It drives results through delegation, cross-functional collaboration, and removal of operational barriers while maintaining established functional ownership for customer relationships, formal RFP execution, and customer activation. The role is primarily office-based and includes regular computer use, sitting, standing, occasional walking, and occasional travel to company facilities, customer meetings, and industry events. Travel may be required as business needs require; work arrangement and travel expectations are to be confirmed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, Sales Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent combinations of education and relevant professional experience will be considered.
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 similar CRM and marketing automation platforms, funnel analytics, source attribution, dashboards, and forecasting.
Strong communication, analytical, and commercial judgment skills, 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; work arrangement and travel expectations are to be confirmed.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree in Marketing, Business, or a related discipline.
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.

Responsibilities

Lead integrated marketing and demand generation strategy, campaign planning, execution, and performance measurement across Hospitality, Restaurant, Retail, and Architectural markets.
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, including lead generation, follow-up, and return-on-investment measurement.
Manage marketing priorities, approved budgets, vendors, and deliverables in alignment with commercial objectives.
Recruit, develop, and lead the Sales Development Representative team; set 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; identify improvement opportunities.
Ensure adherence to centralized quotation intake processes and accountability by designated RFP and quotation owners.
Lead customer activation efforts through the Customer Activation Manager, supporting timely onboarding, first-order success, first revenue, and Account Manager handoffs.
Monitor activation milestones, customer readiness, and delays; escalate barriers and coordinate cross-functional solutions.
Lead commercial team operating reviews, use performance data to identify bottlenecks and 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.
Maintain established functional ownership: Sales retains customer relationships and pursuit execution; Commercial Programs owns formal RFP execution and technical readiness; Customer Activation owns onboarding, non-RFP quotation coordination, and activation.
Drive results through delegation, cross-functional collaboration, and removal of operational barriers rather than taking over specialized activities.