Senior Director, Sales – North America Verticals

Freshworks•San Mateo, CA

3d•$288,320 - $356,160•Remote

About The Position

Freshworks is seeking an experienced Senior Director of Sales, North America (US and Canada) Verticals to lead our go-to-market execution across three strategic vertical markets: Manufacturing, State, Local & Education (SLED), and Federal/Government as well as Canada. Reporting directly to the SVP & GM of America’s Sales, this leader will oversee three sales teams and their respective leaders, with responsibility for building and executing the strategy required to accelerate Freshworks' growth within these highly specialized markets. This is a senior, second- or third-line sales leadership position requiring someone who has successfully led leaders, scaled enterprise SaaS sales organizations, and brings deep experience navigating the unique buying environments, procurement processes, and customer needs within the public sector and other complex vertical markets. The ideal candidate combines strategic leadership with strong operating discipline. They can set the direction for the business, develop high-performing sales leaders, navigate complex enterprise opportunities, and partner across the organization to turn vertical specialization into a competitive advantage for Freshworks.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive sales experience, ideally within enterprise software or SaaS organizations.
8+ years of sales leadership experience, including 5+ years leading managers and operating at a second- or third-line leadership level.
Demonstrated success building, scaling, and leading high-performing enterprise sales organizations through multiple layers of leadership.
Significant experience selling into and leading sales organizations focused on SLED and/or Federal/Government markets is required, with a strong understanding of public-sector buying cycles, procurement processes, contracting requirements, and go-to-market dynamics.
Deep understanding of complex enterprise SaaS sales cycles, including executive engagement, multi-threaded decision processes, procurement, security, legal, implementation, and commercial negotiations.
Proven track record of consistently delivering against ambitious revenue targets and driving predictable, sustainable growth.
Experience developing and executing vertical-specific GTM strategies rather than relying solely on traditional geographic or territory-based sales models.
Strong command of pipeline management, forecasting, territory planning, account strategy, and sales productivity.
Demonstrated ability to coach and develop experienced sales leaders while creating a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high performance.
Strong executive presence with the ability to engage credibly with C-suite customers, senior government and public-sector stakeholders, internal executives, partners, and other senior decision-makers.
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving environment and balance long-term strategic thinking with hands-on leadership and execution.
Strong cross-functional leadership skills and a track record of influencing across complex organizations.

Nice To Haves

Experience within Manufacturing or other complex enterprise vertical markets is strongly preferred.
Experience in a high-growth SaaS environment and/or helping an organization successfully move upmarket is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Lead Freshworks' North America vertical sales organization, with responsibility for teams focused on Manufacturing, SLED, and Federal/Government markets.
Lead, coach, and develop the sales leaders responsible for each vertical, establishing a high bar for performance, accountability, talent development, and execution.
Develop and execute a comprehensive vertical sales strategy aligned with Freshworks' broader North America and enterprise growth objectives.
Own revenue performance across the verticals organization, including pipeline generation, forecasting, deal execution, productivity, and attainment.
Build a scalable operating model across the three vertical teams while recognizing the distinct customer, regulatory, procurement, and go-to-market requirements of each market.
Drive Freshworks' continued expansion into larger, more complex enterprise SaaS opportunities and help teams navigate sophisticated, multi-stakeholder sales cycles.
Serve as an executive sponsor on strategic opportunities, helping teams engage senior customer stakeholders, overcome obstacles, and successfully close transformational deals.
Establish strong inspection and forecasting discipline across the organization, providing clear visibility into pipeline health, risks, opportunities, and business performance.
Recruit, retain, and develop exceptional sales leadership and sales talent as the vertical organization scales.
Partner closely with Marketing, Solution Engineering, Customer Success, Professional Services, Channels & Alliances, Revenue Operations, Finance, Product, and other functions to develop integrated vertical go-to-market strategies.
Build strong relationships with channel, technology, and ecosystem partners that can accelerate Freshworks' presence within strategic vertical markets.
Bring market intelligence back into Freshworks, helping Product and GTM leadership understand the evolving needs of Manufacturing, SLED, and Federal/Government customers.
Represent the verticals organization within the North America sales leadership team and contribute to broader GTM strategy, planning, and execution.