Sr. Manager, Deal Desk Team & Operations

Merlin International Inc•McLean, VA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Merlin Group operates at the intersection of cyber innovation, national security, and technology-driven transformation. With a mission to accelerate the adoption of high-impact technologies across the U.S. public sector and regulated commercial markets, Merlin is uniquely structured around three core tenets – Invest, Enable, and Scale – each designed to address a specific stage of the technology lifecycle. Together, our affiliates – Merlin Ventures, CGC, and Merlin Cyber – form a flywheel that builds enduring capability for customers, partners, and the broader cyber ecosystem, operationalizing technological advancement into mission-ready, enterprise-grade solutions. At Merlin, we believe our strength lies in our people. Team members are encouraged to be creative, collaborative, and nimble, pursuing paths to deliver the cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions that our customers rely on. From next-generation cyber defense to secure cloud and AI, we are united by one purpose – transforming innovation into mission impact. The Senior Manager of the Deal Desk Team and Operations runs the Deal Desk and keeps the sales organization operating efficiently day-to-day. This role owns the quote and purchase order (PO) approval process, approves pricing and non-standard deal terms, and manages a team of deal desk managers. It is also responsible for keeping CRM data, deal records, and pipeline information accurate and current — so the VP of Field Operations and the Finance team have clean, reliable data to drive forecasting and territory planning. The right person is hands-on, detail-oriented, and comfortable in a fast-paced environment — at ease serving as the approval authority on deals and keeping quotes moving without sacrificing accuracy. They spend their time reviewing deals, keeping the CRM clean, running reports, fixing broken processes, and coaching a team.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Analytics, or a related field.
7+ years of experience in Sales Operations, Revenue Operations, or Field Operations.
3+ years of people leadership experience, including managing a deal desk or transactional operations team.
Strong expertise in deal desk operations, quote/PO approval processes, CRM data management, and sales reporting. Familiarity with how forecasting and territory planning use CRM data.
Hands-on proficiency with Salesforce or a similar CRM tool and with MS Excel.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management abilities.
Hands-on, detail-oriented, and effective in a fast-paced environment with high deal volume and shifting priorities.

Nice To Haves

Deal Desk & Approval Governance
Operational Execution
Data-Driven Decision Making
Process Improvement
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Effective Communication Skills
Results Orientation

Responsibilities

Own and oversee the quote and purchase order (PO) approval process, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely turnaround for the field.
Serve as the approval authority (and escalation point) for pricing, discounting, and non-standard deal terms within established guardrails.
Lead and manage a team of deal desk managers, setting standards, workload distribution, and service-level expectations.
Maintain deal desk policies, approval workflows, and documentation to support consistent, scalable deal execution.
Partner with Account Executives, Business Unit Executives, and the VP of Field Operations on deal structuring and order accuracy.
Partner with Accounting and Finance on deal reconciliation, purchase orders, and payments.
Develop and maintain positive relationships with Merlin partners.
Keep CRM data, deal records, and pipeline information accurate, complete, and up to date.
Maintain clean forecasting inputs — deal stages, close dates, amounts, and updates — so the VP of Field Operations and the Finance team can forecast reliably.
Build and maintain dashboards and reports that give Deal Managers, Account Executives, and Business Unit Executives visibility into deals and pipeline.
Support the deal desk and sales planning process by supplying accurate deal desk data to the VP of Field Operations and the Finance team.
Administer territory and opportunity assignments in the CRM as set by leadership, and keep them current as changes occur.
Identify and implement opportunities to streamline sales processes and reduce administrative burden on field teams.
Maintain operational cadences and standard operating procedures across the sales organization.
Serve as the power user and day-to-day owner of Salesforce and connected sales tools, driving adoption across the field team.
Own CRM data hygiene, pipeline accuracy, and reporting integrity.
Partner with the Business Operations team on system enhancements, requirements, and testing — acting as the voice of the deal desk.
Coordinate any needed training on deal desk tools, processes, and workflows.
Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing team.
Set clear objectives, development plans, and performance expectations.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and execution.