Senior Director of Sales

Position Summary

Grow Progress is looking for a senior sales account executive who is motivated to apply their professional skills to help a progressive social impact company to continue its trajectory of growth.

We’re powering breakthroughs in persuasion by helping research and communication strategists to uncover what truly motivates an audience — and then scientifically test how to change their minds. We’re making these tools radically accessible by allowing strategists to test their messages 10x more affordably than a traditional poll, so they have the freedom to take big swings and learn faster.

The majority of your role will be to (1) establish relationships with decision-makers and strategists at the leading political social good advocacy groups, consulting firms, and media agencies; (2) understand their challenges; and (3) recommend how they can use our tools to breakthrough with the people they need to win.

If you are a self-starter and are interested in contributing significantly at a high-growth social impact startup, read on for more details.

Who We Are

Grow Progress gives our clients the power to persuade more people based on how they think — not just how they look. We currently work with many of the biggest Democratic pollsters, marketing agencies, unions, and advocacy groups in the country. We help them tailor their messages to better resonate with target audiences, and then scientifically test their messages to maximize the number of people they persuade.

Our team is full of experienced campaigners, engineers, and data scientists who are obsessed with harnessing the power of evidence to make social good strategists more effective. We’re a bunch of ambitious, scrappy do-gooders who like to make each other laugh.

The Role

The Senior Director of Sales will serve as one of the faces of our company to prospective clients. This person will develop an understanding of prospects needs, articulate how our tools can best solve their problems, and then hand them off to our client success team once you’ve brought them onboard.

This is an opportunity to build something new. As one of the early members of our growing sales team, the Senior Director of Sales will have the opportunity to significantly impact the trajectory of the company, eventually expand their role and responsibilities, contribute to the company’s overall strategy, and help build out our sales team as we grow.

You will work closely with our Head of Political & Advocacy Sales as you establish a replicable process for selling our products to new types of clients, tailoring our pitch, and setting and achieving goals. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to work on everything including leading pitch meetings, prospecting new leads, negotiating contracts, and helping build the team’s internal processes.

While we have strong existing revenue, we are looking for someone to help us reach the next level. This role requires an entrepreneurial mindset with an understanding for how our research tools can benefit clients. To succeed in this role, you will need to be comfortable learning and iterating rather than relying on systems or processes always being fully defined.

What You’ll Do:

• Manage a comprehensive book of business to increase revenue through direct sales, with the opportunity to grow in your role as the team grows
• Set and reach agreed-upon sales targets on schedule
• Become an expert in our company’s offerings, and contribute to the development and expansion of our revenue strategy
• Improve our understanding of clients’ pain points, motivations, blockers, and buying process
• Share insights with our product team about client problems and new feature ideas
• Own the full sales lifecycle from lead identification to cold prospecting to pitching/demoing to contracting to handing off the business to our client strategy team
• Research and develop new business opportunities remotely as well as through in-person events (Travel Percentage: 15 – 25%)
• Use our CRM to track the progression of sales leads
• Present to prospective clients, including participating in and leading meetings where you might bring in other internal resources such as research strategists
• Draft client proposals, and provide input into required sales materials such as case studies that would support your territory
• Understand client needs and collaborate with the Grow Progress data science and project success teams to scope pricing quotes and requirements
• Prepare and review client agreements

What You’ll Bring:

• You’re likely to have 7+ years of experience in a sales role, ideally at a software company, consulting firm, marketing agency, or with customers engaging in political advocacy
• OR you’ll have 7+ years of experience conducting opinion research or planning strategy based on it for political persuasion
• An ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience both in sales as well as public opinion research
• Proven ability to self-manage towards defined sales goals and other quantitative objectives
• Experience owning the full sales lifecycle from lead identification to cold prospecting to pitching/demoing to contracting to handing off the business to our client strategy team
• Ability to understand technical concepts and communicate them clearly to non-technical audiences
• Comfort working in an early-stage environment
• Ability to successfully build buy-in from clients and teammates
• Ability to match client needs to Grow Progress products and services
• Ability and desire to help grow a new business line
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Experience using Hubspot or a similar CRM
• Progressive values
• Current U.S. work authorization

More About Grow Progress

Our culture is fun, fast-paced, and focused on evidence. We aim to cultivate an environment where creative hypotheses and evidence drive our decisions rather than just anecdotes, and where everyone feels comfortable contributing ideas — even if it’s on a topic outside of their expertise. We work hard to get smarter together by giving each other feedback that’s direct, actionable, and respectful. We’re deeply motivated by the work we do and committed to using this technology ethically, so we’re looking for teammates who feel the same way.

We’re an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse company. Qualified people of any race, ethnicity, culture, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, social class, marital status, religion, veteran status, or disability status are strongly encouraged to apply.

Compensation: $180,000 to $210,000 yearly on-target earnings depending on experience (we expect that excellent candidates will make more than this by exceeding their goals), plus equity in a fast-growing startup. Benefits include a company health plan with medical, dental, and vision insurance, a flexible PTO plan, and a 401(k) with employer matching, among others.

Location: Washington, DC or Remote

To Apply: Fill out the form at the link. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis. Please note that if you email your resume to our team directly or apply through a different site rather than applying on our job site, you may not be considered for the position. No recruiters, please.