Founding sales development representative (sdr)

We are looking for an experienced Founding Sales Development Representative (SDR) to build and scale an outbound sales function from the ground up.

Our client specializes in AI engineering, intelligent automation, AI agents, and custom AI solutions, helping businesses leverage AI to improve their operations and solve complex business challenges.

As the first dedicated outbound sales professional, you'll work directly with the founder and a highly skilled technical team to establish a predictable pipeline of qualified B2B opportunities across international markets, including the US, UK, and Europe.

This is more than a traditional SDR role. You'll have the freedom to build the outbound process, experiment with new approaches, select and implement tools, and use AI-powered automation to make prospecting more efficient.

We're looking for someone who combines strong outbound sales skills with a data-driven mindset, enjoys working independently, and knows how to turn a sales strategy into a repeatable process.

If you're proactive, analytical, and excited about the intersection of AI and B2B sales, this could be an excellent opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Responsibilities

• Build and optimize the outbound sales process from scratch, creating repeatable workflows for prospecting, outreach, qualification, and follow-up.
• Plan and execute multichannel outbound campaigns through LinkedIn and cold email, including structured, multi-step outreach sequences.
• Research and identify ideal customer profiles, target industries, relevant companies, and key decision-makers.
• Build and manage qualified prospect lists using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, Clay, and similar tools.
• Identify buying signals, including company funding, hiring activity, business expansion, entry into new markets, and product launches.
• Write compelling cold emails, LinkedIn messages, outreach sequences, and calls to action tailored to different audiences and business needs.
• Manage and maintain Pipedrive CRM, ensuring accurate pipeline stages, activity records, follow-ups, and next steps.
• Use AI tools to improve prospect research, personalize outreach, automate repetitive tasks, and increase sales productivity.
• Run A/B tests on messaging, offers, subject lines, and outreach strategies to improve response rates and conversion.
• Qualify prospects based on their business challenges, existing solutions, budget, decision-making process, and purchasing timeline.
• Book qualified meetings and provide the sales team with clear prospect briefs, including relevant research, identified pain points, and potential opportunities.
• Follow up consistently with prospects and re-engage leads whose purchasing decisions have been postponed.
• Track key sales metrics, monitor funnel performance, and provide regular reporting on outreach activity, conversion rates, and qualified opportunities.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve sales processes, automation workflows, and campaign performance.
• Collaborate directly with the founder on go-to-market strategy, positioning, target markets, and pipeline development.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in B2B sales, sales development, business development, or outbound lead generation.
• Proven experience executing outbound sales campaigns through LinkedIn and cold email.
• Strong copywriting skills, with the ability to create personalized, persuasive outreach messages that generate responses.
• Hands-on experience with prospecting and sales tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, Clay, Pipedrive, Closely, or similar platforms.
• Experience managing multistep outreach sequences and maintaining an organized CRM pipeline.
• Understanding of sales funnel metrics, KPIs, conversion rates, and data-driven campaign optimization.
• Comfortable using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, or similar solutions for prospect research, personalization, and productivity.
• Ability to independently research target markets, identify relevant prospects, and build qualified lead lists.
• Experience communicating with international B2B clients, ideally in the US, UK, and European markets.
• Upper-intermediate English or higher, with strong written communication skills and the ability to communicate confidently in a professional environment.
• A proactive, analytical, and results-oriented mindset, with the ability to take ownership of tasks and work independently.
• Willingness to experiment, test new approaches, and continuously improve outbound performance.

Nice to have

• Experience selling AI services, AI agents, intelligent automation, or custom AI engineering solutions.
• Familiarity with enterprise AI, document intelligence, Voice AI, or AI-powered business automation.
• Experience working with AI development companies, IT service providers, or B2B technology consultancies.
• Experience building an outbound sales function or significantly improving an existing prospecting process.
• Knowledge of AI-powered sales automation and workflow tools such as n8n, Make, or Zapier.
• Experience with advanced prospect research, buying-intent signals, and lead enrichment using Clay or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with email deliverability, outreach personalization, campaign segmentation, and sales experimentation.
• Experience developing outbound strategies for new markets or customer segments.
• Strong interest in AI technologies and their practical applications in business.

What You'll Get

• The opportunity to build from scratch. Design and establish the company's first structured outbound sales function without legacy processes or unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Direct collaboration with the founder. Contribute to go-to-market strategy, discuss ideas directly with decision-makers, and see the impact of your work.
• Freedom and autonomy. Take ownership of your campaigns, experiment with new approaches, and develop processes that work.
• AI-driven sales innovation. Explore how AI tools and automation can improve prospecting, personalization, and sales productivity.
• A skilled technical team. Work alongside experienced professionals developing AI engineering and automation solutions for business clients.
• International market exposure. Help develop business opportunities across the US, UK, and European markets.
• Performance-based earning potential. Compensation includes a base component and performance-based incentives tied to sales development results.
• Room for professional growth. Develop your expertise in outbound strategy, AI-powered sales automation, and go-to-market execution, with the potential to grow into a broader sales leadership role as the function expands.

Who Will Thrive in This Role

This role is ideal for an independent, data-driven outbound sales professional with a builder mentality.

You're comfortable taking an idea and turning it into an actionable process. You know how to research prospects, write outreach that resonates, analyze campaign performance, and improve results based on data rather than guesswork.

You don't need a fully developed sales playbook or constant supervision. Instead, you enjoy finding better ways to work, experimenting with new tools, and taking ownership of your results.

You're also curious about AI and eager to explore how emerging technologies can make sales processes smarter, more efficient, and more scalable.

You'll work closely with the founder, have the freedom to shape the outbound strategy, and play a key role in establishing the company's sales foundation.

If you're ready to build an outbound sales engine from the ground up and help bring AI-powered solutions to businesses worldwide, we'd love to hear from you!