Sales Development Representative

Zen Educate; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Uncapped commission

Equity in the company

25+ days holiday

Office in Oval (London)

Electric car scheme

Life coaching & health insurance

Job summary

Zen Educate Inc. is hiring a Sales Development Representative in London. You’ll be the first point of contact for schools, introducing our platform and guiding conversations with headteachers about how Zen Educate streamlines educator hiring.

This is a strong launchpad into Tech and SaaS sales with clear progression and team support. The role is full-time with five days in the office in London (Oval) and some remote options during school holidays.

Qualifications

• Strong communication and phone outreach skills
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt to a fast-paced environment
• Motivated by targets and career growth

Responsibilities

• Reach out to new schools by phone, email, and LinkedIn to initiate contact with Zen Educate
• Learn to tell our platform story and articulate the value to schools
• Qualify school needs and book meetings for the Account Manager/Executives
• Use Zen Platform to manage outreach and pipeline
• Collaborate with the New Business team to drive progress and try new strategies

Job description

Sales Development Representative

Location: London, UK (Oval)

Type: Full Time (5 days in office - remote working options during school holidays)

Salary: up to £30,000 per annum + Uncapped Commission

Hi, I’m Nick, the Head of Sales Development at Zen Educate.

I’m hiring Sales Development Representatives to be the first point of contact for new schools and help to continue to engage new schools with our amazing offering.

As an SDR, you’ll be right at the frontline of what we do, introducing headteachers and school leaders to a smarter, fairer, more affordable way to hire great educators. If you love talking to people, want to break into tech, and care about making an impact, keep reading.

Why this matters

Zen is transforming education staffing. UK schools spend over £2bn a year on supply staff, £600m of that goes straight to recruiters. We built a better way: a tech-driven platform that connects schools with teachers directly, saving time, money, and stress.

Since launching in 2017, we’ve saved schools over £30 million, and we’re just getting started. In 2024, we closed the largest EdTech funding round in Europe and are expanding fast across the UK and US.

We are looking for someone to join our high-performing SDR team, who are focused, driven, and friendly. This is a fantastic launchpad into Tech and SaaS sales, with great support, clear progression, and lots of opportunity.

What you’ll actually do

Let’s get specific. Here’s what you’ll be doing day-to-day:

• Reaching out to new schools by phone, email, and LinkedIn, being their first impression of Zen Educate.
• Learn how to tell a compelling story and speak confidently about our platform and mission.
• You will be asking smart questions to understand the school's needs, and identify where we can add value
• You will book meetings for our Account Manager and Account Executives to attend so that we can showcase our platform and offering.
• Use our Zen Platform to track your outreach and pipeline
• You will work with our educators to help find them exciting opportunities within new schools, creating profiles and helping them find work!
• You’ll collaborate daily with the new business team to ensure we keep progressing.
• You will experiment with new approaches to continue to drive success
• Celebrating wins and learning from every conversation

Why this role is unique

• You’ll be the face of Zen for new schools, setting the tone for long-lasting partnerships.
• You’ll work directly with our top-performing SDRs and the wider New Business team.
• You’ll be part of a fast-growing team that’s serious about your growth and development, with consistent development and career reviews.
• You’ll help build a product that supports teachers and improves education outcomes whilst saving schools money.

What makes you a great fit

You’ll thrive here if:

• You love talking to people and don’t shy away from picking up the phone
• You’re curious and coachable
• You’re motivated by targets and always looking to improve
• You want your work to matter and are excited by Zen’s mission
• You’re comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with ambitious goals
• You prefer and enjoy working in an office based, collaborative environment rather than remotely.
• You want your work to matter and are excited by Zen’s mission
• You’re organised and know how to manage your time effectively

What won’t work here

Let’s be honest — this isn’t for everyone:

• You avoid the phone or dislike speaking with new people
• You expect results without putting in consistent effort
• You’re not open to feedback or learning from mistakes
• You prefer rigid, slow-moving environments

Our hiring process

We move fast and respect your time.

1. Intro call with a member of our people team – A quick chat to get to know each other and cover the basics
2. In person assessment centre in our offices in Oval – This is a group-style interview where we'll get to know you, do some role plays to assess your cold calling abilities, and an opportunity for you to meet the team and find out more about Zen!

Perks & benefits

• Competitive base salary + uncapped commission
• Equity in the company
• 25+ days holiday (and we actually encourage you to take them!)
• 5 Days in the office during term time (reduced hours and WFH options during summer holidays)
• Electric car and cycle-to-work schemes
• Life coaching, health insurance, and life insurance
• A team that celebrates wins, lifts each other up, and cares about making a difference

We’re excited to meet you.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Zen, we strive to build a culture of equity and inclusion where everyone is respected, valued and appreciated. We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives — just like the staff who teach through Zen and the children at the schools we work with.

We’re committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive.