Senior Manager, Global Business Development

Cognex Corporation; Natick (MA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & dental insurance

401(k) with company match

Disability insurance

Family leave

Life insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Cognex Corporation is seeking a seasoned BDR/ADR leader to architect and scale a global outbound ABM program. You will partner with global sales and demand gen to drive predictable pipeline and enterprise penetration across regions.

The role emphasizes change management, data-driven decision making, and building a high-performance ADR culture with layered leadership and modern compensation structures.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in B2B Revenue functions with 6+ years leading and scaling BDR/ADR teams.
• Proven track record building outbound ABM frameworks and pivoting from inbound to outbound.
• Hands-on with modern tech stacks including Salesforce, Salesloft/Outreach, 6sense, Demandbase, ZoomInfo.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute a global outbound ABM motion with Most Wanted Accounts.
• Lead and grow a multi-regional ADR organization and scale pipeline.
• Develop modern compensation plans and metric design focused on enterprise penetration.

Skills

Global leadership

ABM strategy & change management

Multi-region execution

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Marketing

MBA preferred

Tools

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Salesloft/Outreach

6sense/Demandbase

ZoomInfo

AI-powered sales tools

Job description

About us- Cognex is the largest, most successful and recognized global player in industrial machine vision! We are a financially strong, international company with no debt and have been in business for over 40 years. Using advanced optics, image sensors and artificial intelligence software Cognex vision and ID systems capture an image then analyze it to make sense of what’s being seen. We are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment, guided by our "Work Hard, Play Hard, Move Fast" culture, which celebrates employee innovation, determination, and dedication in a dynamic, fun, and distinctive atmosphere.

We are working on a hybrid schedule, 3 days in the office, 2 at home. Reporting directly to the Head of Global Marketing, you will lead, scale, and optimize a global team of outbound Account Development Representatives (ADRs), and ADR Managers focused on penetrating top-tier target organizations and "Most Wanted Accounts." Operating at the critical junction of Marketing and Global Sales, you will partner directly with the Head of Global Demand Generation and Regional Sales VPs to design and execute a high-impact outbound Account-Based Marketing (ABM) motion. Your mission is to pivot the organization from inbound lead qualification to a hyper-targeted, outbound ABM strategy, ensuring our global pipeline generation is programmatic, technologically cutting-edge, and highly predictable.

The Ideal Profile

You are a seasoned BDR/ADR leader with experience across multiple global regions and a proven track record of scaling pipeline in a $1B+ B2B enterprise environment. You are a change agent who knows how to transition teams from volume-based inside sales to a sophisticated, value-driven ABM play. You don't just track activity metrics; you build modern compensation structures, adopt AI-driven tech stacks, and align multi-threaded outreach with strategic accounts. You excel at managing through layers (leading managers) and driving execution across complex, matrixed global environments.

Qualifications

Experience: 10+ years in B2B Revenue functions, with 6+ years specifically leading and scaling BDR/ADR teams, including experience managing other managers across multiple global regions.

ABM Strategy & Change Management: Proven track record of successfully re-building or pivoting a global inside sales organization from traditional outbound/inbound to an outbound ABM framework.

Technical Stack Expertise: Hands-on experience choosing, deploying, and driving adoption for tools like Salesforce Sales Cloud, Salesloft/Outreach, 6sense/Demandbase, ZoomInfo, and AI-powered sales acceleration tools.

Comp & Metric Design: Demonstrated experience architecting new compensation structures, quotas, and performance metrics tailored specifically for enterprise account penetration rather than raw meeting volume.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field; MBA preferred.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Outbound ABM Architecture ABM Alignment: Partner with Global Sales VPs and the Head of Global Demand Gen to map, tier, and prioritize "Most Wanted Accounts" for global outbound campaigns. Multi-Threaded Playbooks: Design, deploy, and audit hyper-targeted, multi-channel outbound playbooks (email, phone, LinkedIn, executive events) tailored to specific enterprise buying groups. Funnel Optimization: Own the ADR stage of the funnel (SDR/ADR to Account Executive handoff), ensuring seamless routing, rigorous qualification, and zero pipeline leakage. (Note: This team is focused purely on sales-qualified pipeline creation, not direct bookings).
2. Operational Modernization & Tech Adoption Tech Stack Evolution: Evaluate, implement, and optimize the ADR tech stack (Intent data, sequencing tools, AI dialers/writers) to maximize rep efficiency and intent-driven personalization. Metric & Comp Redesign: Shift the team’s KPIs away from legacy vanity metrics (e.g., call volume) toward high-value indicators (e.g., account penetration depth, buying group engagement). Redesign compensation plans to reward strategic enterprise alignment. Process Engineering: Standardize global workflows across regions while allowing for necessary localization, removing administrative friction so reps spend maximum time prospecting.
3. Data-Driven Insights & Accountability Pipeline Analytics: Partner with Sales Operations to build and monitor dashboards tracking ADR efficiency, account conversion velocities, and outbound ROI. Insight-to-Action: Deliver weekly and monthly pipeline forecasts to executive leadership, providing actionable strategic feedback from the field to regional sales and marketing heads.
4. Leadership, Culture & Scale Scale Through Layers: Directly manage, mentor, and elevate 2 Regional ADR Managers, building a unified global leadership layer. High-Performance Culture: Foster a competitive, highly accountable, and data-driven culture that prioritizes continuous coaching, skills development, and technical curiosity. Recruit, Retain, and Develop: Build a best-in-class global ADR organization by recruiting, retaining, and developing the team by establishing career paths, challenging goals and incentives, and building teams within Cognex culture.

A reasonable estimate of the base salary range for this role is 150,000 USD - 215,000 USD. Please note that actual salaries may vary within the range based on factors including, but not limited to, education, training, experience, professional achievement, business need, and location. In addition to base salary, employees will participate in either an annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance or a sales incentive plan. This position is also eligible for equity under the Cognex Equity Program.

This position provides a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• health, dental, and vision insurance
• a 401(k) retirement plan with company matching
• employer-paid disability
• family leave
• life insurance
• paid time off (including holidays)
• optional voluntary benefits
• recognition and wellness programs

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cognex is an equal opportunity employer. Cognex evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, disability/handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic.

WE MAKE COMPUTERS THAT CAN SEE Cognex is the largest, most successful and most recognized global player in industrial machine vision. Using advanced optics, image sensors, and artificial intelligence software Cognex vision and ID systems capture an image, then analyze it to make sense of what’s being seen. Companies use Cognex vision and ID in their manufacturing processes to improve product quality, guide assembly robots, and track items through each stage of production and distribution. Cognex is focused entirely on solving the toughest problems in industrial machine vision and ID, and we have sold more solutions in these areas than any other company in the world. More than a billion products are made each day using Cognex vision. The only thing smarter than our vision and ID systems are the people that stand behind them. One of them could be you!