Sr. Manager, Deal Desk Team & Operations

RevOps Report; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Merlin Group in McLean, VA is seeking a Senior Manager of the Deal Desk and Operations to lead the deal desk, oversee quote/PO approvals, and ensure accurate pricing and terms in a fast-paced environment.

You will manage a team of deal desk managers, maintain policies, collaborate with ABUs, AEs, VP Field Ops, Accounting, and Finance, and keep CRM data and forecasting reliable. You will build dashboards and streamline processes to reduce admin burden. This on-site role is based in Virginia.

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.

Job description

About This Role

About Merlin Group

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 Opportunity

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.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Deal Desk Management

• 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.

Data Integrity & Reporting Support

• 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.

Sales Operations & Execution

• 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.

CRM & Sales Tools

• Serve as the