SENIOR DIRECTOR, GO TO MARKET & COMMERCIAL GROWTH

Description

POSITION DETAILS

Department: Business Development / Commercial

Reports To: Chief Commercial Officer

Supervisory Role: Yes

JOB OVERVIEW

Lead Persona Services Group’s go-to-market execution, driving brand visibility, market engagement, demand generation, and qualified sales pipeline across Hospitality, Restaurant, Retail, and Architectural markets. This role integrates marketing strategy, digital campaigns, events, and sales development efforts to create measurable commercial opportunities while overseeing RFP execution and customer activation. Accountable for improving sales-accepted pipeline, RFP conversion, and speed to first revenue, this leader builds scalable, repeatable processes that drive sustainable commercial growth. Success requires strong cross-functional collaboration, effective delegation, and a results-driven approach focused on removing barriers, optimizing performance, and ensuring accountability across the team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Marketing, Brand & Demand Generation

• Lead integrated marketing and demand generation strategies across Hospitality, Restaurant, Retail, and Architectural markets, including campaign planning, execution, and performance measurement.

• Oversee brand positioning, digital marketing, social media, thought leadership, customer stories, email campaigns, and targeted outreach to increase market visibility and generate qualified opportunities.

• Partner with Market Leaders, Business Development Executives, Operations, and subject matter experts to develop differentiated messaging, sales collateral, and customer-facing content.

• Direct commercial strategy for trade shows and industry events, ensuring effective lead generation, follow-up, and measurable return on investment.

• Manage marketing priorities, approved budgets, vendors, and deliverables to ensure alignment with commercial objectives.

Sales Development & Pipeline Generation

• Recruit, develop, and lead the Sales Development Representative (SDR) team, establishing clear performance expectations, qualification standards, and accountability for results.

• Strategically allocate SDR resources across new customer acquisition, existing account expansion, and cross-selling opportunities to drive sales-accepted qualified pipeline.

RFP Conversion & Commercial Programs

• Oversee the effectiveness of formal RFP processes, ensuring timely, accurate, competitive, and customer-focused proposals while maintaining appropriate technical, financial, and contractual approvals.

• Monitor pursuit priorities, proposal milestones, resource capacity, conversion rates, and win/loss trends to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Ensure adherence to centralized quotation intake processes while maintaining accountability with designated RFP and quotation owners.

Customer Activation & First Revenue

• Lead customer activation efforts through the Customer Activation Manager, ensuring timely onboarding, first-order success, progression to first revenue, and effective Account Manager handoffs.

• Monitor activation milestones, customer readiness, and potential delays, proactively escalating barriers and coordinating cross-functional solutions.

Commercial Operations, Leadership & Performance

• Lead commercial team operating reviews, using performance data to identify bottlenecks, improve conversion, allocate resources, and report results to the Chief Commercial Officer.

• Provide leadership, coaching, and performance accountability across sales development, commercial programs, customer activation, and commercial operations.

• Collaborate with Commercial, Operations, and Finance leaders to align priorities, improve processes, and support scalable commercial growth.

Decision-Making Authority & Accountability

• Own day-to-day go-to-market priorities, marketing execution within delegated authority, SDR assignments, and team performance management.

• Maintain established functional ownership: Sales retains customer relationships and pursuit execution; Commercial Programs owns formal RFP execution and technical readiness; and Customer Activation owns onboarding, non-RFP quotation coordination, and activation.

• Drive results through effective delegation, cross-functional collaboration, and removal of operational barriers rather than assuming direct execution of specialized activities.

Requirements

PERFORMANCE METRICS / KPIS

Commercial outcome indicators; targets, definitions, and any incentive weighting require separate approval.

KPI/Metric and Description

Marketing-sourced qualified pipeline- Sales-accepted qualified opportunities and value with attribution

SDR-sourced qualified pipeline- Sales-accepted opportunities and qualified meetings from new logo and expansion outreach

Brand and digital engagement- Target-account reach, relevant engagement and campaign contribution

RFP effectiveness- Qualified pursuit conversion, on-time responses, quality and win/loss insights

Activation and first revenue- On-time activation, first-order success, time to first revenue and AM handoff

Commercial operations- Lead follow-through, campaign ROI, service levels, CRM adoption and issue resolution

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, Sales Management, or a related field preferred. MBA or advanced degree in Marketing, Business, or a related discipline is a plus.

• MBA or advanced degree in Marketing, Business, or a related discipline is a plus.

• Equivalent combinations of education and relevant professional experience will be considered.

Experience

• 7–10 years of progressive experience in B2B marketing, demand generation, sales development, commercial operations, or related leadership roles.

• Demonstrated success executing go-to-market strategies, integrated campaigns, and targeted outbound programs that generate measurable, sales-accepted pipeline and commercial growth.

• Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop teams through effective delegation, performance management, and cross-functional accountability.

• Experience driving customer acquisition, brand development, process improvement, and data-driven commercial performance.

Technical Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of brand positioning, digital marketing, LinkedIn, content development, trade shows, lead nurturing, and sales enablement.

• Proficiency with HubSpot or similar CRM and marketing automation platforms, funnel analytics, source attribution, dashboards, and forecasting.

• Strong communication, analytical, and commercial judgment skills, balancing growth opportunities with customer needs and operational readiness.

Preferred / Nice to Have

• Experience in manufacturing, signage, retail, hospitality, restaurant, or multi-site enterprise environments.

• Familiarity with complex RFPs, commercial proposals, customer activation, and revenue conversion.

• Experience supporting complex products, national accounts, or large, multi-location customers.

Other Requirements

• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship at time of hire.

• Ability to travel as business needs require; work arrangement and travel expectations to be confirmed.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Primarily office-based with regular computer use, sitting, standing, and occasional walking.

• Occasional travel to company facilities, customer meetings, and industry events.

Mental & Cognitive Requirements

• Ability to analyze complex information, interpret performance metrics, and exercise sound business judgment.

• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills to manage competing priorities, multiple initiatives, and deadlines.

• Ability to lead cross-functional teams, navigate changing business needs, and maintain effective working relationships.