Business Development Lead, Enterprise

Perplexity is seeking a Business Development Lead to build and scale our enterprise BDR team. In this role, you will hire, coach, and lead a team of BDRs generating qualified pipeline for our Enterprise Account Executives. This role is ideal for a hands-on sales leader who has built pipeline generation functions before and wants to shape the outbound motion of one of the fastest-growing enterprise businesses in AI.

Responsibilities

Hire, onboard, and coach a team of BDRs, establishing the ramp plan, operating cadence, and performance bar Own the BDR contribution to sourced pipeline and qualified opportunities Design and iterate the outbound playbook, including account targeting, vertical messaging, and multi-channel prospecting Partner with Enterprise AEs on account planning, lead routing, and handoff quality Build vertical fluency on the team so reps can hold credible conversations with buyers in industries such as Financial Services, Legal, Life Sciences, and Consulting Coach reps to position Perplexity's full product suite, matching the right entry point to each account Run the operating rhythm: weekly 1:1s, call and message reviews, pipeline inspection, and a clear performance scoreboard Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, RevOps, and Strategic Finance on lead quality, source attribution, and compensation design Develop BDRs into future Account Executives and build a strong internal talent pipeline

Qualifications

4+ years in SaaS sales or business development, including 1 to 2+ years directly managing a BDR or SDR team Proven track record of building or scaling a pipeline generation team in a high-growth environment Prior closing experience strongly preferred Skilled at coaching reps on outbound prospecting, qualification, and executive engagement Data-driven operating style with the ability to define, track, and improve conversion metrics Experience with modern prospecting tools and AI-native sales workflows Exceptional written and verbal communication; comfortable engaging with senior stakeholders internally and externally Experience with CRM systems (e.g. Salesforce) Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience The cash compensation for this role is $180-240k OTE based on experience level.