Position Overview:

The Director, Sales Development (EMEA) will build and lead a high-performing outbound BDR organisation from our Galway hub (hybrid), with responsibility for a Galway-based team and a remote DACH BDR team. You will directly manage BDR Managers (including one based in DACH), Team Leads, and potentially 1–2 tenured BDRs to stay close to the front line. The team’s mission is to generate high-quality Initial Meetings (IMs) from true cold outbound (phone, email, social) with net-new prospects, while Account Executives (AEs) own opportunity creation and close.

You will be a hands-on outbound expert who still actively prospects to model excellence, building a consistent, predictable flow of AE-accepted IMs that convert into qualified pipeline and revenue across EMEA.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will own the strategy, execution, and coaching needed to build a world-class outbound engine for EMEA.

Execute the EMEA outbound strategy (ICP, target account lists, channel mix, messaging, sequencing) to consistently deliver high-quality, AE-accepted Initial Meetings from net-new accounts.

Lead from the front by actively prospecting into priority accounts to test messaging, demonstrate best practices, and translate live learning into coaching and playbooks.

Coach and develop BDR Managers, Team Leads, and tenured BDRs; define clear scorecards, operating rhythms, and career paths for each layer of the team.

Define and enforce clear IM acceptance criteria with Sales and ensure airtight handoffs (pre-IM prep, context-rich notes, next steps, and CRM hygiene) so AEs can reliably convert IMs into opportunities.

Run a continuous experimentation program (A/B tests across messaging, cadences, channels, and value props) and operationalise winners into scalable EMEA playbooks.

Align closely with Marketing, RevOps, and Product Marketing/Enablement on data quality, lists, intent/signals, territories, messaging, and enablement to maximise outbound effectiveness.

Lead a distributed team across Galway and DACH with clear operating rhythms, time-zone-aware coverage, and periodic in-person sessions to build culture and performance.

Required Experience/Skills

6–10+ years in B2B SaaS top-of-funnel roles (BDR/SDR/AE) or equivalent experience, including 2–4+ years leading BDR or outbound sales teams with a strong track record of generating high-quality IMs from cold outbound.

Demonstrated personal excellence in outbound prospecting (phone, email, social, video), with the ability and willingness to still execute at a high level.

Proven ability to coach and apply structured qualification methodologies (e.g., MEDDICC/MEDDPICC) and to leverage modern sales tools, including AI-powered prospecting and research, across the EMEA team.

Metrics fluency across the top of funnel (coverage, connect/reply rates, held rate, AE acceptance, IM-to-opportunity conversion) and the ability to translate data into daily actions and coaching.

Experience leading distributed teams across EMEA and thriving in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

We know that not everyone ticks every box. If you’re excited about building high-performing outbound teams and scaling predictable pipeline across EMEA, we’d still love to hear from you.

How we’ll measure success

Outbound Initial Meetings (IMs) booked, held, and AE-accepted (monthly) against goal.

Engagement quality: show rate, connect/reply rates, and IM quality as defined by agreed acceptance criteria.

IM-to-opportunity conversion, with AEs owning opportunity creation and BDRs accountable for IM quality and handoff.

Target-account coverage and penetration: contact coverage, multi-threading, and engagement momentum across EMEA.

Process excellence: handoff SLAs, data quality, and the predictability of IM forecasts.
People and capability: BDR ramp time, retention, quota attainment, adoption of playbooks/tools, and manager/Team Lead development and bench strength.

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About Us

Diligent is the AI leader in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) SaaS solutions, helping more than 1 million users and 700,000 board members to clarify risk and elevate governance. The Diligent One Platform gives practitioners, the C-Suite and the board a consolidated view of their entire GRC practice so they can more effectively manage risk, build greater resilience and make better decisions, faster.

At Diligent, we're building the future with people who think boldly and move fast. Whether you're designing systems that leverage large language models or part of a team reimaging workflows with AI, you'll help us unlock entirely new ways of working and thinking. Curiosity is in our DNA, we look for individuals willing to ask the big questions and experiment fearlessly - those who embrace change not as a challenge, but as an opportunity. The future belongs to those who keep learning, and we are building it together. At Diligent, you’re not just building the future - you’re an agent of positive change, joining a global community on a mission to make an impact.

Learn more at diligent.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook

What Diligent Offers You

Creativity is ingrained in our culture. We are innovative collaborators by nature. We thrive in exploring how things can be differently both in our internal processes and to help our clients
We care about our people. Diligent offers a flexible work environment, global days of service, comprehensive health benefits, meeting free days, generous time off policy and wellness programs to name a few
We have teams all over the world. We may be headquartered in New York City, but we have office hubs in Washington D.C., Vancouver, London, Galway, Budapest, Munich, Bengaluru, Singapore, and Sydney.
Diversity is important to us. Growing, maintaining and promoting a diverse team is a top priority for us. We foster and encourage diversity through our Employee Resource Groups and provide access to resources and education to support the education of our team, facilitate dialogue, and foster understanding.

Diligent created the modern governance movement. Our world-changing idea is to empower leaders with the technology, insights and connections they need to drive greater impact and accountability – to lead with purpose. Our employees are passionate, smart, and creative people who not only want to help build the software company of the future, but who want to make the world a more sustainable, equitable and better place.

Headquartered in New York, Diligent has offices in Washington D.C., London, Galway, Budapest, Vancouver, Bengaluru, Munich, Singapore and Sydney.  To foster strong collaboration and connection, this role will follow a hybrid work model. If you are within a commuting distance to one of our Diligent office locations, you will be expected to work onsite at least 50% of the time. We believe that in-person engagement helps drive innovation, teamwork, and a strong sense of community.

_{We are a drug free workplace. Diligent is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth, physical disability, mental disability, age, military status, protected veteran status, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including, but not limited to, cancer related or HIV/AIDS related), genetic information, or sexual orientation in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Diligent's EEO Policy and Know Your Rights. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at recruitment@diligent.com.}

_{To all recruitment agencies: Diligent does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Diligent employees or any other organization location. Diligent is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.}

Director, Sales Development

Benefits

Job Description