Company
Perplexity
Annual salary
$126k – $240k/yr
Location
San Francisco, CA
Listed
17d ago
- Experience:
- 5 to 8 years
- Workplace:
- 5 days in-office in San Francisco, CA (New York considered but SF strongly preferred / Open to Hybrid)
- Equity:
- Competitive equity
On-site in San Francisco, CA.
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About this Role
We are looking for a Business Development Manager with 4+ years of SaaS sales experience (including 1-2+ years of BDR/SDR management) to build and scale the enterprise BDR function at Perplexity from the ground up. This is a rare opportunity to shape the outbound motion at one of the fastest-growing AI companies, you'll design the playbook, coach the team, and own pipeline generation during a pivotal stage of growth.
What you need
- 1-2+ years directly managing a BDR/SDR team with proven experience building or scaling a pipeline generation function (not just inheriting a structured team)
- Comfortable with high ambiguity, this is ground zero, you'll need to build process, playbooks, and reporting from scratch
- Data-driven operator who can define the right metrics, track performance, and coach to outcomes
- Mix of high-growth startup and established company experience preferred, pure big-company backgrounds without builder DNA won't fit
- Must be based in or willing to relocate to San Francisco (on-site); New York considered but SF strongly preferred
What will you be doing?
Provide day-to-day coaching, 1:1s, and call reviews for a rapidly growing BDR team (~7-8 today, expanding quickly)
Standardize outbound sequences, content, and best practices across the team, replacing the current "everyone figure it out" approach with a scalable playbook
Define and manage KPIs, quotas, and reporting, building your own dashboards in the interim while RevOps is being staffed
Partner with Enterprise AEs on account planning, lead routing, and handoff quality (BDRs are podded 2:1 with enterprise AEs)
Hire and onboard new BDRs as the team continues to scale to support both inbound and outbound motions
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply for the Business Development Manager, Enterprise (US) role at Perplexity? +
Use the Apply for a referral button on this page to send us your LinkedIn and CV. If your experience fits, we'll introduce you to the recruiter filling this role. They'll email you to check you're interested, then put you forward for this job or others that suit you better. It's free.
What does this Perplexity role pay? +
The listing gives $126k – $240k/yr.
Is this role remote? +
The listing gives the location as San Francisco, CA. 5 days in-office in San Francisco, CA (New York considered but SF strongly preferred / Open to Hybrid).
Interview Prep
Sample questions for a Business Development Manager role, written in-house to help you prepare.
How do you evaluate whether a new market segment is worth pursuing?
I look at the size of the opportunity relative to the cost of entry, including how different the sales motion or product adaptation needs to be, rather than chasing every segment that shows some initial interest. A segment that requires significant customization to serve is often not worth it unless the volume justifies it.
What's your process for building a pipeline of potential partnership opportunities?
I start by mapping out what a genuinely complementary partner looks like in terms of audience overlap and non-competing offering, rather than pursuing partnerships opportunistically based on whoever reaches out first. I prioritize outreach based on that fit rather than company size alone.
How do you structure a deal to protect your company's interests while still making it attractive to the other side?
I identify which terms are genuinely important to protect versus which are negotiable, before entering discussions, so I'm not making concessions on core terms under time pressure. I also try to understand what the other party actually values most, since that's often not the same thing they lead with.
What metrics do you use to assess whether a business development effort is actually working?
I track conversion through each stage of the pipeline, not just the final close rate, since a low overall conversion rate can hide whether the problem is lead quality, pitch effectiveness, or negotiation. Looking at aggregate numbers alone often points to the wrong fix.
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