US Sales Development Team Lead Agentic AI
San Francisco, CA - USA
Department:
Job Summary
Humaans is building the next generation of infrastructure for the workplace; software designed for companies that are scaling fast operating globally and pushing into new boundaries.
What started as a system of record has evolved into a broader platform for operating people globally. With Athena our agentic AI layer Humaans moves beyond data management into intelligent orchestration connecting workflows across HR IT Finance and Operations so organisations can act faster and with greater confidence redefining how work gets done.
We work with ambitious teams across Europe and the US from AI-native companies like Lovable Poolside Fyxer AI and Tandem Health to established high-growth organisations scaling internationally and through acquisition including Quantexa Sellpy Manychat Gigs Croud and Threecolts. These teams dont buy software for featuresthey buy leverage. The ability to run faster cleaner and with more control as complexity compounds.
To date weve raised $20m in venture funding from some of the most respected founders operators and funds in technology: Lachy Groom (Physical Intelligence) Stewart Butterfield (Slack) Tobias Lütke (Shopify) Dylan Field (Figma) Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn) Claire Johnson (Stripe) Oliver Jay (OpenAI) Jay Simmons (Bond) as well as Y Combinator Moonfire Frontline Ventures Pathlight Ventures and Exor.
If you have massive ambition and want to work on a hard problem with a small team that moves fast at a moment when the category is genuinely up for grabs - this is it.
Were looking for a Founding Sales Development Team Lead to build and run the outbound engine for Athena our agentic AI product in the US. Youll be responsible for building a group of ambitious sales associates into a precision pipeline machine setting the standard writing the playbook and coaching the team to consistently create the opportunities that fuel our largest US deals.
This is a player-coach role. Youll carry your own outbound make calls and open target accounts yourself then turn what works into a repeatable playbook for the team. Youll stay close to the work through call reviews sequence development and live coaching while holding a high bar for quality and creating the conditions for people to develop quickly.
AI is central to how we expect the team to operate. Better research sharper sequences smarter prioritisation and faster learning should give us an advantage. Youll need to know how to use AI effectively yourself and how to embed it into the way your team works every day.
You wont be inheriting an established US motion. Youll work closely with our Founding US GTM Lead to build it from the ground up defining what great outbound looks like for Athena in a greenfield market and creating foundations that can scale with the business.
Own Athenas US outbound function end to end including team performance pipeline contribution process and development
Build pipeline yourself through cold calling thoughtful outbound and creative approaches to opening our highest-value target accounts
Develop our US outbound strategy from a blank page refining segmentation targeting messaging and the playbook as we learn
Turn what works in your own prospecting into repeatable approaches that the wider team can learn from and execute
Use AI-assisted tooling to improve account research personalisation sequencing prioritisation and follow-ups
Coach and develop the team through structured 1:1s call reviews live deal support and regular feedback
Set a high bar for cold calling and coach the team on how to earn attention and create meaningful conversations
Build a culture of accountability experimentation continuous improvement and high performance
Partner closely with our Founding US GTM Lead and Revenue Operations to maintain strong pipeline quality healthy conversion rates and a seamless handoff
Use data and AI-powered analytics to understand performance surface patterns and act quickly when something isnt working
Experiment with unconventional prospecting approaches and turn successful ideas into repeatable plays
Bring what you learn from the US market back to Product and Engineering as Athenas category and product continue to take shape
5 years of experience in outbound sales including at least 2 years managing or leading a BDR team within B2B SaaS
A consistent track record of building pipeline and coaching others to do the same. You know what good outbound looks like and can teach it
Strong cold calling experience and the ability to coach others on how to confidently and effectively open conversations
A builders mindset. Youre creative about opening doors persistent through rejection and comfortable developing the approach while executing it
Experience building pipeline for an early-stage or category-creating product where customers dont already understand what they need or why
Deep familiarity with modern outbound tooling ideally including tools such as Clay Claude Code Lemlist LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Prospeo
Hands-on experience using AI to improve an outbound workflow with a clear understanding of what changed in quality speed or conversion as a result
Strong analytical instincts and the ability to use data to diagnose underperformance identify patterns and improve the motion
A coaching-first approach to leadership. You measure your success by what the team produces and how quickly people develop
Comfort operating with ambiguity creating clarity as you go and moving quickly without waiting for perfect enablement or information
Experience working in a high-growth VC-backed environment where priorities move quickly and the playbook is still being written
A clear direct communication style and the ability to influence effectively across the organisation
You want to manage outbound from a distance. This is a player-coach role and youll be expected to prospect cold call and open accounts alongside the team
You need an established playbook mature US motion or clear set of instructions before you can perform
You prefer optimising an existing outbound engine rather than building one from the ground up
You rely on brand recognition or existing category demand to create pipeline. Athena is entering a greenfield US market so creating conviction is part of the job
You measure success primarily through activity volume rather than pipeline quality conversion and revenue impact
You prefer giving people targets and leaving them to execute rather than actively coaching reviewing and developing their skills
You see AI as an optional productivity tool rather than something that should fundamentally improve how a modern outbound team operates
Youre uncomfortable experimenting with new prospecting approaches learning from rejection and changing course quickly when something isnt working
This is an in-person role. Our team comes together in the office Monday through Thursday while most of the team collaborates in person on Mondays Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Early stage startups can be messy we know that. Were putting effort in providing you with the best employee experience and a quality driven environment in exchange for trusting us.
Market-leading compensation that reflects your value
25 days paid time off each year plus public holidays
Share Options with 5-year exercise window so you dont feel pressure to exercise if you leave
Quarterly team events and company offsites
Top tier private coverage for health vision and dental care
A new MacBook and tools you need to do your best work
Enhanced parental leave with up to 16 weeks for primary and 4 weeks for secondary
Learning & development budget
HR tech is having its AI moment and were positioned to own it. Humaans started as a next-gen HRIS taking on large incumbents in a massive market. Weve since evolved into something even bigger: an AI platform that sits across workforce data and automates the operational layer of HR entirely; the natural progression of what weve been building toward.
The product is highly differentiated. Its built around a structured workforce data model that makes AI reliable in an HR context something no one else has gotten right. Customers notice the difference immediately.
Were backed by Y Combinator Lachy Groom Moonfire Frontline Ventures and operators whove built some of the most consequential software companies of the last decade: the founders of Slack Figma and Shopify and Asanas former CRO and Head of OpenAI International.
Were a small team with an unapologetically high bar. It shows up in the product in how we communicate and in the standards we hold each other to.
At Humaans were looking for genuinely good people that are transparent and emphatic. Were committed to providing equal opportunities a diverse and inclusive work environment and ensuring a fair interview process for everyone. Youre welcome to apply no matter your gender ethnicity sexual orientation religion civil or family status age disability or race.
We care about your privacy. When you apply for a role at Humaans well collect and process your personal data as part of our recruitment process. This includes things like your CV contact details and any other information you choose to share. We may also contact you about future opportunities. You can ask us to delete your data at any time. For more details see our .
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