Director of Business Development

About us

We’re solving AI’s hardest problem: alignment.

Encord is the data layer for Physical AI and enterprise, serving as core infrastructure for 300+ of the world’s leading AI teams, including Woven by Toyota, Hitachi, Skydio, AbbVie and Dyna, Walden and Agility Robotics. From autonomous vehicles and robotics to sports and healthcare, we’re solving AI’s hardest problem: turning complex, real-world data into production-ready intelligent systems.

We’re a team of founders, scientists, quants, researchers, and former Olympians, who’ve helped build some of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley, and alumni of MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial. We’ve raised $110M from legendary technology investors, early backers of companies like Databricks, ElevenLabs and Vercel, and we’re growing at an extraordinary pace.

We’re looking for exceptional people who want to help build a category-defining company, operating with high urgency and taking real ownership to help shape the future of AI.

The role
You’ll be the driving force behind Encord’s growth engine, owning how we generate pipeline and building the Commercial Associate (CA) program that powers it. Our CAs aren’t traditional SDRs. They own their territory, build their own playbook, and learn by sitting on live deals alongside our senior sellers. As Director, you’ll make that model scalable as Encord grows, across teams, markets and managers.

You’ll be obsessively focused on making sure the leading AI teams, from exciting growth-stage startups to F500 organizations, know how Encord can help them bring their AI applications to market, and why they should choose to work with us. You’ll have the autonomy to build the engine and the leaders to keep achieving our targets.

What you’ll do

• Own and scale our pipeline generation machine end to end, working closely with Sales, Marketing and Customer Success leadership and Encord’s co-founders to take our outbound motion to the next level

• Build the CA program to scale: the hiring framework, onboarding, training, and growth paths that keep it working as the team grows

• Hire, develop and lead managers who coach CAs day to day, and develop the next generation of Encord’s commercial leaders

• Set the operating system for the team: ICP, qualification standards, territory design, tooling (including AI-enabled prospecting), metrics and forecasting

• Strengthen the partnership between CAs and Account Executives, so associates learn from live deals and hand off cleanly

• Balance scaling what’s working with finding new growth curves: new campaigns, messaging, channels and growth hacks to test

• Create the path from CA to AE and wider commercial leadership, and keep retaining, developing and promoting top talent

• Stay close to the market, hands-on where it helps: joining calls, running campaigns and coaching

• Report on funnel health and the plan to close gaps to the leadership team

Who we’re looking for
You’re ambitious, driven, and make up for any gaps in experience with intelligence, grit, and a growth mindset. You’re a builder who gets energy from scaling what you’ve built, and you take real pride in developing people. You have natural hustle, build relationships easily, and thrive on lofty goals.

You’re data-driven and curious about how AI can change the way teams prospect, coach and run. You earn credibility quickly with senior sellers and founders. You want high impact and fast pace.

Experience requirements

• 5+ years in B2B SaaS or technology sales, including 2+ years leading sales or business development teams, with experience managing managers

• Track record of building or scaling an SDR/BDR function from the ground up, with measurable pipeline impact

• Experience hiring, developing and promoting early-career talent into AE and other commercial roles

• Experience prospecting into technical buyers, including engineers, ML practitioners, data scientists or platform teams

• Fluency with outbound tooling and AI-enabled prospecting workflows, and familiarity with CRM tools (e.g. Salesforce, HubSpot) and structured qualification methodologies

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience

• Bonus: experience selling developer tools, infrastructure or technical platforms. Experience in a high-growth startup. Curiosity about AI, robotics, or the future of Physical AI.

Why Encord

• Competitive salary, commission, and meaningful equity in a high-growth startup

• Clear, accelerated growth opportunities as the company scales rapidly

• Strong in-person culture: 4 days/week

• Daily team lunches & dinners

• Annual learning & development budget

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage

• US employees: 18 paid vacation days plus US public holidays

• UK employees: 25 paid vacation days plus UK public holidays

• Frequent travel opportunities across the U.S., London, and Europe

• Bi-annual company offsites & monthly socials