Director, Global Demand Generation

Job Description

About us- Cognex is the largest, most successful and recognized global player in industrial machine vision! We are a financially strong, international company with no debt and have been in business for over 40 years. Using advanced optics, image sensors and artificial intelligence software Cognex vision and ID systems capture an image then analyze it to make sense of what’s being seen. We are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment, guided by our "Work Hard, Play Hard, Move Fast" culture, which celebrates employee innovation, determination, and dedication in a dynamic, fun, and distinctive atmosphere.

We are working on a hybrid schedule, 3 days in the office, 2 at home.

Cognex is seeking a Director of Global Demand Generation to serve as the chief architect of our growth engine. You are a data-heavy strategist who thrives on turning complex market data into scalable execution. You will lead a 20-person global team, manage a $5M+ budget, build the blueprint for an expanded Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and Customer Marketing motion, and define a strategic roadmap for growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Growth Roadmap: Develop and "sell" the multi-year demand generation vision to the executive team and sales leadership, justifying incremental headcount and budget based on data-backed ROI projections.

• Global Team Leadership: Manage a distributed 20-person team organized by region (Americas, EMEA, APAC) and two specialized Centers of Excellence (Email and Tradeshows).

• ABM Transformation: Lead the selection and implementation of our first ABM platform. Design the "Cognex ABM Playbook" to penetrate top-tier accounts and new market segments, collaborating closely with the BDR team (housed in Marketing Ops).

• Establish Customer Marketing Strategy: Build a program specifically designed to reduce churn by identifying "at-risk" behaviors through AI data mining and engaging customers with targeted value-add content.

• Maximize LTV: Design and execute cross-sell and up-sell campaigns to the existing global customer base, leveraging intent data and usage signals to identify expansion opportunities.

• Full-Funnel Optimization: Own the primary KPIs of New Contacts, Leads, Opportunities, and Sourced Bookings. You will identify friction points in the existing funnel to increase sales productivity.

• Funnel Velocity Optimization: You don't just fill the top; you continually optimize the Marketing-to-Sales handoff. This includes setting Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for lead follow-up and monitoring the "days in status" for leads to prevent pipeline stagnation.

• Market Intelligence & Positioning: Collaborating with Product Marketing to ensure global campaigns aren't just loud, but actually resonate with specific buyer personas in different regions.

• Budget Management: Oversee an initial $5M global budget across paid search, 3rd party media, and high-impact regional tradeshows, optimizing for the lowest CAC in existing core markets.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Act as the strategic peer to the Director of Marketing Operations, Web, and Content to ensure a seamless tech stack (Salesforce/Account Engagement) and a unified brand voice.

Required Experience & Skills

• 12+ years of B2B Demand Generation experience in a high-growth tech environment (hardware or industrial tech experience is a plus).

• The "Data-Heavy" Mindset: Expert-level ability to manipulate Salesforce data to track attribution, forecast lead volume, and prove marketing’s impact on the bottom line.

• ABM Architect: Proven track record of building ABM programs from scratch, including platform selection (6sense, Demandbase, etc.) and sales/marketing alignment.

• Change Management: Experience scaling marketing investment from low single-digits of revenue to industry benchmarks.

• Operational Excellence: Deep understanding of the Salesforce ecosystem and its integration with Account Engagement (Pardot) for global lead routing.

Cognex believes in fair and equitable pay. A reasonable estimate of the base salary range for this role is 175,000 USD - 245,000 USD. Please note that actual salaries may vary within the range, or be above or below the range, based on factors including, but not limited to, education, training, experience, professional achievement, business need, and location. In addition to base salary, employees will participate in either an annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance or a sales incentive plan.

This position provides a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance; a 401(k) retirement plan with company matching; employer-paid disability, family leave, and life insurance; paid time off (including holidays); optional voluntary benefits; as well as recognition and wellness programs.

Additional Job Description

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cognex is an equal opportunity employer. Cognex evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, disability/handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic.