Senior Sales Development Representative

Alation is pioneering the next era of data intelligence — powered by AI agents and trusted data. Organizations around the world rely on Alation to drive self-service analytics, cloud transformation, data governance, and AI innovation. Our technology helps enterprises connect people and data to make faster, smarter, and more confident decisions. With more than $340M in funding – valued at over $1.7 billion and more than 650 customers, including 40% of the Fortune 100.

As data becomes the foundation of every business, Alation is leading the way in helping organizations unlock their full potential. By bringing intelligence, automation, and trust to every interaction, we empower customers to scale data-driven innovation with confidence and speed.

Joining Alation means being part of a winning team shaping the future of AI-powered data intelligence. We move fast, think big, and deliver results together.

Job Description:

We’re building the next generation of AI-powered go-to-market at Alation, and we’re looking for a Senior Sales Development Representative to help lead the way.

This is not a traditional SDR role. This is a pipeline-creation role for a modern seller who understands that outbound prospecting has evolved. The best SDRs today combine business acumen, executive-level communication, technical curiosity, creativity, disciplined execution, and AI fluency.

As a Sr. SDR, you’ll be at the forefront of Alation’s growth strategy. You’ll create meaningful engagement with senior executives and technical buyers, uncover business initiatives, and generate high-quality pipeline that fuels company growth across Alation’s data intelligence and agentic AI opportunity.

You’ll partner closely with Account Executives, Regional Sales Managers, Marketing, Revenue Operations, and Sales Development leadership to build account-based outbound strategies, identify buying signals, personalize outreach, and engage the right prospects at the right time.

You’ll use AI-powered tools, intent data, account intelligence, call intelligence, and automation to research accounts, prioritize outreach, craft relevant messaging, and create conversations with leaders across data, analytics, IT, governance, compliance, security, cloud, and AI.

If you’re energized by innovation, thrive in a high-performance environment, and want to master the future of enterprise sales development, we’d love to meet you.

This is a hybrid role. You’ll join us in our Redwood City office three days per week to collaborate, connect, learn faster, and help build a high-energy SDR culture in person.

What You’ll Do

• Own pipeline creation across target accounts, strategic industries, and assigned territories, with a focus on creating high-quality Sales Accepted Leads that convert into qualified pipeline.

• Use AI-powered tools, intent data, account intelligence, automation platforms, and human judgment to identify, prioritize, and engage high-value prospects at the right time.

• Build account-based outbound strategies that connect Alation’s value to executive priorities around trusted AI, data governance, cloud transformation, self-service analytics, data products, compliance, lineage, quality, and AI-ready data.

• Research accounts deeply to understand business initiatives, leadership priorities, technology environments, trigger events, buying signals, buying committees, and potential Alation use cases.

• Craft and execute personalized multi-channel outreach across phone, email, LinkedIn, video, events, referrals, partner signals, and emerging digital channels.

• Partner with Account Executives and Regional Sales Managers to develop account plans, map stakeholders, identify whitespace, multi-thread into complex enterprise organizations, and create strong sales handoffs.

• Conduct thoughtful discovery conversations that uncover business challenges, current initiatives, pain points, urgency, qualification fit, and next steps.

• Use modern GTM tools such as Salesforce, Gong, Outreach, Orum, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, and 6sense, and leverage AI to improve execution, prioritization, personalization, and pipeline conversion.

• Review call recordings, email performance, connect rates, conversion data, and pipeline outcomes to sharpen messaging, improve sequences, test AI prompts, and optimize outbound plays.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Revenue Operations, Product Marketing, and Sales Leadership to share field insights, improve targeting, strengthen campaign performance, and serve as a peer leader for SDR best practices.

What You’ll Bring

• You think like a strategist, execute like an operator, and use technology, data, and AI as force multipliers.

• You are energized by outbound prospecting and love the challenge of opening doors into strategic accounts with relevance, creativity, timing, and persistence.

• 3–5+ years of success in a quota-carrying SDR, BDR, inside sales, business development, or pipeline-generation role.

• A proven track record of consistently exceeding pipeline, meeting-generation, Sales Accepted Lead, or qualified-opportunity targets.

• Experience prospecting into mid-market, enterprise, and/or strategic accounts using cold calling, personalized email, LinkedIn, account-based outbound, and multi-channel engagement.

• Strong ability to engage senior decision-makers and technical audiences with concise, relevant, business-oriented communication.

• Technical curiosity and the ability to understand concepts related to data, analytics, AI, cloud platforms, governance, security, compliance, and enterprise software — then translate them into clear business value.

• Practical experience using modern sales technology, AI, sales intelligence, and intent-based insights to work smarter across account research, prioritization, personalization, discovery preparation, follow-up, and pipeline creation.

• Comfort using AI tools responsibly to improve account research, messaging, personalization, call preparation, objection handling, follow-up, and productivity while maintaining accuracy and strong judgment.

• Strong CRM discipline, organization, coachability, resilience, competitive drive, and a desire to grow within enterprise technology sales; bonus points for experience in data, analytics, AI, cloud, governance, security, compliance, enterprise SaaS, or a relevant degree.

Why This Role

• Be part of a company building an AI-first go-to-market motion at the intersection of data intelligence, trusted AI, enterprise governance, and modern sales development.

• Help define what the next generation of SDR work looks like by combining human creativity, business judgment, data-driven execution, and AI-powered productivity.

• Work with modern technology and best-in-class GTM tools designed to improve speed, personalization, signal detection, coaching, and pipeline quality.

• Gain exposure to enterprise sales, executive buyers, strategic account planning, and complex data and AI transformation initiatives.

• Learn from experienced sales leaders and accelerate your career growth into future roles across sales, account management, revenue operations, sales engineering, or leadership.

• Join an onsite team environment built around collaboration, coaching, energy, accountability, and winning together.

• Make a direct impact on company growth while helping define the future of AI-powered prospecting at Alation.

Compensation: On-target earnings (OTE) range for this role is $100,000–$128,000.00, (70/30 split), base salary $70,000- $90,000 depending on level and performance, plus equity.

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Compensation Pay Range:

$54,450.00 - $73,507.00

Salary Information

The base salary range is specific to the United States.  The salary of the final candidate selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to internal equity, experience, education, work location, specialty and training.  If the final candidate has a different level of experience, the base salary target range may be lower or higher than what is published.

Alation, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to that individual’s race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.                                   

The Company will strive to provide reasonable accommodations to permit qualified applicants who have a need for an accommodation to participate in the hiring process (e.g., accommodations for a job interview) if so requested.  

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