Founding Business Development Rep - BDR, SDR, or commercial role exp.

Job Description

Job Description

Salary - $80,000 - $110,000

What You'll Own

Build high-quality outbound pipeline for Athena in the US market, researching accounts deeply and designing creative, thoughtful outreach strategies

Open conversations with HR, Finance, Ops, and AI/Transformation leaders, testing messaging and positioning hypotheses through live outreach

Qualify opportunities rigorously before handing them to AEs, ensuring real signal and fit

Partner with AEs, founders, and marketing to refine targeting, approach, and ICP hypotheses based on real-world feedback

Feed live outreach signal back into messaging, product, and GTM strategy to drive continuous iteration

Must-Have

3+ years of BDR, SDR, or commercial role experience, with demonstrated ability to generate outbound pipeline in B2B SaaS

Proven track record of opening enterprise accounts and closing deals in a hunter-focused motion (100% outbound, no inbound support)

Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to craft personalized, thoughtful outreach that resonates

High agency and comfort operating in ambiguity: evolving priorities, partial context, changing messages, and the absence of a defined playbook

In-person in San Francisco; 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday minimum, with flexibility to extend hours as intensity demands

Nice-to-Have

Experience at a YC-backed or VC-funded B2B software company that scaled quickly; proven ability to thrive during a company's scaling journey

Track record of selling to emerging categories or competitive, complex landscapes where you had to build credibility and differentiation

Demonstrated AI fluency: not just summarizing meeting notes, but actively using AI and data tools (Claude, Clay, HubSpot, ABM platforms) to research, personalize, and move the needle in day-to-day work

Founder or early-stage startup experience, or having built and tested something yourself, even a small project or business

Deep curiosity about why sales tactics work, not just whether they do; intellectual rigor in testing angles, hooks, and formats instead of relying on scripts