Lead Specialist, Sales

Lead Specialist, Sales  

Pearson Global Enterprise Sales Team 

The Pearson Global Enterprise Sales Team focuses on enhancing workforce competitiveness and adaptability by unlocking human potential, productivity, and career progression. We collaborate with over 200 enterprises and governments to close skills gaps and develop critical talent. The division focuses on three main themes:  

• Employability for the future of work 
• Verified skills for better human capital decisions 
• Shaping a skills system across governments, institutions, and employers.  

We help enterprises drive productivity and growth by transforming workforce evaluation, assessment, and reskilling processes, and delivering vocational training and qualifications. We assist employers in understanding labour market dynamics and futureproofing their workforces, while helping workers gain necessary skills. Our mission is to improve career prospects by being a trusted skilling partner to enterprises and Governments supporting them to plan, source and develop talent.  

Job Summary 

The Business Development Director will lead the buildout and ongoing management of Pearson’s Regional BDR function, creating a high-performing function focused on generating qualified pipeline for Enterprise Accounts. Reporting to the Regional Sales Leader, this leader will define the BDR operating model, hire and coach a team of Business Development Representatives (as required), and partner closely with Account Executives to identify, engage, and advance priority opportunities across the region. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Build the Regional BDR function: Design the structure, operating rhythm, processes, systems and success measures for a new or evolving BDR team aligned to Pearson’s Regional sales priorities. 
• Source, develop, and coach BDR talent: Recruit (as required), onboard, mentor, and manage BDRs, building a culture of accountability, curiosity, collaboration, and consistent execution. 
• Partner with Account Executives: Work closely with account teams to define target account priorities, coordinate outreach strategies, support account-based motions, and ensure smooth handoff of qualified opportunities. 
• Strategic Pipeline Generation & Opportunity Development: Identify, prioritise and develop strategic growth opportunities across enterprise and government markets, creating qualified pipeline through account-based engagement, consultative prospecting and building effective outbound motions.  
• Drive qualified pipeline creation: Establish activity, meeting, opportunity, and pipeline goals that support regional growth objectives, with clear visibility into performance and conversion. 
• Create scalable prospecting playbooks: Develop messaging, sequences, discovery approaches, and account research standards that help BDRs engage senior stakeholders and uncover meaningful customer needs. 
• Optimize process, performance and reporting: Use AI, CRM, sales engagement, and reporting tools to monitor productivity, improve data quality, identify coaching opportunities, and strengthen funnel performance. 
• Collaborate cross-functionally: Partner with Marketing, Revenue Operations, Enablement, Recruiting and Sales Leadership to align campaigns, lead flow, training, reporting, and account planning with the needs of the Regional Sales organization. 

Requirements and Qualifications 

• Sales and business development leadership: Experience leading BDR, SDR, inside sales, or pipeline generation teams in a B2B environment, with a track record of building repeatable prospecting motions. 
• Account-based sales experience: Strong understanding of enterprise, large account, or strategic account sales motions, including how BDRs support complex buying groups and long-cycle opportunities. 
• People leadership: Demonstrated ability to hire, coach, motivate, and develop early-career sales talent while setting clear expectations and performance standards. 
• Strategic & commercial acumen and discipline: Ability to translate sales priorities into clear goals, operating cadences, dashboards, and coaching plans that improve pipeline quality and conversion. 
• Cross-functional collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with Account Executives, Sales Leadership, Marketing, Recruitment, Revenue Operations, and Enablement. 
• Strategic thinking & problem solving: Able to operate effectively in complex and ambiguous environments while developing practical commercial solutions.  
• Tools and analytics: Comfort using AI, CRM, sales engagement, intent, and reporting tools to manage activity, measure outcomes, and improve team performance. 
• Communication & discovery Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to coach messaging, influence stakeholders, and represent the BDR function with credibility. 

What Success Looks Like 

• A clearly defined BDR operating model is in place for the Regional Sales team. 
• A motivated, well-coached BDR team is hired, onboarded, and executing against agreed goals (as required). 
• Account Executives have a strong partner in the BDR team for account research, outreach, meeting generation, and opportunity development. 
• Pipeline contribution, meeting quality, conversion, and activity metrics are visible, measurable, and improving over time. 
• The BDR team is recognized as a strategic growth engine for Pearson’s Regional Sales organization. 

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