The 2026 SDR Manager Job Description

Someone in our community asked this week: does anyone have an SDR Manager job description they actually use, that they could share?

I had a folder of them. I had just finished analyzing 19 manager job descriptions across 13 companies, including how Anthropic, Ramp, Rippling, and Vanta write them. Here is the short answer, then the template you can copy.

5 patterns that separate a strong SDR Manager JD from a generic one

1. It says "build" or "manage" and means it. A greenfield role where you stand up the function from zero and a role where you inherit a nine-person team are two different jobs. The JD that blurs them attracts the wrong person. Ramp's wide OTE band ($158K-$242K mid-market) does this on purpose: the range itself tells candidates there is room to grow into the comp, not just negotiate at the edges.

2. Followership is a named requirement. The best line in any manager JD I read: "strong followership and references, your reps will sing your praises when asked." That is the cleanest signal a manager candidate is real. Weak JDs ask for "leadership experience" and leave it abstract.

3. It declares the coaching model. Player-coach or pure people-manager. Lead from the front by co-selling and joining calls, or coach from a dashboard. Name it, because manager candidates self-select hard on this. The ones who want to stay close to the work will not apply to a JD that reads like a reporting role.

4. Hiring is treated as a skill, not an afterthought. "A passion and excitement for hiring, with a thoughtful approach to team planning." A first-line manager's single highest-leverage activity is who they recruit. The JD should ask for it directly instead of assuming it.

5. IC experience is a prerequisite, not a nice-to-have. Quota-carrying years as an individual contributor before any management. You cannot coach a motion you have not run. The strong JDs make this a hard requirement and name the segment.

What does not belong in an SDR Manager JD

A team with no number. "Lead a team of SDRs" hides whether this is a 3-person job or a 12-person job. Those are different roles with different comp. Name the team size.

Comp buried or missing. Manager candidates read OTE first. If it is not there, they assume it is bad. Put it above the fold.

A character section copied from the IC job description. Manager character is followership, talent development, and judgment. "Thrives in a fast-paced environment" is a rep requirement. Do not recycle it.

AI as a footnote. A 2026 SDR Manager owns the team's AI workflow: what the reps adopt, what gets standardized, what gets cut. It belongs in the responsibilities section, not the nice-to-haves.

The template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, ship it.

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Role: Manager, Sales Development

Reports to: [VP of Sales / Director of Sales Development / CRO]
Location: [City, hybrid X days/week] or [Remote, US]
OTE: $[X] ([70/30] split, [equity yes/no])

About the role

You will [build / lead] a team of [X] SDRs and own the [segment] pipeline-generation motion. This role is for someone who [builds high-performing teams / develops talent / believes a great manager makes their reps better, not just busier].

[Choose one. As a member of the sales leadership team, you will refine and scale an existing motion. / This is a 0-to-1 build: you will stand up the [segment] SDR function from scratch.]

We measure pipeline generated and the development of the people on your team. Both matter.

The impact you will have

• Build and lead a high-performing team of [X] SDRs
• Lead from the front: [co-sell with your reps / join calls / run live prospecting]. We do not coach from a spreadsheet
• Coach and develop each rep against their own strengths and gaps across [time management, objection handling, prospecting, account research, AI workflow]
• Own the team's AI workflow: what tools the reps adopt, what gets standardized, what gets cut. In 2026 this is a core part of the job, not a side project
• Hire. Run a thoughtful, always-on approach to talent planning and recruiting
• Identify gaps in the outbound motion and run projects to fix them
• Partner with [marketing, RevOps, product, customer success] on pipeline and process
• Become an expert in our product and market so you can coach reps to engage [buyer type]

What we are looking for

Experience (required):

• [X]+ years of quota-carrying sales experience as an individual contributor
• [X]+ years of direct first-line management experience in [B2B SaaS] sales, [segment] preferred
• [For a build role: experience standing up a team or motion from scratch]
• [For an enterprise role: personal closing or enterprise selling experience]

Leadership (required):

• Strong followership and references. Your former reps will sing your praises when asked
• A genuine passion for hiring and a thoughtful approach to team planning
• Fluency with [Salesforce, your sales engagement platform, a conversation intelligence tool] and the ability to coach off the data, not just report it
• Working fluency with AI tools and a point of view on where they belong in an SDR's day

Character:

• A track record of developing people, not just hitting a number through them
• Customer-first sales instincts
• Lifelong learner. You read, listen, and steal from peers without being told to
• Clear written and verbal communication

Nice to have:

• Experience in [your industry or vertical]
• [PLG, developer-focused, or enterprise go-to-market background, depending on motion]

What success looks like

First 30 days: Ramped on product, ICP, and the current motion. You know every rep on your team, their numbers, and their development gaps.

First 90 days: The team is hitting [pipeline target]. You have made at least one change to the coaching cadence or outbound motion and can show the result.

First 6 months: The team is at or above quota. At least [X] reps have visibly leveled up under you. You have hired [X] and your bar is known internally.

Compensation and benefits

• Base: $[X]
• Variable: $[Y] (tied to team pipeline and attainment)
• Equity: [yes/no]
• Benefits: [standard]
• [Specific, unique benefit with a dollar amount if you have one]

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Notes for hiring managers using this template

Fill in the bracketed fields. A few of them carry more weight than the rest:

• Team size: name the number. 3-5 reps is a working-manager role. 8+ is a pure people-leadership role. Candidates need to know which one they are applying to.
• Build vs manage: pick one in the "About the role" section and commit. A builder and an operator are different hires.
• OTE: first-line SDR Manager OTE in major US metros sits roughly $150K-$220K in 2026. Enterprise-leaning roles run higher, $245K-$330K at the top of the range (Anthropic's enterprise manager band). A wide range is a feature, not a hedge: it signals room to grow into the comp.

Followership is the requirement most JDs skip and the one that predicts the most. Keep the line "your former reps will sing your praises when asked." It tells strong candidates you will actually check, and it tells weak ones not to bother.

Put AI workflow ownership in the responsibilities section. A manager who cannot decide what their team adopts and what they cut will let the team drift. Make it explicit.