BDR Manager

About the team

Adaptive ML is a frontier AI startup building a Reinforcement Learning Operations (RLOps) platform that enables enterprises to specialize large language models and deploy them reliably into production workflows with measurable impact.

Our Sales team is responsible for bringing Adaptive Engine to the world's most ambitious enterprises. We identify, engage, and close organizations that are ready to move beyond generalist LLMs—helping them understand how our reinforcement learning platform help deliver enterprise agents into production and deliver business outcomes. As an early-stage team, we operate with the urgency and ownership of founders: building our playbook, refining our process, and scaling what works.

The founding team previously worked together to develop state-of-the-art open LLMs. We raised a $20M seed round led by Index Ventures and ICONIQ in early 2024 and are live with our first enterprise customers, including Manulife, AT&T, Deloitte and more to be announced.

About the role

As the BDR Manager at Adaptive ML, you will build and lead the team responsible for creating the top of our enterprise sales pipeline. You'll own the strategy, execution, and results of our outbound generation efforts—ensuring a consistent flow of qualified opportunities for our Account Executives to close.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll hire and develop a team of high-performing BDRs, design the playbooks and campaigns they run, and coach them daily on messaging, prospecting techniques, and pipeline discipline. You'll also stay close to the work yourself—implementing new tools, testing new approaches, and leading by example when it matters.

You'll partner directly with the Head of Sales and GTM leadership to align outreach strategy with our target accounts, refine ideal customer profiles, and ensure the BDR motion is tightly integrated with the broader sales process. As an early leader on our go-to-market team, you'll have significant influence over how Adaptive ML builds its pipeline engine and scales its commercial organization.

This is an in-person role based at our Toronto or New York office.

Your responsibilities

• Recruit, hire, onboard, and develop a team of BDRs, creating a high-performance culture rooted in accountability, learning, and collaboration;

• Design and own the outbound and inbound prospecting strategy, including target account lists, sequencing, messaging frameworks, and channel mix across email, phone, and LinkedIn;

• Set clear individual and team targets for activity, qualified meetings, and pipeline generated, and hold the team accountable to hitting them;

• Coach BDRs daily through call reviews, 1:1s, and real-time feedback to continuously improve outreach quality and conversion rates;

• Partner with the Head of Sales to align BDR coverage and prioritization with account segmentation, territory plans, and revenue goals;

• Experiment with tools, automation, and AI-assisted workflows to scale outbound efficiency and improve lead quality;

• Analyze outreach metrics and pipeline data to identify what's working, diagnose what isn't, and iterate quickly on strategy and tactics;

• Collaborate with marketing on campaign alignment, event follow-up, and content that supports prospecting efforts;

• Ensure the team can credibly articulate the value of Adaptive Engine and our reinforcement learning platform to senior technical and business stakeholders;

• Build and maintain a structured career development path for BDRs, preparing top performers for progression into closing roles or other functions.

Your (ideal) background

The background below is only suggestive of the experiences we believe could be relevant. We welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds; do not hesitate to get in touch if you think you could be a great fit, even if the below doesn't fully describe you.

• 4–6+ years of experience in sales development, business development, or inside sales, with at least 1–2 years managing or leading a team of BDRs/SDRs;

• Experience in enterprise software, SaaS, or AI/ML—selling to technical buyers or into complex organizations is a strong plus;

• A track record of building or scaling a BDR function and consistently hitting or exceeding pipeline generation targets;

• Proven ability to hire, coach, and develop early-career sales talent—you take pride in helping people grow;

• Fluency with sales tools and tech stack (e.g., HubSpot, Apollo, Sales Navigator, Outreach) and a data-driven approach to managing performance;

• Strong understanding of outbound prospecting best practices, including account-based strategies and multi-channel sequencing;

• Ability to quickly grasp and coach others on technical concepts—you don't need to be an ML engineer, but you should be comfortable in technical conversations about AI and LLMs;

• Independence, resourcefulness, and comfort with ambiguity—you've operated in fast-moving startup environments and know how to build process without slowing things down;

• A collaborative mindset and the ability to work cross-functionally with sales, marketing, and product teams;

• Genuine passion for generative AI and enthusiasm for bringing a highly technical product to market.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical (health, dental, and vision) insurance;

• 401(k) plan with 4% matching (or equivalent);

• Unlimited PTO — we strongly encourage at least 5 weeks each year;

• Mental health, wellness, and personal development stipends.