Job Overview
Location
New York City, New York, USA
Job Type
Full-time
Category
Software Engineering
Date Posted
February 28, 2026
Full Job Description
đź“‹ Description
- • As the Inside Sales Manager at Pinecone Systems Inc., you will step into a pivotal leadership role, driving the commercial growth engine of a pioneering company at the forefront of AI innovation. Pinecone is the industry's leading vector database, empowering over 9000 customers to build and deploy sophisticated AI applications at scale. Our mission is to imbue AI with knowledge, enabling developers and organizations to harness the full potential of artificial intelligence. This is a unique opportunity to lead a dynamic team responsible for generating and closing significant revenue within the vibrant startup and mid-market segments, while also collaborating with enterprise Account Executives on strategic expansion opportunities.
- • Your team will consist of talented Commercial Account Executives and Business Development Representatives (BDRs), tasked with engaging technical buyers such as CTOs, VPs of Engineering, AI Platform leaders, and ML Engineers. Success in this role hinges on your ability to foster meaningful conversations around the complex challenges of production AI. This is not a typical SaaS sales environment; our buyers are technically astute, discerning, and laser-focused on tangible outcomes. Therefore, you must cultivate a team that can speak with authority about AI infrastructure, deeply understand developer personas, and execute a consultative, thoughtful sales approach rather than relying on sheer transactional volume.
- • You will be the architect of pipeline generation strategies, the driver of revenue conversion, and the developer of repeatable, scalable playbooks specifically tailored for the commercial segment. This leadership position demands a strategic mindset, a passion for coaching and developing talent, and a relentless drive for results. You will be instrumental in shaping how Pinecone engages with a critical segment of the market, directly impacting the company's trajectory and success.
- • **Build & Lead the Commercial Inside Sales Team:** Your primary responsibility will be to recruit, onboard, and nurture a team of exceptional Commercial AEs and BDRs. This involves not only identifying top talent but also providing them with the guidance and support needed to excel. You will coach your team members on conducting credible discovery calls with engineering leaders and AI teams, ensuring they can effectively understand and address customer needs. A key aspect of your role will be to elevate the technical fluency of your team, ensuring they possess a strong grasp of cutting-edge concepts like Large Language Models (LLMs), vector search, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and production AI workflows. Furthermore, you will develop their skills across the entire sales cycle, from initial qualification and multi-threading to objection handling and identifying expansion opportunities. Ultimately, you will foster a team culture characterized by accountability, insatiable curiosity, a commitment to craftsmanship, and a strong sense of ownership.
- • **Own Commercial Pipeline & Revenue:** You will have direct ownership of pipeline creation and revenue targets for the commercial segment. This requires a data-driven approach to ensure predictable top-of-funnel generation, leveraging both outbound efforts and the conversion of Product-Led Growth (PLG) opportunities. You will drive seamless alignment between the BDRs' pipeline creation activities and the Account Executives' conversion efforts, optimizing the flow of leads and opportunities. A critical focus will be on improving the velocity from the initial customer meeting to deal closure. Additionally, you will be responsible for identifying and capitalizing on expansion signals within existing startup and mid-market accounts, fostering long-term customer relationships and maximizing lifetime value.
- • **Outbound & PLG Strategy:** You will design and implement sophisticated outbound strategies targeting AI-native startups and established companies that are actively adopting AI technologies. This involves close collaboration with the marketing team to capitalize on high-intent inbound leads, including developer signups, Product Qualified Leads (PQLs), and engagement with content. You will create structured follow-up motions for PQLs, effectively converting initial usage and interest into paying customers. Continuous refinement of messaging to resonate with AI builders and platform teams will be essential. Your approach will balance proactive, thoughtful outbound engagement with the nurturing of developer-led inbound interest, ensuring a comprehensive go-to-market strategy.
- • **Process, Metrics & Infrastructure:** You will define, track, and manage key performance indicators (KPIs) across the entire sales funnel, including meetings booked, Sales Accepted Leads (SALs), Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), pipeline coverage, close rates, and Average Contract Value (ACV). Your role will involve optimizing lead routing, territory design, and commercial segmentation to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. You will implement structured call review processes and regular coaching cadences to drive continuous improvement. Partnering with the RevOps team is crucial for optimizing the use of Salesforce, sequencing tools, data enrichment platforms, and intent data. Building a strong forecasting discipline and ensuring pipeline hygiene are paramount to predictable revenue generation.
- • **Cross-Functional Alignment:** Effective collaboration across departments is key. You will partner closely with Enterprise Account Executives to identify and pursue expansion paths within larger accounts. Providing structured, actionable feedback to the Marketing team regarding Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), vertical traction, and messaging resonance will be vital for campaign effectiveness. You will collaborate with Product and Developer Relations teams to ensure a seamless and effective PLG-to-sales motion. Acting as the primary voice of the commercial segment in Go-To-Market (GTM) planning sessions will ensure the needs and opportunities of this segment are well-represented.
🎯 Requirements
- • 5+ years of experience in B2B SaaS sales, with a minimum of 2 years in a management role overseeing SDR, BDR, or Commercial AE teams.
- • Proven experience selling complex, technical products such as infrastructure, data platforms, developer tools, DevOps solutions, or AI/ML technologies.
- • Demonstrated success in leading and executing strategies for both pipeline creation and direct revenue ownership.
- • Strong understanding of the nuances of selling into engineering and AI platform teams, including their technical requirements and decision-making processes.
- • A track record of building and scaling predictable commercial revenue streams within a high-growth technology company.
- • Deep comfort and proficiency operating within a data-driven sales culture, utilizing metrics and analytics to inform strategy and decision-making.
- • Prior experience working within or selling into product-led growth (PLG) environments is considered a strong advantage.
🏖️ Benefits
- • Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, dental, vision, and access to mental health resources.
- • 401(k) retirement savings plan to support your long-term financial well-being.
- • Meaningful equity award, offering the opportunity to share in the company's success.
- • Flexible time off policy, encouraging a healthy work-life balance.
- • Paid parental leave to support new parents.
- • Annual company retreat for team building and strategic planning.
- • Work-From-Home (WFH) equipment stipend to ensure a comfortable and productive remote work setup.
Skills & Technologies
Onsite
About Pinecone Systems Inc.
Pinecone provides a managed, cloud-native vector database that lets engineers build and scale machine-learning applications such as semantic search, recommendation systems, and retrieval-augmented generation. The platform automates indexing, sharding, and updates while offering low-latency approximate-nearest-neighbor queries at billions of vectors. It supports hybrid dense-sparse retrieval, metadata filtering, and real-time inserts and deletes. Available on AWS, GCP, and Azure, Pinecone handles infrastructure, security, and scaling so teams can focus on model development rather than operations.
