Manager, EMEA Sales Development

Are you ready to power the World's connections?

If you don’t think you meet all of the criteria below but are still interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box - we’re looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others.

About the role:

As a Kong SDR Manager, you’ll be responsible for leading a team of up to 8 SDRs, driving a culture that is inspiring, collaborative, and high-performing. You’ll play a pivotal role in pipeline generation, talent development, and building the next generation of top-performing Account Executives.

This is an exciting opportunity to make an impact at a high-growth tech company with global ambitions.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead & Inspire: Build and sustain a high-performance culture where SDRs are motivated, engaged, and supported in their career growth.

• Manage & Develop: Directly manage a team of up to 8 SDRs, providing coaching, enablement, and career readiness training to prepare them for AE roles and beyond.

• Drive Pipeline: Own your team’s contribution to EMEA pipeline targets, ensuring consistent attainment of meetings, opportunities, and conversions.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with AEs, Marketing, and RevOps to ensure effective territory coverage, messaging alignment, and lead conversion.

• Enablement & Playbook Execution: Leverage proven methodologies and playbooks to optimize performance, while tailoring strategies to Kong’s unique positioning.

• Coach for Readiness: Deliver regular call reviews, pipeline coaching, and AE-readiness programs to accelerate SDR development.

• Data-Driven Leadership: Track KPIs, analyze team performance, and implement process improvements to maximize efficiency and results.

• Champion Tools & Processes: Drive effective use of Salesforce, Outreach, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and other prospecting tools.

What We’re Looking For:

• 3+ years of management experience leading SDR/BDR or inside sales teams in tech/SaaS.

• Proven success building and scaling high-performance SDR teams.

• Strong background in coaching, enablement, and AE readiness.

• Experience at a playbook-driven company (e.g., where structured, repeatable processes are central to success) is highly valuable.

• Prior AE experience is a plus.

• Versatility across people leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and process optimization.

• Fluent in English; German, Arabic, or Spanish highly beneficial but not required.

• Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to foster a culture of accountability, motivation, and growth.

• Passion for working in a fast-paced, scale-up environment on the path to IPO.

Why Join Kong?

• Be part of a company defining the future of connectivity in the AI-driven era.

• Shape and lead the SDR function in EMEA at a critical stage of growth.

• Hybrid work in our central London office (walking distance from Bank Station & London Bridge).

• Competitive compensation, benefits, and paths for career progression.

• Join a team that values transparency, collaboration, and innovation.

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About Kong:

Kong Inc., a leading developer of cloud API technologies, is on a mission to enable companies around the world to become “API-first” and securely accelerate AI adoption. Kong helps organizations globally — from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises — unleash developer productivity, build securely, and accelerate time to market. For more information about Kong, please visit www.konghq.com or follow us on X @thekonginc.