Sales Development Representative

At Poka, we're changing how the world's industrial teams work — capturing the knowledge of their best people and putting it in every operator's hands.

Our connected worker platform is purpose-built for manufacturing and the wider industrial world, with industrial AI inside the shift, not on top of it. The result: frontline performance that becomes compounding knowledge and measurable impact — every shift, every site, every region.

We're proud to support global leaders like Nestlé, Bosch, Mars, and Danone across 3,000+ sites in 70+ countries. And as a fast-growing part of the IFS family, you'll join a team whose daily work directly shapes the platform behind how modern manufacturing gets done.

Every deal Poka closes starts with a first conversation. In this role, you're the one who starts it — in English and in French.

Role overview

As a Sales Development Representative, you'll open doors at some of the world's best-known manufacturing and industrial companies. You'll run outbound prospecting into a curated set of Named Accounts and follow up on inbound interest, using phone, email and LinkedIn to reach the operations, quality and plant leaders Poka is built for.

This is a hunter role. You'll be energised by cold outreach, comfortable starting conversations from scratch, and sharp enough to qualify quickly — so the opportunities you hand to our Account Executives are real ones. You'll work closely with the AEs and the wider SDR team to shape account strategy, test new messaging and build an outbound engine that keeps getting better.

You'll be based in the UK or Ireland, prospecting across both English and French-speaking markets. And for people who want to grow, this is a genuine launchpad into an Account Executive career.

What you'll be doing

• Prospect into Named Accounts and Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) across English and French-speaking markets, securing first meetings with key stakeholders through a multichannel mix of calls, email and LinkedIn
• Run early-stage discovery and qualification — understanding each prospect's operational challenges and whether Poka is the right fit
• Learn our buyer personas inside out and tailor your messaging to the real pain points of frontline manufacturing and industrial teams
• Partner with Account Executives to build outreach strategy for each Named Account, and run smooth hand-off meetings so qualified opportunities move forward without friction
• Hit and exceed weekly activity and meeting targets, driving Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) and Sales Accepted Leads (SALs)
• Track and analyse your prospecting metrics — open rates, reply rates, meeting conversion — and use what you learn to sharpen your approach
• Put AI to work every day: using Claude Enterprise to research accounts, map stakeholders and draft personalised outreach, and Gong to learn from your calls and improve your pitch — so more of your time goes into real conversations
• Keep every activity, interaction and next step accurately logged in Salesforce and Outreach
• A/B test messaging, share what's working, and bring ideas to team meetings that make the whole SDR function stronger

What you bring

• At least 1 year of B2B sales experience, ideally in software or SaaS, with a track record of hitting activity and pipeline targets
• Fluent English and French, written and spoken — you'll prospect and qualify confidently in both
• A genuine hunter mentality: you enjoy cold calling, thrive on outbound and take pride in creating opportunities from nothing
• Curiosity and empathy that help you understand what a prospect really cares about, and adapt in the moment
• Self-motivation, resilience and a strong drive to hit — and beat — your numbers
• Resourcefulness when the obvious route doesn't work, and the creativity to find another way in
• Strong organisation: you can juggle multiple accounts, sequences and touchpoints without dropping the ball
• A coachable, growth-minded approach — you seek out feedback, act on it and keep raising your own bar
• Comfort and curiosity with AI in your daily workflow — you already use tools like Claude to work smarter, and you're keen to keep experimenting
• Familiarity with a modern sales stack is a plus — Salesforce, Outreach, Gong, ZoomInfo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Claude Enterprise; experience with intent-signal tools like 6sense is highly valued
• Ambition to grow into an Account Executive role, and an interest in building the skills to get there
• Based in the UK or Ireland, with the right to work in your country of residence

We know great SDRs come from all kinds of backgrounds. If you don't tick every box but you love the challenge of starting new conversations — in two languages — we'd love to hear from you.

Why Poka

You'll be prospecting for a product that solves a real problem. Manufacturers and industrial companies are under pressure to capture the knowledge of a retiring workforce, onboard new people faster and get AI onto the floor in a way operators actually use — and Poka already does that at 3,000+ sites. You'll get structured coaching, a modern AI-powered sales stack and a clear path towards closing deals yourself, with the backing of the IFS family behind you.

What we offer:

• Generous vacation policy, additional paid days, and charity day.
• Scale-up energy with huge backing and a global yet close-knit team.
• A truly flexible schedule and remote-friendly working - including up to 8 weeks a year working from abroad.
• Wellbeing support from day one, including free 1:1 sessions with certified coaches and therapists.
• MacBook Pro, plus home-office and monthly allowances to set you up properly.
• An annual learning and development budget to keep your career moving.
• Regular team meetups and industry events - remote never means disconnected.
• A rewarding employee referral program for successful hires.

Exact benefits vary by country - we'll walk you through your full local package during the hiring process.

Want to learn more about our culture? Click HERE.

Please note: An understanding of English is essential at Poka, as it is the language used during company-wide meetings and many internal communications, ensuring effective collaboration and decision-making. In addition, as Poka operates in an international environment, English is the primary language for communicating with our clients and partners, enabling us to better serve them and represent Poka in a professional manner.