Sales Development Representative

Job Title: Sales Development Representative

Location: Waukegan, IL

Salary Range: $77,000.00 to $87,000.00

About SKF

SKF, reducing friction since 1907, re-imagining rotation for a better tomorrow! SKF is an industry-leading manufacturer that has been a cornerstone in industrial life. Wherever there are machines or products in motion, SKF bearings are there to reduce friction. SKF drives the industries that support our way of life, powers the machines that put food on the table, and even helps explore the cosmos. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. SKF is on pace to decarbonize all its production facilities by 2030. We’re guided by our SKF values: Collaboration, Curiosity, Courage, and Care. We’re a company committed to a culture of belonging. Learn about SKF at www.skf.com.

Position Summary

The Sales Development Representative (SDR) plays a key role in driving pipeline growth and new customer acquisition by identifying, engaging, and qualifying current and potential customers. This role is designed to build a strong internal talent pipeline and develop future sales and business leaders.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and prospect target customers aligned with SKF’s strategic segments.
• Execute outbound outreach campaigns (phone, email, LinkedIn, events).
• Qualify inbound and outbound leads to generate sales-ready opportunities.
• Conduct discovery conversations to understand customer needs and applications.
• Schedule qualified meetings and hand off opportunities to Account Managers or Sales Engineers.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Application Engineering to support growth initiatives.
• Maintain accurate activity, pipeline, and customer data in CRM systems.
• Build knowledge of SKF products, applications, and industry markets.

Customer Engagement

• Engage current and potential customers through phone, email, LinkedIn, events, and coordinated field activity to identify needs, qualify opportunities, and create a positive first impression of SKF.
• Conduct structured discovery conversations to understand customer applications, business drivers, reliability challenges, and timing for potential opportunities.
• Support account development by scheduling qualified meetings, preparing clear handoff notes, and ensuring the appropriate Account Manager or Application Engineering resource is engaged at the right time.
• Maintain disciplined follow-up with customers, including timely responses, meeting recaps, action items, and next steps documented in CRM.
• Escalate customer needs, technical questions, pricing requests, service issues, or high-potential opportunities to the appropriate internal owner while maintaining visibility until resolution.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with OEM Sales, Sales Operations and Enablement, Marketing, Application Engineering, Customer Service, Product Line, and Distribution/Aftermarket teams to support pipeline growth and customer development.
• Coordinate with Account Managers and Application Engineers to align outreach activity, account context, customer messaging, and opportunity handoff expectations.
• Work with Marketing and Sales Enablement to execute targeted campaigns, support trade show follow-up, and convert market intelligence into actionable prospecting activity.
• Collaborate with Application Engineering and Product Line teams to build technical understanding and connect customers with the right SKF expertise when application-specific support is needed.
• Contribute to a consistent internal operating rhythm by sharing customer insights, lead status, activity updates, and CRM data that help improve forecasting, prioritization, and sales execution.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Qualified opportunities generated (SQLs).
• Pipeline value created.
• Lead-to-opportunity conversion rates.
• Activity levels (calls, emails, meetings).
• CRM accuracy and data quality.

SDRs are typically measured on pipeline creation, conversion rates, and activity performance.

Strategic Communication

• Communicate clearly and professionally with customers, prospects, and internal stakeholders, tailoring messages to the audience and business context.
• Prepare concise customer outreach, meeting agendas, follow-up notes, and opportunity summaries that support effective handoffs and next-step alignment.
• Provide regular updates on prospecting activity, lead status, customer feedback, and pipeline progress through CRM, weekly updates, and manager check-ins.
• Translate customer insights, objections, and market signals into actionable feedback for Sales, Marketing, Sales Enablement, and Product Line teams.
• Support leadership visibility by maintaining accurate reporting on activity levels, qualified opportunities, conversion progress, and emerging customer or market trends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related field (preferred).
• 0–3 years of experience in sales, customer-facing, or technical roles.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to learn technical products and industrial applications.
• Self-motivated, goal-oriented, and highly coachable.
• Experience with CRM tools (Salesforce or similar) is a plus.

We’re looking for curiosity and willingness to learn, resilience and persistence in a high-activity role, strong organizational and time management skills, and team-oriented mindset with ability to collaborate cross-functionally.

Travel Requirements

• Up to 50% of domestic travel.