Sr. Business Development Representative

Remote from: Europe
Annual salary: Undisclosed
Salary information is not provided for this position. Check our Salary Directory to estimate the average compensation for similar roles.
Department: Sales
Employment type: Full Time,
Job posted: 22 Jun 2026
Apply before: 22 Jul 2026
Experience level: Senior
Views / Applies: 25 / 1

Build a platform your users will love.

Computer Software
2017

AI Summary

Upbound, the creator of Crossplane, is seeking a Sr. Business Development Representative to drive early-stage pipeline generation. This role involves engaging high-intent prospects, executing outbound outreach, and qualifying leads for the sales team. Ideal candidates have 1-2 years of sales experience, a hunter mentality, and comfort with technical environments. You'll work remotely, collaborate with marketing and sales, and help fuel growth for a Series B company backed by GV and Altimeter. This is a key individual contributor role focused on building relationships and generating qualified pipeline.

Role DNA

Job Complexity

Easy Hard

Pace & Pressure

Relaxed Fast-paced

Autonomy Level

Guided Full Ownership

Communication Load

Independent Highly Collaborative

AI Insight The role requires technical knowledge of open source and cloud infrastructure, but is an entry-level sales position. The combination of technical understanding and sales skills places it at a moderate difficulty level.

Salary Analysis

AI Insight The offered salary is not specified, but for a Senior BDR role in the US market, the typical base salary ranges from $55,000 to $100,000, with a median around $75,000. As a Series B startup, Upbound may offer competitive compensation including equity and bonuses.

Key Skills

Business Development Lead Generation Outbound Sales CRM HubSpot Salesforce Communication Crossplane Cloud Infrastructure Account Management

Cover Letter Sample

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am excited to apply for the Sr. Business Development Representative position at Upbound. With 2 years of experience in sales and a strong passion for cloud-native technologies, I am eager to contribute to your mission of redefining modern infrastructure.

In my previous role, I successfully generated leads and booked qualified meetings using tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. I thrive in fast-paced environments and have a hunter mentality that drives results.

I am particularly drawn to Upbound's innovative approach with Crossplane and the Intelligent Control Plane. I believe my technical savviness and relationship-building skills would make me a valuable asset to your team.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss how I can help fuel Upbound's growth.

Sincerely, [Your Name]

Possible Interview Questions

Can you describe your experience with outbound prospecting and how you prioritize leads?

I have used a mix of channels like email, LinkedIn, and phone to target high-intent prospects. I prioritize leads based on engagement level, fit with our ICP, and potential deal size. For example, I use lead scoring in HubSpot to focus on those most likely to convert.

How do you handle objections from prospects who are not familiar with Crossplane or open source infrastructure?

I listen to their challenges first, then map Crossplane's value to their pain points. I simplify technical concepts and share relevant case studies to build credibility. If they are still hesitant, I offer to connect them with an AE or invite them to a community event.

Explain a time you exceeded your quota in a previous sales role. What strategies did you use?

In my last role, I exceeded my quarterly quota by 30% by focusing on account-based outreach. I researched target accounts deeply, personalized messaging, and followed up consistently. I also collaborated with marketing to leverage event attendees.

How familiar are you with cloud-native technologies like Kubernetes or Crossplane?

I have been learning about cloud-native tools through online courses and communities. I understand that Crossplane extends Kubernetes to manage infrastructure, and I am eager to deepen my knowledge. I also familiar with CNCF projects.

How do you collaborate with Account Executives to ensure smooth handoffs?

I maintain regular syncs with my assigned AEs to discuss lead quality and feedback. I provide detailed notes on each prospect's needs and pain points. I also set clear expectations on follow-up steps to ensure a seamless transition.

Upbound is redefining how modern infrastructure is built for the Agentic AI Era. We’re the creators and primary maintainers of Crossplane, and we’re building the Intelligent Control Plane—a new platform layer that makes infrastructure programmable, autonomous, and composable.

Our mission is to power the AI-native enterprise with a foundational platform layer that helps teams provision, operate, and adapt infrastructure at scale—so platforms are ready for both humans and AI agents. We partner with leading cloud providers, ISVs, and open-source communities to help organizations move faster with greater confidence.

Today, Upbound supports Fortune 500 companies and platform engineers across 100+ countries. Crossplane has surpassed 100M+ downloads and is used by 1,000+ teams worldwide. We’re a Series B company backed by GV (formerly Google Ventures), Altimeter Capital, and Intel Capital, and we’ve raised $69M to date. Learn more at upbound.io

As a Business Development Representative at Upbound, you will own early-stage pipeline generation and serve as the first touchpoint in the sales cycle. You’ll play a critical role in growing our pipeline by engaging high-intent prospects who have shown interest in Crossplane, while also sourcing and developing new opportunities through targeted outbound efforts.

In this role, you will qualify inbound leads, execute focused outbound outreach, and set up high-quality discovery conversations for the sales team. You’ll build meaningful relationships within the community, research and engage target accounts, and support events, sales operations, and special projects. Serving as a key bridge between Marketing and Sales, your primary mission is to generate qualified pipeline and help fuel Upbound’s growth. You will report directly to the Head of BDR and work closely with both the Sales and Marketing teams.

What You’ll Do

Establish and maintain a collaborative, strategic partnership with the assigned AE’s.
Engage marketing-qualified leads, event attendees, and high-intent prospects through thoughtful, multi-channel outreach.
Target prospects through research and personalization using email, phone, LinkedIn, Slack communities, and other channels.
Research accounts within defined segments and verticals to identify target personas and generate sales-qualified leads.
Book qualified meetings with IT, engineering, and executive stakeholders for the Account Executives you support.
Have meaningful discovery conversations to understand prospect challenges and articulate the value of Crossplane and Upbound.
Outbound and source your own leads through various channels using research and creatively to book meetings.

What You’ll Bring

A Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or a related field.
1–2 years of experience in sales, marketing, or a related role.
Comfort operating in a technical environment; open source and/or infrastructure exposure is strongly preferred.
Hunter mentality, resourcefulness, and self-starter.
A genuine interest in building relationships, networking, and starting conversations.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Experience using sales and marketing tools such as HubSpot, Salesforce, Outreach, Marketo, ZoomInfo, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

A plus if you:

You’re familiar with Crossplane and/or Upbound
Familiarity with CNCF or other open source cloud-native projects.
You’ve worked at a Series A, B or C startup

#LI-REMOTE

Why Upbound?

At Upbound, you’ll help shape the systems and strategies that drive predictable, scalable growth in a product-led company embracing usage-based models. If you’re excited to build from the ground up, work with cutting-edge cloud technologies, and directly impact how revenue is generated and scaled—this is your seat at the table.

About Upbound

Upbound is pioneering infrastructure platforms for the Agentic AI Era, serving Fortune 500 companies and platform engineers across more than 100 countries. The company empowers infrastructure and platform teams with Intelligent Control Planes – based on Kubernetes and Crossplane – that provision, operate, and adapt so platforms are ready for both humans and AI agents. Upbound is the creator and primary maintainer of Crossplane, the popular open-source framework for building cloud-native control planes, with over 100 million downloads and adoption by more than 1,000 teams worldwide. A Series B startup backed by GV (formerly Google Ventures), Altimeter Capital, and Intel Capital, Upbound has raised $69M to date. For more information, visit www.upbound.io.

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