The Modern Sales Enablement Manager Job Description

Introduction

The role of the sales enablement manager is one of the most common positions within a sales enablement team.

However, it is less standardised than you might expect.

This variability is likely due to the relatively recent emergence of sales enablement as a distinct discipline compared to more established fields like sales operations, learning & development, and marketing.

As I explored in my article on a day in the life of a sales enablement manager – where I consulted 16 sales enablement managers worldwide – it’s clear that no two enablement managers share exactly the same responsibilities.

The role’s scope can vary significantly based on factors such as company size, industry, product or service offered, available resources, and more.

Some sales enablement managers have a broad, strategic remit encompassing multiple pillars of sales enablement, while others may focus more narrowly on specific areas like content, training, or coaching.

As an enablement leader, I have hired various sales enablement specialists and managers to support the growth of the enablement function and align it with the aspirations of the organisations I’ve worked with.

Additionally, having been hired as a sales enablement manager myself, I will draw on these experiences to provide a general job description that captures the essence of the role (especially for organisations with sizes ranging from 150 to 1000 employees).

This job description will include a job summary, duties and responsibilities, required experience, skills and attributes, and other desirable experience and skills.

Job summary

The primary duty of the sales enablement manager role is to oversee the end-to-end management of sales enablement programmes, including (but not limited to) scoping and analysis, proposing solutions, designing and developing curriculum, implementation, and evaluating the business impact, all ultimately to equip the sales team to succeed.

The sales enablement manager will apply their skillset as/when required for sales training programmes management, including training delivery, performance coaching, instructional design of courseware, programme coordination, or any other reasonable request. Additionally, in many cases, the enablement manager will also determine what makes a reasonable request.

The ideal candidate will be expected to proactively expand on the value for the business in multiple areas of importance, as business priorities dictate the requirements. Examples of these could be sales onboarding, sales coaching, sales training, sales methodology, sales enablement content, sales enablement technology, and so forth.

The role requires interaction with the stakeholders (e.g., sales leaders) within the company and has a direct influence on the driving of core business improvement strategies. 

The role also offers scope for creating and establishing new hallmarks of excellence and best practices for sales teams.

Duties and responsibilities

• Owning and managing the development of sales enablement programmes for Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), Account Executives (AEs), and Account Managers (AMs). 

• Scheduling and coordinating training events across all relevant business groups. 

• Developing and designing training interventions using the ADDIE model, engaging with key stakeholders, and gaining relevant sign-off along the design journey. 

• Creating storyboards, PowerPoint presentations, facilitator and participant guides, and classroom supporting materials in line with corporate brand standards for Instructor-Led Training (ILT), Virtual ILT and eLearning, regardless of authoring tool, which includes fonts, colours, and animations. 

• Evaluating a variety of instructional methods to ensure maximum delivery effectiveness, including individual or small group instruction, classroom, eLearning, Video On-Demand, self-study, simulation & role play exercises, distance learning, webinars, video conferencing, etc. 

• Establishing and managing relationships with subject matter experts (SMEs) and key stakeholders within and outside of the sales department. 

• Submitting materials for regular reviews and maintaining accurate reports. This includes making changes following review meetings and maintaining programme updates beyond sign-off as/when required or during planned course reviews. 

• Helping support and develop departmental best practices, policies, and structures to drive sales performance improvement and optimise the sales process.

• Working closely with the enablement leader to produce comprehensive reports that show the full extent of the business impact of the sales enablement strategy and the programmes within that, how they are managed, and prove a continuous ROI value.

• Collaborating with sales and marketing teams to create impactful sales and buyer enablement content.

• Implementing and managing the assigned sales enablement tools to support the development of the sales force as well as their direct selling activities.

Required experience, skills, and attributes

• 5+ years’ experience with building and implementing sales enablement programmes, including training curriculum, coaching interventions, and impact evaluations. 

• Prior experience in quota-carrying roles (ideally in more complex sales processes) as an AE and/or AM. 

• Strong learning consulting skills with the ability to clearly communicate proposed solutions and lead cross-functional teams without formal hierarchical “authority”. 

• Strong communication and training delivery skills. 

• Ability to dive into technical details and learn about product features and core customer benefits.  

• Ability to coach salespeople in both one-on-one and group settings.

• Knowledgeable about instructor design and adult learning principles with prior experience in creating blended learning experiences. 

• Exceptional organisation and project management skills with the ability to manage many projects and tasks simultaneously. 

• Effectively manages constructive feedback regarding development of programmes and associated work streams. 

• Proficiency with the use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to support many of the core enablement activities of content ideation and creation, curriculum design, and more.

• Strong proficiency with the sales enablement tech stack, including CRM tools (mostly HubSpot or Salesforce), conversational intelligence, content management platforms, learning management systems (LMS), sales engagement tools, and other types of sales enablement software.

• Ability to adopt the most effective engagement style when working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, SMEs, employees, and leadership at all levels. 

• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment; must be a high-energy, motivated self-starter.

• Think critically, work quickly, and adapt to new processes and procedures in a fluid work environment. 

Desirable experience and skills

• Familiarity or proficiency with the MEDDPICC methodology and the ability to integrate it into training programmes.

• Familiarity or proficiency with different sales methodologies that are appropriate for more complex sales cycles, requiring a greater degree of business acumen, consultative skills, and challenger approach.

You can find a comprehensive breakdown in my article on sales enablement skills.

Conclusion

If you are a sales enablement manager or an entry-level enabler aspiring to become one, this job description should provide you with a clear understanding of the experiences and skills you need to develop over time to meet market demands.

If you are a recruiter, enablement leader, or sales leader looking to hire a sales enablement manager, this guide will offer clarity on what to look for, or at least give you a solid starting point to tailor for your specific context.

Before concluding, I’d like to highlight a few important points:

• This sales enablement manager job description assumes that the role will engage across various sub-disciplines of enablement as needed. This approach is especially beneficial for enablement teams with fewer than four members. However, in larger teams with five or more members, it can be advantageous to specialise different enablement managers in areas such as training, coaching, technology, and content. You might have someone who manages various sub-disciplines of enablement but focuses on specific roles only, or someone who focuses on a specific discipline across all sales roles supported. In bigger organisations, both types of specialisation – in terms of sub-discipline focus and role – can coexist.

• This sales enablement manager job description places a significant emphasis on designing and delivering direct training. However, it’s important to note that some organisations may have dedicated sales enablement specialists, sales trainers and instructional designers. In such cases, the role of the sales enablement manager shifts more towards that of a programme manager. This means they focus on ensuring the successful execution of enablement projects, effectively leveraging the available resources within the team.

• If you were to compare the sales enablement manager role with that of a sales enablement specialist, the differences become clear: the manager oversees the full spectrum of sales enablement programmes, including programme development, stakeholder engagement, and impact evaluation, often with extensive experience and leadership skills. In contrast, the specialist focuses on executing specific tasks, such as creating training materials and managing content, providing direct support to sales teams with a more hands-on approach to sales enablement efforts. The manager is strategic and broad in scope, while the specialist is operational and detail-oriented. My job description assumes a hands-on approach for the sales enablement manager, but this can be adjusted to a more high-level role if the team includes one or several sales enablement specialists.

• In the required experience section, I’ve included the necessity of having held a previous quota-carrying role. This is a topic of debate, and while a successful sales enablement manager doesn’t necessarily need a sales background, it can be beneficial. This experience is particularly valuable when the sales enablement manager is expected to deliver direct training to sales reps, rather than simply managing enablement programmes.

• I’ve also listed familiarity with the MEDDPICC methodology as a desirable experience. This can be replaced with any specific methodology your organisation adopts. However, I recommend that sales enablement professionals become familiar with MEDDPICC or even get certified, given its widespread use in major organisations.

I hope you find this exploration useful. If you’d like to expand your understanding of the topics covered in this piece, I also recommend checking out my article on the sales enablement career.

Also, consider reading my overview of all sales enablement roles and responsibilities.