--- title: 'Senior Sales Development Representative (Player-Coach) at Zen Educate' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-sales-development-representative-player-coach-zen-educate-london-4kync2brfbp3' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-11' --- # Senior Sales Development Representative (Player-Coach) at Zen Educate - **Company:** Zen Educate - **Location:** London, United Kingdom - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2024-04-17 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/zeneducate/ef78c7a0-1f65-4d6c-a352-54c1173a5b65 ## Job description Senior Sales Development Representative (Player-Coach) Location: London, UK (Oval) Hours: 7am - 4pm Type: Full Time (5 days in office during term time - remote working options during school holidays) Salary: up to £50,000 OTE 👋 Hi, I’m Nick, the Head of Sales Development at Zen Educate. I’m looking for a Senior Sales Development Representative who’s ready to step into a player-coach role within our high-performing SDR team. You’ll not only drive your own outbound performance, you’ll take ownership for raising the bar across the team. That means leading by example, mentoring junior SDRs, shaping best practice, and supporting performance development day-to-day. If you’ve proven yourself in outbound sales or EdTech/Education Recruitment and are ready to take on leadership responsibility while continuing to smash target, this could be the role for you. ## Why this matters 💪 Zen is a Social Enterprise that is transforming the Education staffing space. UK schools spend over £2bn a year on supply staff, £600m of that goes straight to recruiters. We built a better way: a tech-driven platform that connects schools with teachers directly, saving time, money, and stress. Since launching in 2017, we’ve saved schools over £30 million, and we’re just getting started. In 2024, we closed the largest EdTech funding round in Europe and are expanding fast across the UK and US. As a Senior SDR, you’ll play a vital role in growing our impact, while helping shape and support the team around you. ## What you’ll actually do 🎬 Let’s get specific. Here’s what you’ll be doing day-to-day: Be the first point of contact for new schools - calling, emailing, and messaging to introduce them to Zen. Use your sales experience to coach and support junior SDRs and help build team best practices. Support onboarding and ramp-up of new team members. Provide live call feedback and run call shadowing sessions. Contribute to team training sessions and skills workshops. Book qualified meetings for Account Managers and AEs so we can showcase our offering. Track all outreach and manage your pipeline using our Zen Platform. Work closely with educators to help match them to great schools, creating profiles and opportunities. Support the Head of Sales Development in driving accountability and performance standards. Help refine messaging, objection handling, and outreach strategy. ## Why this role is unique ⭐️ You’ll take on a leadership position within the SDR team, helping others grow while continuing to develop your own skills. You’ll be the face of Zen for new schools, setting the tone for lasting partnerships. You’ll work directly with top performers in a collaborative, ambitious team. You’ll be helping build a product that supports teachers, improves outcomes, and saves schools money. You’ll be in a fast-growing team with clear progression paths into AE or leadership roles. What makes you a great fit 👍 You’ll thrive here if: You’ve got 2+ years’ outbound sales experience (B2B SaaS or EdTech preferred). You’re a confident communicator and love speaking with new people. You have a track record of hitting or exceeding targets. You’re naturally collaborative and want to help others succeed. You’re motivated by results and always looking to improve. You’re excited by our mission and want your work to matter. You prefer and enjoy working in a fast-paced, office-based, team environment. You’re organised, coachable, and know how to manage your time effectively. What won’t work here 👎 Let’s be honest - this isn’t for everyone: You avoid the phone or dislike talking to new people. You’re not open to feedback or learning from others. You expect results without putting in consistent effort. You prefer a slow-moving or rigid work environment. 🤝 Our hiring process We move fast and respect your time: Intro call with a member of our people team: a quick chat to get to know each other and cover the basics. Online first stage interview: to talk in more detail around your experience and career aspirations. Technical task & final interview at our office: a sales cold call role play and a culture interview with two team members. A final call with a member of the senior leadership team. 🎁 Perks & benefits Competitive base salary + uncapped commission Equity in the company 25+ days holiday (and we actually encourage you to take them!) Central London office with gym, showers, café, and bike parking 5 days in the office during term time (with reduced hours & WFH in holidays) Electric car and cycle-to-work schemes Life coaching, private health insurance, and life insurance A team that celebrates wins, lifts each other up, and cares about making a difference If this sounds like your kind of role, don’t overthink it - apply now. We’re excited to meet you. Diversity and Inclusion 🌍 At Zen, we strive to build a culture of equity and inclusion where everyone is respected, valued and appreciated. We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives - just like the staff who teach through Zen and the children at the schools we work with. We’re committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. ## About Zen Educate ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Zen Educate is a digital platform that connects schools directly with qualified educators, replacing traditional staffing agencies to save money and improve classroom stability. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B) - **Headquarters**: London, United Kingdom - **Founded**: 2017 - **Founders**: Not publicly available ## Core Business - Primary industry: Education technology / education staffing - Target customers: Schools (B2B) and educators (B2C); serves K-12 schools, academies, and trusts in the UK, US, and Canada - Mission/purpose: "To reinvest in education through innovative technology" – the company aims to redirect funds from agency fees back into classrooms and provide stable, inspiring learning environments. ## Products & Services - **Zen Educate Platform**: A digital marketplace that matches schools with supply/substitute teachers, teaching assistants, special education staff, early years educators, and other school support staff. The platform handles compliance checks, payroll, and scheduling. Educators sign up online, set preferences, and get matched to daily, long-term, or permanent roles. Schools benefit from faster fill rates (97% of short-term requests) and lower fees (roughly half of traditional agency fees). ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding – Series B led by Round2 Capital (amount undisclosed); over £50 million redirected into classrooms in the UK; $15 million saved in the US since 2022 launch. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Round2 Capital; government-approved education staffing supplier; accredited social enterprise and certified B Corp. - **Growth Signals**: 1,000,000+ hours of classroom instruction delivered; 5,000+ educators empowered weekly; 13,000+ educators on platform; 2,000+ schools actively booking monthly; headcount of 1,196 employees (+52.6% YoY, +740 people); launched in the US in 2022 and expanding rapidly in cities like Minneapolis, Phoenix, Los Angeles; also operating in Canada; acquisitions of Opus Education, Aquinas Education, and AK Education. ## Competitive Advantages - Technology-driven marketplace that bypasses costly traditional agencies, cutting fees by roughly 50% – saving schools money while allowing educators to earn more. - Certified B Corp and accredited social enterprise, reinforcing a commitment to social impact over profit. - High fill rate (97% for short-term requests) and integrated compliance/payroll, reducing administrative burden on schools. - UK government-approved supplier, adding credibility in the public education sector. ## Strategic Focus - Continued geographic expansion across the UK, US, and Canada. - Deepening platform capabilities to attract more schools and educators, with a focus on stability and quality of placements. - Reinvesting savings into classrooms and educator support to drive systemic change in education staffing. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Mission-driven, ambitious, and collaborative team that "genuinely enjoys working together." Emphasis on ownership, transparency, and impact. - **Work policy**: Mix of remote, hybrid, and office-based roles depending on location and function (e.g., Account Coordinator roles are remote in Canada; Sales roles are hybrid in Vancouver). Offices across the UK and US. - **Perks**: Mac laptop, stock options for all employees, yearly pay reviews, comprehensive health insurance (Vitality in UK; Medical/Dental/Vision with 75% coverage in US), life insurance, 401k (US), Cycle to Work scheme (UK), generous vacation, twice-yearly Ship-It Day, clear career frameworks with training and mentoring. - **Engineering/development**: Dedicated learning time, career progression frameworks, and structured onboarding. ## Sources 1. [zeneducate.com/about](https://www.zeneducate.com/about) 2. [jobs.lever.co/zeneducate](https://jobs.lever.co/zeneducate) 3. [zeneducate.com/careers](https://www.zeneducate.com/careers) 4. [uk.linkedin.com/company/zen-educate](https://uk.linkedin.com/company/zen-educate) 5. [zeneducate.com/us/careers](https://www.zeneducate.com/us/careers) ## Other roles at Zen Educate - [Account Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/account-manager-zen-educate-los-angeles-w28pxh745tc1) — Los Angeles, CA - [Sales Development Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/sales-development-representative-zen-educate-texas-p2am91z64tzc) — Texas - [Business Development Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-representative-zen-educate-texas-7h1x51v9m6dq) — Texas - [Sales Development Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/sales-development-representative-zen-educate-washington-cfsdp6mxkb9h) — Washington, DC - [Sales Development Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/sales-development-representative-zen-educate-baltimore-pgf4kdn2n2mt) — Baltimore, MD - [Business Development Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-representative-zen-educate-baltimore-3y1xdvwmypbf) — Baltimore, MD - [Business Development Representative](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-representative-zen-educate-washington-hdnfr2k2yxbc) — Washington, DC - [Regional Director - South East](https://feeny.ai/job/regional-director-south-east-zen-educate-exeter-dg3dh5032azy) — Exeter, United Kingdom - [Account Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/account-manager-zen-educate-vancouver-2arn7m8ggg48) — Vancouver, Canada - [Account Manager - Nottingham](https://feeny.ai/job/account-manager-nottingham-zen-educate-nottingham-bvpt9aaby8z8) — Nottingham, United Kingdom