Sales Development Representative (SDR)

Critical Systems Labs Inc. (CSL) is a Canadian engineering consultancy, internationally recognized for our expertise in the management of safety risk in complex software-defined and AI-enabled systems. Our clients include organizations in aerospace, advanced automotive, critical infrastructure, defense, energy, and other highly regulated industries, who are seeking more scalable and effective ways to manage risk. CSL’s flagship platform, Socrates, is an industry leading solution for assurance case management.

As a Sales Development Representative with CSL, you will work closely with our CEO and leadership team to generate new business opportunities and expand our market presence. Our prospects are engineers, safety professionals, technical leaders, and executives responsible for some of the most complex systems in the world. Success in this role requires thoughtful research, strong communication skills, active listening, and the ability to engage in meaningful business conversations. Using a combination of outreach tactics including cold calling, your primary responsibility will be identifying and qualifying potential opportunities, understanding customer challenges, and scheduling qualified meetings for our leadership team. You will play a key role in shaping growth of our company.

Key responsibilities

- Prospect Research & Targeting
  - Identify organizations that align with CSL's ideal customer profile
  - Research industries, companies, projects, and decision-makers
  - Develop account insights and prospecting strategies
  - Build and maintain targeted prospect lists
  Outbound Business Development
  - Conduct outreach through email, LinkedIn, phone, and other channels
  - Initiate conversations with engineering leaders, safety professionals, and executives
  - Generate interest and identify potential opportunities
  - Follow up consistently and professionally
  Discovery & Qualification
  - Conduct initial qualification conversations
  - Understand prospect challenges, priorities, and business drivers
  - Identify organizational pain points related to safety assurance, compliance, complexity, and collaboration
  - Determine stakeholder involvement and decision-making dynamics
  - Assess opportunity quality and readiness for next steps
  CRM & Pipeline Management
  - Maintain accurate prospect and activity records
  - Track lead progression through the sales process
  - Document discovery findings and qualification criteria
  - Support sales forecasting and pipeline reporting
  Market Intelligence
  - Monitor industry trends and emerging opportunities
  - Gather competitive intelligence and customer feedback
  - Share insights with leadership to support commercial strategy

What Success Looks Like

Within your first 6–12 months, you will:

- - Build a consistent pipeline of qualified opportunities
  - Schedule discovery meetings with high-value target organizations
  - Demonstrate strong qualification and research skills
  - Demonstrate confidence engaging with technical and executive audiences
  - Become a trusted member of CSL's commercial team

Required Skills and Qualifications

Formalized sales methodology training
3+ years experience in sales, business development, customer success or a related role
Strong verbal and written communication and relationship building skills
Comfortable engaging with senior professionals
Exceptional listening ability with experience conducting discovery conversations
Highly organized and self-motivated
Experience with CRM platforms and sales tools (e.g., HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho, Salesforce)
Experience with LinkedIn Sales Navigator and modern prospecting tools (e.g., Apollo.io, Zoom Info, Clay, Seamless.ai)

Additional skills

Experience with B2B software, technology, consulting or professional services
Interest in technology, engineering, software and AI an asset.
Coachable
Ability to work independently

What CSL offers

CSL provides an inspiring, positive and collaborative work environment
Full-time on target earnings (OTE) $70K-95K (base salary +performance incentives), based on experience
Full extended health care coverage for employees and their families including dental, vision, medications, and paid sick days. Annual allowance for paramedical services
3 weeks paid vacation time
Flexible work options with preference for candidates located in or near Vancouver, BC. We have an accessible office located in Waterfront Station, the central transit hub in downtown Vancouver. On-site fitness facility and secure indoor bike parking are available.

Special considerations:

Successful candidates must currently reside in Canada and be legally able to work in Canada. (We are unable to offer sponsorship.)

Interested?

Do you think you would be perfect for this position?

- - If you enjoy learning and asking probing questions, and you are motivated by building relationships and creating opportunities, we look forward to hearing from you. Please send an email with your cover letter*, resume, and answers to the questions below to hiring@cslabs.com with “Application – SDR” in the subject line.
  - *Recently, we have received many cover letters/resumes that have been written with the assistance of AI tools. While they look polished and professional, they are also remarkably similar. Please tell us who you are in your own words and let your individuality shine through. We greatly appreciate the interest of everyone who applies for these positions, and we will review all applications. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Please include answers to the following questions:

- - When are you available to start working?
  - Years of experience?
  - In one or two paragraphs, please describe a successful sales opportunity you created. Challenges? Key takeaways?