Sales Operations Specialist

This role provides operational, process, and execution support to the Water North America sales team. Designed as a developmental pathway into a future sales position, it offers high-potential individuals hands-on experience in sales workflows, tools, and customer engagement. The role combines trade show strategy, lead management, Salesforce execution, and sales development activity, including structured cold calling and meeting generation.

Responsibilities

• Support the Sales Director and sales team in daily operational workflows.
• Maintain accuracy and completeness of data in Salesforce.
• Assign and route inbound leads from multiple queues using defined logic; ensure timely follow-up and resolution.
• Manually enter leads into Salesforce when required and coach sellers on required data fields.
• Support development of call lists and target account lists in collaboration with sellers.
• Own coordination and preparation for assigned trade shows, acting as the central point of organization across sales, marketing, and program teams.
• Maintain and distribute all planning documents, timelines, and materials.
• Build and manage exhibitor lists for targeted trade shows, identifying NSF-certified exhibitors and documenting certification details.
• Use AI tools and process improvements to increase efficiency of exhibitor data enrichment, incorporating sales team target accounts and program team input.
• Coordinate with sales and program leaders to flag exhibitors for targeted visits, introductions, or specific business discussions.
• Support capture and entry of leads into Salesforce during and after trade shows; ensure completeness and accuracy of trade show data.
• Support calculation and tracking of trade show return on investment using provided tools.
• Support the planning of webinars, including communication to targets and compilation of participation interest.
• Participate in structured sales development activity, spending 4–6 hours per week conducting cold outreach to build confidence in pitching NSF services and handling rejection.
• Generate and qualify meetings for the sales team; track personal outreach activity and performance.
• Execute day-to-day Salesforce activities, including lead assignment, data entry, opportunity and account updates, and building/maintaining basic reports and dashboards.
• Partner with Commercial Operations and Salesforce IT teams to request updates and improvements; escalate system or process issues and help drive resolution.
• Continuously improve data quality and process consistency.
• Coordinate scheduling for larger team or cross-functional meetings; support meeting preparation activities and capture notes with clearly documented follow-up actions.
• Support team-level workflows and coordination; act as the main point of contact in multiple business initiatives and specific projects.
• Support Request for Proposals (RFP) processes as defined.
• Support quoting/pricing of proposals as requested.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration between sales, marketing, and program teams; identify opportunities to improve processes and recommend enhancements.
• Use AI tools to improve efficiency in workflows and data gathering; develop repeatable processes to reduce manual effort.
• Support adoption of AI tools within the sales team; validate outputs for accuracy and quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 1–3 years of experience in sales support, operations, or related field.
• Strong interest in developing into a future sales role.
• Proficiency in Salesforce and Microsoft Excel.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Experience with CRM systems, especially Salesforce.
• Experience using data tools or reporting tools.
• Familiarity with sales prospecting tools (e.g., Cognism or similar).
• Experience leveraging AI tools for business workflows.
• Advanced Excel skills (Macro, Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP).

About Us

With a legacy spanning more than 80 years, NSF leverages science and innovation to improve human and planet health. We provide science-driven, independent testing, inspection, certification, and advisory services and develop the very standards that drive the food, water, and life sciences industries worldwide. We empower our clients to navigate shifting regulations to improve consumer health, safety, and quality of life.

One of our core values is We Are One NSF. This means that while we’re one team, we embrace the cultural, ethnic, language, and demographic diversity that reflects the societies in which we live and work.

NSF sets the global standard for quality, performance, and safety of water products and systems with an extensive range of testing, certification, and consulting services. We continually strive to address emerging needs, empowering manufacturers to meet stringent regulatory requirements with confidence. With our expanding local presence in key regions, we ensure more efficient pathways for our clients to reach global markets while continuing to anticipate and respond to the evolving challenges of water safety.