Deal Desk Lead

Perplexity is an AI-powered search platform that's redefining how people find and interact with information. As a rapidly growing company at the intersection of AI and search, Perplexity is attracting enterprise customers alongside consumer users, which creates a complex and dynamic commercial environment. The company is scaling its go-to-market operations to support this growth while maintaining disciplined economics.

The Revenue Operations team at Perplexity is building the commercial infrastructure that allows the sales organization to close deals efficiently while protecting company interests. As Deal Desk Lead, you'll be the central point of contact for structuring nonstandard agreements, managing approvals, and ensuring flawless execution from quote through order.

What you'll do

• Engage with field teams early in complex sales cycles to understand customer requirements and work across Sales, Finance, and Legal to resolve obstacles and move deals forward.

• Design deal structures by shaping pricing, discount levels, payment terms, and contractual commitments while weighing customer value against revenue, profitability, and risk exposure.

• Own and manage the approval workflow for nonstandard deals and exceptions, applying policies uniformly and escalating decisions appropriately when needed.

• Oversee the quote-to-order process end to end, ensuring that quotes, order forms, approvals, and CRM data align with agreed terms before signature, and that handoffs to billing and post-sale operations are clean and complete.

• Define requirements and acceptance criteria for quote-to-order systems and tools, partner with Systems teams on implementation, and take ownership of business acceptance testing.

• Build and grow the Deal Desk function by developing playbooks, approval frameworks, and enablement programs that reduce friction over time, and hire and mentor team members as the business scales.

What you'll bring

• At least four years of hands-on experience in Deal Desk, commercial operations, or similar roles in SaaS or high-growth companies, including complex deal structuring and approval processes.

• A proven ability to earn sales teams' trust through responsiveness, creative problem-solving, and commercial judgment that balances field needs with company protection.

• Strong analytical skills and meticulous attention to detail when reviewing deal economics, contract terms, and documentation, with the judgment to separate material risks from issues that shouldn't delay closure.

• The capability to work independently, prioritize your own workload, surface risks early, and drive resolution without constant oversight.

• Skill in handling sensitive requests from sales teams with tact, influencing stakeholders across functions, and escalating appropriately to senior leadership.

• Hands-on experience with CRM platforms, quoting or CPQ software, and approval workflow tools, plus the ability to translate business needs into clear technical requirements.

• A thoughtful perspective on how AI is changing traditional quote-to-order processes, and genuine enthusiasm for applying that perspective to improve Perplexity's operations.

• Experience managing and developing direct reports, with the ability to build a team while staying involved in day-to-day operations.

Nice to have

• Background working with consumption-based, usage-based, or hybrid subscription business models.

• Experience navigating enterprise procurement processes and multiyear agreements.

What they offer

• Full-time position based in San Francisco with hybrid flexibility.
• Opportunity to build and lead a high-impact function within a fast-growing AI company.