Lead Sales Operations Analyst

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together. Are you ready to join a high-performance, fast-moving, and collaborative GTM Operations team where your analytical skills will be the engine of our success? We are seeking a highly motivated Sales Operations Analyst to drive efficiency and provide critical insights in a fast-paced environment. This role requires high cross-functional collaboration & communication, strong analytical skills, and a relentless focus on optimizing our sales processes and performance. This role is based at our HQ in McLean, VA. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 5 days a week to foster that culture and ensure we continue to thrive through shared ideas and teamwork. We believe being in the office provides more opportunities to come together and celebrate working with the exceptional people across Appian. What You'll Do: Your primary mission will be to transform complex data into actionable strategies that empower our Sales leadership and improve team performance. Key responsibilities include: Data Analysis & Strategy Identify business challenges and opportunities through data analysis, delivering strategic and tactical recommendations while proactively leveraging AI tools and automation to accelerate insights, improve decision-making, and drive productivity gains. Evolve problem-solving frameworks, develop and test hypotheses, and lead the implementation of scalable solutions, including defining success metrics and developing ongoing monitoring plans. Demonstrate deep curiosity about emerging AI capabilities and continuously evaluate, experiment with, and integrate AI-powered tools and workflows to improve operational efficiency, analytical rigor, and cross-functional collaboration. Reporting & Performance Own the process of reporting and analyzing sales pipeline, bookings, headcount, and productivity to identify trends and opportunities for growth. Conduct monthly and quarterly analysis to track sales quota achievement. Drive the health of the business through performance monitoring, analysis, process improvements, and key insights. Planning & Process Improvement Provide critical analytical and administrative support for the annual planning process, specifically supporting the design and implementation of sales territory strategy. Manage ongoing escalations and act as a key cross-functional point of contact, ensuring smooth operations. Support various strategic sales operations projects. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in math, physics, data science, or other STEM related field. At least 6 years of analytical experience with a proven track record of transforming Sales or Financial Data into actionable strategies. Must be highly proficient in Google Sheets / Microsoft Excel, and other data systems like Salesforce. Experience leveraging AI in Automation, Workflow Enablement and building AI-powered agents to eliminate manual work and improve efficiency Leverage AI tools to support analysis, content creation and summarization Passion for analytics and experience in a Sales Operations or FP&A Analytics role. Strong process development and writing experience. Experience with reporting platform such as Tableau or Looker is preferred Demonstrated ability to be highly motivated, a quick thinker and learner, and capable of working independently as well as part of a team. Highly organized, detail-oriented, and methodical approach to problem-solving. Willingness to jump in and assist in a variety