Account Executive, Higher Education

Responsibilities

• Own the full sales cycle, from prospecting to close, for Higher Education accounts spanning departments, colleges, and institution-wide deals.
• Drive new business acquisition through outbound prospecting, inbound leads, conference and event follow-up, and channel or partner referrals.
• Build and manage relationships with university stakeholders, including CIOs, IT and educational technology leaders, Provosts and Deans' offices, accessibility services, procurement officers, and faculty.
• Navigate higher education procurement processes, including RFPs, purchase orders, cooperative and consortium purchasing agreements, board and committee approvals, and academic-year budget cycles.
• Customize product demonstrations for higher education use cases such as lecture capture, accessibility and accommodations, advising and research meetings, and administrative and committee workflows.
• Partner with Marketing, Product, and Customer Success on higher education positioning, packaging, and customer feedback.
• Maintain accurate forecasting and pipeline hygiene in Salesforce and provide visibility into segment performance.
• Represent the company at higher education conferences, webinars, and trade events.
• Advocate internally for the needs of colleges and universities in product and go-to-market discussions.

Requirements

• 2+ years of closing experience in a high-velocity SaaS sales environment.
• Proven experience managing the full sales cycle and negotiating contracts with colleges and universities, including RFPs and multi-stakeholder buying committees.
• Familiarity with higher education procurement processes, academic budget calendars, and funding sources such as institutional budgets, grants, and cooperative purchasing vehicles.
• Experience working with IT, security, legal, finance, and procurement teams to close complex deals.
• Proficiency with Salesforce, Outreach.io, Sales Navigator, or comparable sales engagement tools.
• Go-getter attitude and comfort building repeatable processes for high-volume transactions.
• Strong teamwork and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Excellent customer skills, including communication, empathy, and integrity.
• Adaptability, flexibility, and resilience in a changing environment.

Nice to Have

• Experience selling into higher education or broader public-sector and education markets.
• Understanding of accessibility and compliance considerations relevant to higher education, including FERPA and ADA requirements.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Education, or a related field.
• Experience at a technology startup.

Compensation

• Salary range: $180,000–$200,000 USD per year, potentially inclusive of commission.
• Actual base salary depends on several factors and is one component of the total rewards package.