# Account Executive, Higher Education

**Company:** [Otter](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/otter)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Account Executive
**Salary:** $180k – $200k/yr
**Experience:** 2+ years
**Skills:** SaaS Sales, Salesforce, outreach.io, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, rfps, higher education procurement, Contract Negotiation, ferpa, ada compliance, channel partnerships
**Posted:** 2026-08-11

> Owns the full sales cycle for higher education accounts, from prospecting through close, while navigating complex institutional procurement and multi-stakeholder buying processes. The role requires at least two years of SaaS closing experience, strong pipeline management, and familiarity with higher education sales.

## Job Description

## 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.

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