Role Overview
The Director of Higher Education – Business Development is a senior leadership role responsible for driving revenue growth, building strategic partnerships, and expanding Academian’s footprint in the Higher Education market.
This role owns new business acquisition, strategic account growth, and deal closures, working closely with the CBO, Sales, Account Management, and Delivery leadership to shape and execute the Higher Education go-to-market strategy.
Key ResponsibilitiesBusiness Development & Revenue Ownership
- Own revenue targets, pipeline creation, and deal closures for the Higher Education vertical.
- Drive new logo acquisition and expansion of existing strategic accounts.
- Partner with the CBO to define and execute go-to-market and growth strategy.
- Lead institutional and enterprise sales cycles, including RFPs, proposals, pricing, negotiations, and closures.
Enterprise Sales & Client Engagement
- Build and manage relationships with C-suite, provosts, deans, and senior academic leaders.
- Lead consultative and value-based selling conversations.
- Represent Academian in executive presentations, conferences, and industry forums.
- Position Academian as a trusted strategic partner to Higher Education institutions.
Sales Enablement & Internal Collaboration
- Work closely with Sales, Account Management, and Delivery teams to ensure strong deal shaping and execution alignment.
- Provide market insights to influence offering positioning and sales strategy.
- Support teams with deal strategy, client context, and executive-level guidance.
Market & Practice Leadership
- Track Higher Education market trends, funding models, and competitive landscape.
- Identify new growth opportunities across universities, institutions, publishers, and education partners.
- Contribute to thought leadership and long-term strategic planning for the vertical.
Success Metrics
- Revenue growth and pipeline conversion.
- New logo wins and strategic account expansion.
- Deal win rate and average deal size.
- Client relationships and repeat business.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required, master's preferred.
- 15–20+ years of experience in Business Development, Enterprise Sales, or Strategic Partnerships.
- Strong exposure to Higher Education, EdTech, Digital Learning, or Education Services.
- Ambitious leader with a Hunter mindset to achieve key revenue targets and goals.
- Proven success closing large, complex deals.
- Executive-level communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Strategic mindset with strong commercial and growth orientation.
Compensation
- Competitive base salary.
- Performance-linked variable compensation tied to revenue and business growth.
Travel: This is a US-based position with potential travel to client sites, education conferences, and educational institutions across the country.
Pay: $120,000.00 - $140,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Application Question(s):
- How many years of experience do you have in Higher education selling?
- This role is Hunter or individual contributor role, are you comfortable with it?
- How many years of service selling experience do you have in Higher education?
Work Location: Remote
