Senior Strategic Account Executive, State Systems & R1 Institutions | Remote | West/Central

Ellucian • Full-time • Remote (United States) • 1m ago

Fast Facts

Join Ellucian as a Senior Strategic Account Executive to drive growth and innovation in higher education by building partnerships with R1 institutions and State Higher Education Systems. This remote position involves significant travel to engage senior leaders and promote Ellucian's AI-powered educational solutions.

Responsibilities: Develop and execute multi-year account strategies, cultivate relationships with executive stakeholders in R1 institutions, and manage the full sales lifecycle while driving demand through strategic engagement.

Skills: 7+ years of SaaS/Cloud enterprise sales experience, ability to influence C-level executives, and a strong understanding of higher education or public sector sales.

Qualifications: Experience selling to public sector and large enterprise verticals, transformational selling success, and a collaborative mindset.

Location: Remote position within the United States, requiring 50–75% travel.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between $120,000 - $180,000.

About Ellucian

Ellucian is a global market leader in education technology. We power innovation for higher education, partnering with more than 2,800 customers across 50 countries and serving over 20 million students. Ellucian's AI-powered platform, trained on the richest dataset available in higher education, drives efficiency, personalized experiences, and strengthened engagement for all students, faculty and staff. Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, from student recruitment, enrollment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement. Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners, and user community of more than 45,000 provide best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes.

Values Rooted in Purpose

We embrace the power tolead, the courage toinnovate, and the determination togrow. At our core, we believe inhumanizingour approach, recognizing that our people are our greatest strength. With a shared vision oftransformation, we endeavor to shape a brighter future for higher education.

About the Opportunity

This role requires 50–75% travel.

We have an immediate opening for a Senior Strategic Account Executive focused on cultivating and expanding relationships within R1 research institutions/State Higher Education Systems. In this role, you will engage senior higher education leaders—including Presidents, Provosts, Chancellors, System Heads, CFOs, and CIOs—to form strategic, enterprise-level partnerships and drive adoption of Ellucian's solutions.

This position requires deep strategic thinking, comfort operating in complex multi-stakeholder environments, and the ability to navigate long sales cycles across large and sophisticated accounts. You will work closely with Ellucian Executives, pre-sales consultants, proposals, inside sales, marketing, and sales support teams to execute a consultative, value-based sales approach.

If you thrive in high-impact environments, excel at building trusted relationships with executive decision-makers, and are energized by the opportunity to advance higher education through technology, then Ellucian is the place for you.

Where You Will Make an Impact

Strategic Expansion & Account Leadership
Serve as a key member of Ellucian’s field sales organization with responsibility for driving expansion and revenue growth within R1 universities and state systems.
Develop and own comprehensive, multi-year account strategies aligned to institutional missions, research priorities, statewide initiatives, and technology transformation goals.
Build strong, trust-based relationships with executive stakeholders, navigating large and complex governance structures common in R1s and state systems.
Apply a consultative, value-selling methodology that clearly demonstrates Ellucian’s differentiated value in supporting student success, research growth, operational efficiency, and system-wide modernization.
Market & Account Insight
Maintain deep awareness of each institution’s technology footprint, strategic plan, system mandates, funding cycles, and competitive landscape.
Monitor sector trends including federal funding, research investment, state policy shifts, leadership changes, and regulatory updates impacting higher education.
Leverage public information (press releases, budget announcements, state board updates, grant awards, rankings, etc.) to identify opportunities and tailor messaging.
Territory Ownership & Sales Execution
Lead a defined territory of R1 institutions and state systems, overseeing account relationships, opportunity pipeline, and full sales lifecycle.
Build and execute account plans that address key stakeholder priorities, institutional pain points, and statewide strategic objectives.
Orchestrate complex sales cycles involving multiple decision-makers and influencers.
Partner with internal teams across pre-sales, proposals, marketing, and executive sponsors to advance opportunities and deliver a coordinated customer experience.
Demand Generation & Pipeline Management
Drive demand creation through strategic engagement with institutional leaders, participation in national and regional higher education events, and targeted outreach.
Manage pipeline with discipline through accurate forecasting, resource planning, and proactive opportunity progression.
Effectively position Ellucian as the premier technology partner for institutions seeking system modernization, cloud transformation, data strategy, and enterprise integration.

What You Will Bring

7+ years of SaaS/Cloud enterprise sales experience, with a strong record of success navigating complex, multi-year sales cycles.
Proven ability to engage and influence C-level and senior executives in large, matrixed organizations.
Experience selling into public sector, higher education, state systems, or large enterprise verticals is strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success in transformational and strategic selling, including building long-term relationships and creating enterprise-level value propositions.
Strong understanding of ERP, SIS, HCM, Finance, or related enterprise technology ecosystems.
Collaborative mindset and experience maximizing outcomes through cross-functional internal partnerships.
Ability to travel 50–75%, including to system offices, flagship campuses, and national higher education events.

What makes #Ellucianlife

Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
Flexible time off
Thrive Flex Lifestyle Account (LSA) that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
401k w/ match & BrightPlan - to help you save for the future
Parental Leave
5 charitable days to support the community that supports us
Telemedicine
Wellness
Headspace Care (mental health)
Wellbeats (virtual fitness classes)
RethinkCare & Wellthy– caregiver support
Diversity and inclusion programs which provide access to internal employee resource groups
Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team
We Foster a learning culture with:
Education Assistance Program
Professional development opportunities

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