Fast Facts

Ascend Learning is seeking a remote Strategic Account Manager for Cybersecurity + IT to maintain and grow relationships with key higher education clients, driving mutual growth and ensuring client satisfaction through strategic account management.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include managing client relationships, uncovering business opportunities, and developing account growth strategies in the higher education sector.

Skills: Candidates should possess strong negotiation skills, proficiency in CRM software, analytical abilities, and experience in delivering tailored solutions within a quota-based sales environment.

Qualifications: A Bachelor's degree and at least 3 years of relevant experience in higher education or curriculum solutions sales are required, with a preference for candidates familiar with EdTech.

Location: This is a remote position based in the United States, with up to 10% travel required.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between $80,000 - $120,000.

We Impact Lives Through Purpose-Driven Work in A People First Culture

Ascend Learning is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning.

Our values-driven culture unifies our teams and inspires a mindset of action, innovation, and collaboration, with a relentless focus on customers.

We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. If this sounds like an environment where you'd thrive, read on to learn more.

Ascend Learning leads the way in innovation and solution creation to improve outcomes and deliver results for students and educators. As a leader in the course materials, we’re leading the way in providing an innovative hands-on learning experience for students to learn the technical skills necessary to excel in the computer science, IT and cybersecurity industry.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As a Strategic Account Manager for Cybersecurity + IT, you’ll be responsible for maintaining and expanding relationships with strategically important large customers in Higher-Education. Assigned to some of our highest-value educational clients, the Strategic Account Manager is tasked with building a deep understanding of the clients’ academic and business processes, goals, and strategies to align our offerings and drive mutual growth and success.

WHERE YOU’LL WORK

This position will work remote in the United States.

HOW YOU’LL SPEND YOUR TIME

Serve as the lead point of contact for all strategic account matters, build and maintain strong, long-lasting client relationships, develop trusted advisor relationships with key accounts, customer stakeholders, and executive sponsors
Uncover new business opportunities within the higher-education market to promote and sell Cybersecurity+IT curriculum solutions to win new accounts
Identify and understand the roles of the clients’ stakeholders, identify champions, users, the technical team, and the economic buyers
Manage relationships with existing clients to ensure their retention, and customer loyalty – including annual account reviews and utilization reporting
Manage and nurture the sales pipeline, ensure timely follow-ups, and progress tracking
Uncover clients' objectives and pain points, build strategic roadmaps to drive positive outcomes and solutions to meet client needs while providing exceptional customer collaboration and guidance
Develop account growth strategies, collaborate with category leadership, leverage market knowledge and client insights, including territory management, pipeline opportunities, and cross-sell opportunity referral activity where applicable
Prepare compelling sales strategies, messaging, and presentations. Negotiate and close deals, collect implementation details for client execution
Ensure timely and successful delivery of Ascends solutions according to customer needs and objectives, exceeding client expectations
Prepare and present regular reports on account opportunities, sales forecasts, tailwinds, and headwinds to management
Stay up to date with, and share, industry trends, competitors, and market conditions to identify new business opportunities

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Bachelor’s degree
3+ years of relevant work experience within the Higher Education vertical
6+ years of relevant solutions sales work experience. Strong preference to educational curriculum experience
Prior track record of influencing stakeholders up to the administrative/executive level, with proven negotiation skills for securing advantageous agreements
Skilled in delivering tailored solutions to clients and managing multiple projects with precision
Proficient in written communication for creating sales documents (proposals, contracts)
Ability to build trust and proactively engage in upselling and cross selling
Strong analytical abilities for sales data interpretation and strategy formulation
Proven track record of delivering results in a quota-based sales environment with multi-year multimillion-dollar contracts
Higher education industry knowledge, background in EdTech/course curriculum or higher education experience preferred
Proficient in CRM software (e.g., MS Dynamics, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, HubSpot) and MS Office, especially Excel
Up to 10% of travel.

BENEFITS

Flexible and generous paid time off
Competitive medical, dental, vision and life insurance
401(k) employer matching program
Parental leave
Wellness resources
Charitable matching program
Hybrid work
On-site workout facilities (Leawood, Gilbert, Burlington)
Community outreach groups
Tuition reimbursement

Fostering A Sense of Belonging

We seek out and celebrate all people and perspectives and cultivate an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued and be their authentic selves. Our culture is firmly rooted in the belief that by embracing our differences and drawing on diverse perspectives, we are a stronger, more innovative, and more successful organization where employees experience a sense of belonging.

About Ascend Learning

As a tech-enabled services company, Ascend Learning is a national leader in developing and delivering data-driven online educational content, software, assessments, analytics, and simulations serving institutions, students and employers across healthcare, fitness and wellness, public and workplace safety, skilled trades, insurance, financial services, cybersecurity, and higher education. We're committed to accelerating the learning pathways that can move people into careers where they have the knowledge and skills to have an impact and help change lives in the communities they serve. Headquartered in Burlington, MA with additional office locations and hybrid and remote workers in cities across the U.S., Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America's 2023 Greatest Workplaces for Diversity.

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S. based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

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