Strategic Client Partner

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced Strategic Client Partner – Sales / Strategic Expansion to drive organic growth across a portfolio of existing US universities, higher education institutions, online learning organizations, and EdTech platforms. This is a senior, highly strategic individual-contributor role focused on expanding existing client relationships beyond traditional curriculum, content, and learning stakeholders and establishing new relationships with CIOs, CTOs, CDOs, Chief Online/Digital Learning Officers, Provosts, and senior academic and technology leaders. The expectation is to generate $3–5M+ in booked revenue in Year 1 across the assigned portfolio.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the end-to-end growth strategy for a portfolio of existing US higher education and EdTech accounts.
• Identify whitespace opportunities and penetrate new departments, schools, programs, and buying centers.
• Build relationships with CXO and senior academic and technology leaders and act as a trusted advisor.
• Drive sales conversations around AI, data, learning technology, digital transformation, and technology services.
• Own opportunities from discovery through proposal, negotiation, and closure, including deals of $500K+.
• Lead RFPs, RFIs, pricing, commercial negotiations, and institutional approvals.
• Build and maintain a qualified pipeline, accurate CRM data, and revenue forecasts.
• Collaborate with solution architects, delivery leaders, AI/data teams, and presales to shape solutions.
• Represent the company in executive briefings, workshops, and conferences, with occasional international travel.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Technology, Education, Engineering, or a related field. MBA is preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in technology sales, strategic account management, enterprise sales, or business development.
• Proven experience selling to US universities, higher education institutions, large online learning organizations, or EdTech companies.
• Demonstrated success closing $500K+ enterprise or institutional technology deals.
• Strong CXO-level relationship management and consultative solution-selling capabilities.
• Hands-on experience selling AI, data, learning platforms, digital transformation, and technology services.
• Strong understanding of higher education buying, procurement, RFP/RFI processes, budget cycles, and governance structures.
• Ability to independently build a qualified pipeline from scratch and manage long, complex sales cycles.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication and executive presentation skills.
• Comfortable working independently across US time zones.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with large online universities, competency-based education programs, or Online Program Managers (OPMs).
• Experience with LMS, LXP, SIS, learning analytics, AI, data, and cloud platforms.
• Existing relationships with senior technology and digital learning leaders in US higher education.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Booked revenue of $3–5M+ in Year 1.
• Qualified pipeline creation and coverage from new buying centers and whitespace opportunities.
• Number of new CIO, CTO, CDO, digital learning, online learning, and Provost relationships established.
• Account expansion, deal size, win rate, multi-year revenue, and client retention.

Confidentiality:

You must take the necessary steps to safeguard the integrity, security, and confidentiality of shared confidential information.