Strategic Account Director

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Act as a senior, client-facing strategic account representative responsible for managing account-level revenue and relationships.

• Spearhead new business development and oversee post-sale responsibilities across CU, EA, and IA business models.

• Direct forecasting, multi-year account planning, contract strategy, renewals, and expansion initiatives.

• Negotiate complex contracts with senior academic and administrative leaders.

• Own the account strategy and forecasts for institutions within the designated territory.

• Create multi-year plans for growth, retention, and expansion.

• Identify and leverage institutional opportunities that align with customer goals and enhance student outcomes.

• Construct financial models and arguments showcasing the return on investment for Cengage Unlimited.

• Propel new business development through sales engagement, networking, market research, and targeted outreach efforts.

• Oversee renewals, upselling, expansion, and conversion opportunities.

• Communicate the value of Cengage’s products and services regarding affordability, equity of access, persistence, and achievement.

• Conduct IA/EA/CUI data analysis utilizing enrollment, usage, pricing, and adoption insights.

• Lead institutional change management initiatives toward digital access models.

• Manage customer relationships through kickoffs, onboarding, executive success reviews, and continuous strategic engagement.

• Provide advisory support to institutional collaborators using data-driven insights.

• Collaborate with sales, channel, customer success, marketing, and operations teams.

• Maintain pipeline, opportunities, and accounts in Salesforce.

• Offer thought leadership on Cengage's institutional business models and account strategy.

• Integrate executive-level insights and institutional trends to guide product strategy and business models.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (BA or BS).

• Over 5 years of successful experience in educational or enterprise-level sales.

• Demonstrated ability to own and execute strategic account plans with a focus on long-term revenue accountability.

• Strong experience in high-level negotiations.

• Excellent analytical, written, verbal, and presentation skills.

• In-depth understanding of the financial and academic decision-making structures within higher education institutions.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office and CRM platforms, preferably Salesforce.

• Travel to key customers for in-person negotiations, on-campus meetings, key conferences, and Cengage partner events is required; 35–50% travel is expected.

🏝️ Benefits

• Variable sales incentive compensation program.

• Target variable compensation of $57,500 USD annually.

• Comprehensive total rewards package.

• Reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities, including during the job application process.