Director, Business Development (Higher Education Industry)

Sophia has developed a broad range of products and capabilities aimed at improving student success, engagement, and retention, all in the interest of supporting students to reach their educational and employment goals. For candidates interested in taking their next career step in the educational technology space, Sophia offers the fast pace and excitement of working for a startup, with the support and backing of an established organization. You will be on the front lines of educational innovation. This is an opportunity to drastically redefine how universities serve their students and corporate partners provide opportunities for their employees.

Sophia is seeking a Director of Business Development for university partnerships. The ideal candidate for this role is someone that is highly organized, goal-oriented, thinks systematically and is masterful in managing internal and external relationships. Externally, this person will regularly interface with University leadership (i.e. University Presidents/Provosts). Role requirement: Must have experience in Higher Education.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Implement and oversee partnership development strategy to drive revenue growth across new partners.
• Achieve agreed upon sales targets and outcomes.
• Identify new business opportunities, build lead lists and manage a pipeline of prospects from SQL through the contracting phase.
• Research emerging trends and recommend product use cases based on needs analysis
• Provide discipline-specific market insights that add value to partner conversations.
• Have an informed opinion about the education landscape; be a thought-leader both internally and externally.
• Regularly attend industry-related convenings as a representative of Sophia’s offerings to the higher education sector and showcase the value of products and tools to the sector.
• Work cross-functionally with legal, marketing, PR, IT and other departments to design collateral, legal agreements and processes for partner onboarding and success.
• Effective interpersonal communication in managing multiple internal stakeholders including senior team leadership, product leaders, functional points of contact and direct reports.
• Manage regular weekly, monthly and quarterly sales and partner goals reporting to senior team leadership.

Job Skills:

The following characteristics and attributes make for a competitive candidate:

• Goal-oriented, organized team player.
• Proven track record and experience expanding a company’s client base and sales.
• Able to analyze data and sales statistics and translate results into better solutions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Able to multi-task, prioritize, and manage time effectively.
• Self-motivated and self-directed.
• Experienced at preparing and presenting quarterly goals and forecasts for future projects
• Comfortable in both a leadership and team-player role.
• Creative problem solver who thrives when presented with a challenge.
• Culturally competent and a self-reflective leader able to interface with various university types.

Work Experience:

• 5+ years of progressive experience in business development or sales.
• Experience working in the education sector, preferably in higher education and/or experience working in sales selling enrollment-facing products to higher ed institutions
• Role requirement: Must have experience in Higher Education.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree; Masters/MBA Degree Highly Preferred.

Other:

• Must be able to travel occasionally should a business need arise (e.g. conferences)
• Must be able to meet critical thinking and problem solving aspects aligned to job duties, as well as effectively communicating with co-workers.
• Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week when business needs warrant. Accommodations related to schedule may be considered. 
• Able to access information using a computer.
• Other essential functions and marginal job functions are subject to modification.

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• SEI is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive community. We welcome applications from all. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top end of the pay range at SEI, we offer a competitive salary and benefits package.  The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate may vary depending on multiple factors including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, geographical location, and internal pay equity. Our Talent Acquisition Team is ready to discuss your interest in joining SEI. The expected salary range for this position is below.

If you require reasonable accommodations to complete our application process, please contact our Human Resources Department at Careers@strategiced.com.