The Role:

We are seeking an experienced & dynamic Sales Manager to lead & inspire a team of Mid-Market & Enterprise Account Executives focused on the K12 education market. The ideal candidate will be a results-oriented leader with a proven track record of exceeding sales targets, building high-performing teams, & driving strategic growth within complex sales cycles. This role requires a deep understanding of the K12 landscape, exceptional coaching abilities, & a commitment to fostering a positive, people-first sales culture.

Why you'll love this role:   

• Achieve Sales Goals: Consistently meet or exceed monthly & quarterly team sales revenue targets.
• Pipeline Generation & Management: Drive the team to proactively build & maintain a robust sales pipeline, ensuring a minimum of 2.5x pipeline to quota coverage at all times.
• Strategic Deal Coaching: Conduct regular pipeline reviews & provide in-depth coaching to the team through deal reviews, leveraging methodologies like MEDDPICC & insights from sales enablement tools such as Gong.
• Accurate Forecasting: Deliver precise & reliable monthly & quarterly team sales forecasts.
• Cultivate a High-Performance Culture: Maintain & champion a positive, "people-first" culture that motivates & empowers the team to perform at their highest capabilities, celebrating successes & replicating best practices across the team.
• Continuous Sales Coaching: Continually coach & develop the sales team on advanced sales methodologies, prospecting skills, negotiation tactics, & effective presentation techniques tailored to the K12 market.
• Performance Management: Consistently manage individual & team performance on a weekly, monthly, & quarterly basis, providing constructive feedback & implementing performance improvement or gap-to-goal plans when necessary.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Coordinate & collaborate effectively with cross-functional leaders & teams (including SDR, CSM, Field Marketing, People/HR, Product, Finance, Enablement, & Operations teams) to support overall sales priorities & functions.
• Territory Planning & Strategy: Guide reps in developing & executing comprehensive territory plans to maximize market penetration & achieve sales objectives within their assigned territory regions.
• Recruitment & Onboarding: Actively participate in the recruitment, interviewing, & onboarding of new sales talent to expand & strengthen the team.
• Market Feedback: Serve as a conduit for market & customer feedback to product & marketing teams to inform future product development & go-to-market strategies.
• CRM Management: Ensure consistent & accurate usage of CRM (e.g., Salesforce) for pipeline management, forecasting, & activity tracking.

Why you're a great fit:

• K12 Market Expertise: Minimum of 5+ years of direct sales experience within the K12 education market.
• Sales Leadership Experience: Minimum of 2+ years of experience leading a sales team, with a proven track record of managing teams to a collective quota of $5M+ annually.
• Enterprise Sales Experience: Minimum of 4+ years of experience selling and/or leading teams to sell into large Enterprise accounts (e.g., school districts with 20,000+ students or complex state-level deals).
• Sales Methodology Proficiency: Demonstrated proficiency in sales methodologies such as MEDDPICC, Challenger Sale, or similar structured approaches.
• Leadership & Coaching Skills: Exceptional leadership, coaching, & mentoring abilities, with a passion for developing sales professionals.
• Communication Skills: Superior verbal & written communication, presentation, & interpersonal skills.
• Analytical & Forecasting Skills: Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret sales data, forecast accurately, & make data-driven decisions.
• CRM Proficiency: Proficient in using CRM software (e.g., Salesforce) & other sales enablement tools (e.g., Gong, Salesloft).
• Procurement Knowledge: Understanding of K12 procurement processes, funding cycles, & decision-making structures.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Education, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience.
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience selling SaaS solutions into the K12 market.
  • Proven ability to navigate complex sales cycles with multiple stakeholders.
  • Familiarity with EdTech industry trends & competitive landscape.
  • Experience working in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Compensation:

• Base salary: $130,000
• On-target commission (OTC): $100,000
• On-target earnings (OTE): $230,000

Why youll love working at Newsela:

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical benefits with employer contribution to premiums & to HSA accounts. Additional benefits such as pet insurance, free access to the Calm app, & more to help you stay healthy: mind, body, & soul. 
• Work From Home: We are a fully remote company. We provide a monthly tech stipend to support your WFH needs!
• Supporting ALL Families: Inclusive benefits to support you & your family, including parental leave, fertility support, adoption, & more! 
• Financial Wellbeing: Invest in your future with our 401(k) plan, which includes a employer match to help you build long-term financial security.
• Time Off: Flexible PTO plus 10 company holidays plus winter break (Dec 24th - Jan 1st), & Sabbatical Leave offered at tenure.
• Professional Development: Newsela offers an annual learning & development allowance to employees to attend external training sessions, classes, workshops, conferences, & educational materials to foster professional growth within their current role & career aspirations at Newsela.
• Make A Difference: No matter your role or department, the work you do each day helps share the future of education & improves the lives of students & teachers.

About Newsela:

Newsela takes authentic, real world content from trusted sources & makes it instruction ready for K-12 classrooms. Each text is published at five reading levels, so content is accessible to every learner. Today, over 3.3 million teachers & 40 million students have registered with Newsela for content that's personalized to student interests, accessible to everyone, aligned to instructional standards, & attached to activities & reporting that hold teachers accountable for instruction & students accountable for their work. With over 15,000 texts on our platform & multiple new texts published every day across 20+ genres, Newsela enables educators to go deep on any subject they choose.

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