Senior Director, Education – Higher Ed

Role Overview

• Design and execute a comprehensive go-to-market strategy specifically tailored to the unique procurement and donor engagement cycles of Higher Education institutions.
• Identify high-value market shifts and competitive white space to refine our Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) across diverse institutional tiers.
• Act as the executive sponsor for Tier 1 accounts, building deep rapport with Vice Presidents of Advancement and Chief Financial Officers to navigate long-cycle institutional shifts.
• Recruit, mentor, and scale a specialized team of business development and segment leaders, fostering a culture of high accountability and inclusive excellence.
• Establish the operational "rhythm of the business," including precise forecasting, territory design, and performance analytics that ensure predictable revenue growth.
• Transition regional successes into repeatable global playbooks, ensuring the team remains agile as the Higher Ed fundraising landscape evolves.
• Partner with Product and Engineering teams to translate institutional feedback into a roadmap that addresses the specific compliance and integration needs of universities.
• Collaborate with Marketing to launch high-impact, vertical-specific thought leadership campaigns that position our AI capabilities as essential infrastructure for modern development offices.
• Synchronize with Customer Success to monitor post-onboarding health, ensuring that initial wins transition into long-term retention and expansion opportunities.
• Define and own pipeline generation, revenue targets, and overall segment performance reporting to the executive leadership team.

Requirements

• Extensive experience in sales leadership, business development, or GTM strategy, specifically within complex SaaS or institutional environments.
• Proven track record of managing managers and scaling high-performance teams in fast-paced environments.
• Mastery of multi-stakeholder sales cycles and the ability to navigate "buying by committee" dynamics.
• Exceptional commercial acumen with the ability to link technical product features to institutional financial outcomes.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to serve as a credible spokesperson at major industry conferences and board-level meetings.
• Data-driven mindset with proficiency in RevOps tools, forecasting models, and performance metadata.
• Deep curiosity regarding the intersection of AI, philanthropy, and institutional advancement.
• Experience in the Higher Education, Nonprofit, or EdTech sectors is strongly preferred.
• Prior experience in a high-growth, venture-backed environment is a plus.

Benefits

• Health, Dental, and Vision insurance covered at 100% for employees, 80% for employee plus dependents, and 70% for employees plus family.
• FSA and HSA Spending Account.
• 20 days of vacation, 5 sick days, 11 company holidays plus an additional 1 floating holiday.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• 100% Company-paid short-term disability, long-term disability, basic life insurance and AD&D.
• Paid parental leave (12 weeks for primary caregivers / 6 weeks for secondary caregivers).
• Generous home office stipend to support your remote workspace.
• Annual professional development stipend to support your growth (e.g., workshops, courses, and seminars).
• Charitable giving program and paid volunteer time off with registered non-profits.