Job highlights

- Experience: 10+ years
- The primary mandate is to identify,create,shape,and close new opportunities within existing education accounts,with AI,data,learning technology,digital transformation,student experience,and technology services as core areas of focus

Strategic Client Partner Sales Higher Education Market: USA Universities / Higher Education / Online Learning / EdTech

Location: Pune Hybrid (In-office every Wednesday)

Working Hours: 12:00 PM 9:00 PM IST

Experience: 10+ years

Job Summary

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 primary mandate is to identify, create, shape, and close new opportunities within existing education accounts, with AI, data, learning technology, digital transformation, student experience, and technology services as core areas of focus.

The ideal candidate will be a strong CXO-level relationship builder, consultative enterprise seller, and strategic account leader who understands how US higher education institutions buy technology and services. You will independently identify whitespace, build account-growth strategies, create executive-level conversations, shape complex opportunities, and take deals from initial discovery through proposal, negotiation, and closure. This role requires someone who can operate with minimal supervision and high ownership, build a qualified pipeline from scratch, and convert strategic institutional relationships into significant revenue growth.

The role will be measured on pipeline creation, new buying-center penetration, deal closures, booked revenue, account expansion, AI opportunity creation, and long-term client growth, rather than activity metrics alone.

Key Responsibilities

- Strategic Account Growth & Expansion Own the end-to-end growth strategy for a portfolio of existing US universities, higher education institutions, online learning organizations, and EdTech platforms. Identify and develop new revenue opportunities within existing client organizations. Move beyond existing curriculum and content buyers and establish relationships across new technology, digital, and institutional buying centers, including: CIO CTO CDO Chief Digital Officer Chief Online Learning Officer Chief Digital Learning Officer Provost VP/Head of Online Learning VP Technology VP Digital Transformation Data & AI leadership Enterprise Architecture Student Experience leadership Identify whitespace opportunities across institutions and develop strategies to penetrate new departments, schools, programs, business units, and buying centers. Build strong relationships with senior institutional stakeholders and become a trusted advisor on their AI, technology, learning, and digital transformation priorities. Understand each institution s: Strategic plan Academic priorities Technology roadmap Digital learning strategy AI initiatives Student experience priorities Operational challenges Budget cycles Funding sources Procurement processes Governance structure Decision-making structure Current and future buying priorities Develop a clear and actionable growth plan for each strategic account. Map key decision-makers, influencers, budget owners, academic stakeholders, technology stakeholders, procurement teams, and potential internal champions. Continuously identify opportunities to increase account penetration and share of wallet. Convert existing engagements into broader, multi-year strategic partnerships.
- CXO & Academic Relationship Management Build and maintain robust relationships with CIOs, CTOs, CDOs,



Chief Online/Digital Learning Officers, Provosts, and senior academic and technology leaders. Establish credibility as a strategic business, education, and technology advisor rather than operating purely as a transactional sales representative. Lead executive-level conversations around: AI in Education Generative AI AI-powered Learning Student Experience Digital Learning Learning Platforms Data & Analytics Learning Analytics Digital Transformation Academic Technology Automation Online Program Transformation Technology Modernization Understand the strategic priorities of academic and technology leaders and translate them into relevant business and technology opportunities. Build relationships across multiple levels within the institution to reduce dependency on a single buyer or champion. Create executive sponsorship and maintain strong stakeholder engagement throughout the sales cycle. Develop long-term relationships that create opportunities for repeat and expansion business. Represent the company confidently in senior-level client meetings, executive briefings, institutional workshops, conferences, and strategic discussions.
- AI, Learning & Technology Services Sales Drive sales conversations around AI, data, learning technology, digital transformation, and technology services. Identify enterprise and institutional AI use cases and translate them into commercially viable opportunities. Engage institutions around opportunities such as: Generative AI for Learning AI-powered Student Experience AI-enabled Content Development AI-assisted Instruction Learning Analytics Student Success Analytics Intelligent Automation Digital Learning Transformation Learning Platform Modernization Data Modernization Technology Transformation Online Learning Infrastructure Digital Student Services Understand the institution s academic or operational problem before positioning a solution. Work with internal solution and delivery teams to translate institutional requirements into relevant solutions. Help clients move from: Initial AI / Technology Use Case Discovery Pilot / POC Program Enterprise / Institution-Wide Scale Identify opportunities to expand successful initial engagements into broader, multi-program and multi-year relationships. Stay current on emerging AI, EdTech, learning technology, and higher education technology trends and understand how they can create institutional value.
- Enterprise & Institutional Sales / Deal Shaping Own opportunities from the initial client conversation through proposal, negotiation, and closure. Lead consultative discovery to understand: Institutional challenges Academic priorities Technology requirements Student outcomes Operational outcomes Budget availability Funding cycles Decision criteria Buying process Governance requirements Expected outcomes Frame the institutional problem and develop a compelling value proposition. Build business cases that demonstrate: Student impact Operational efficiency Cost efficiency Revenue opportunity Scalability Institutional value Technology modernization Shape opportunities in collaboration with solution architects, technology leaders, delivery teams, AI experts, and education subject-matter experts. Manage complex enterprise and institutional sales cycles involving multiple academic, technology, administrative, and procurement stakeholders. Lead commercial discussions, proposals, pricing conversations, and negotiations. Navigate: RFPs RFIs Procurement Legal review Security requirements Vendor onboarding Governance Institutional approvals Drive opportunities toward closure while maintaining commercial discipline and profitability.



Build and close opportunities of +, with the ability to manage significantly larger strategic deals.
- New Technology Buying Center Development Identify technology and digital buying centers that are currently not engaged with the company. Build targeted strategies to enter new institutional departments and stakeholder groups. Develop relationships with: CIO organizations CTO organizations Digital Learning teams Online Learning teams Data & AI teams Enterprise Architecture Technology Transformation Student Experience Digital Student Services Academic Technology teams Identify opportunities to expand beyond traditional curriculum, content, and instructional stakeholders. Research institutional structures and identify high-value whitespace opportunities. Create account penetration strategies based on institutional priorities, funding cycles, strategic plans, and technology roadmaps. Build relationships before an active RFP or formal buying process begins. Generate demand through executive conversations, strategic insight, industry knowledge, and consultative selling. Turn new buying-center relationships into qualified opportunities and revenue.
- Account Planning & Pipeline Development Develop detailed strategic account plans for assigned US higher education and EdTech accounts. Define account-level: Revenue targets Growth opportunities Buying centers Key stakeholders Academic priorities Technology priorities Funding cycles Strategic initiatives Active opportunities Whitespace opportunities Competitive landscape Engagement strategy Build a qualified pipeline from scratch to support annual revenue targets. Maintain a healthy pipeline across multiple stages of the sales funnel. Continuously identify new opportunities rather than relying solely on existing account revenue. Maintain accurate and current opportunity data in CRM systems. Ensure pipeline coverage is sufficient to achieve annual revenue objectives. Prioritize opportunities based on: Revenue potential Strategic importance Probability of closure Institutional urgency Funding availability Business value Relationship strength
- RFP, Proposal, Commercial & Negotiation Management Lead the development of strategic proposals in collaboration with internal teams. Translate institutional requirements into clear commercial propositions. Coordinate with solution architects and delivery leaders to build technically and commercially viable solutions. Lead pricing and commercial discussions with institutional stakeholders. Develop compelling responses to RFPs and formal procurement processes. Negotiate contracts while protecting business value and margins. Manage proposal strategy, timelines, client presentations, solution discussions, and commercial negotiations. Anticipate institutional objections and develop appropriate responses. Navigate formal procurement, governance, legal, security, and approval processes. Drive opportunities through final institutional approval and closure. Ensure smooth transition from sales closure to delivery and account management teams.
- Higher Education Buying Cycle & Stakeholder Management Develop a strong understanding of how US universities and higher education institutions purchase technology and services. Navigate institutional budget cycles, funding availability, procurement procedures, RFP processes, governance committees, and approval structures. Understand the different priorities and decision-making roles of: CIOs CTOs CDOs Provosts Academic Leaders Online Learning Leaders IT Leadership Procurement Finance Faculty / Academic Stakeholders Student Success Teams Build consensus across academic, technology, administrative, and commercial stakeholders. Identify institutional champions and potential blockers early in the sales process. Develop strategies to maintain

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📌 Strategic Client Partner - Sales Higher Education (Pune)
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