Lead, Client Partner

Pearson

Greater London

On-site

GBP 140,000 - 190,000

Full time

6 days ago

Be an early applicant

Application generator

An application made for this job — a tailored resume and cover letter that speak straight to the posting.

Get past ATS filters

Job summary

Pearson is building a global post-sales capability for International Higher Education. As Lead, Client Partner, you will own the frameworks, standards, operating model and ways of working that transform contracts into onboarding, adoption, measurable value and renewal readiness.

This senior role combines capability building, customer strategy and people leadership. You will directly lead Customer Delivery Managers and work with regional sales teams to drive renewal and expansion across

Qualifications

Significant leadership experience across Account Management, Customer Success or related functions.
Experience leading multi-regional or international teams.
Proven ability to design and embed operating models at scale.
Strong influence within matrix organisations.
Experience building lifecycle strategies to improve adoption and renewal outcomes.

Responsibilities

Define and scale global Account Management role expectations and standards.
Create playbooks and governance models for cross-region consistency.
Develop operating rhythms and success measures.
Build scalable onboarding, adoption, value realisation and renewal models.
Lead and develop Customer Delivery Managers and support Strategic Account Managers.

Skills

Leadership

Account Management

Customer Success

Strategic Thinking

Stakeholder Management

Job description

Job Title - Lead, Client Partner

Shape Pearson's global Account Management capability, defining the frameworks, standards and operating model that help institutions successfully adopt, realise value from and renew Pearson's digital learning solutions. Comparable market titles for this opportunity may include Global Head of Account Management, Head of Customer Success, Director of Customer Success, Strategic Accounts Director, Senior Director of Account Management, Director of Strategic Accounts, Global Customer Success Leader, Head of Client Success, Customer Experience Director, Post-Sales Transformation Lead, Director of Customer Retention & Growth, or Enterprise Account Management Director.

LOCATION & WORKING PATTERN

Remote role based in the UK or another approved EMEA location.
No regular office requirement. UK-based colleagues may utilise Pearson offices where practical.
Customer travel is expected and will form a regular part of the role.
Working patterns may vary depending on customer and business requirements, with a combination of virtual engagement and face-to-face meetings.
Exact location eligibility and expected travel requirements will be confirmed during the recruitment process.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Pearson is building a consistent global Account Management capability for International Higher Education.

As Lead, Client Partner , you will own the frameworks, standards, operating model and ways of working that turn signed contracts into strong onboarding, adoption, measurable value, renewal readiness and sustainable expansion.

This is a senior leadership role combining capability building, customer strategy and people leadership. You will directly lead Customer Delivery Managers while providing functional leadership across Strategic Account Managers embedded within regional sales teams.

Your impact will come through creating clarity, driving consistency and implementing practical operating models that work across a diverse international business. You will help establish a repeatable, scalable customer experience that strengthens customer outcomes, improves retention and creates opportunities for long-term growth.

Joining at a formative stage of Pearson's evolution, you will have the opportunity to build processes, establish governance disciplines and shape a global capability that supports institutions throughout their partnership with Pearson.

WHAT YOU WILL DO - Lead the Global Account Management Capability

Define and scale global Account Management role expectations, competency frameworks and operating standards.
Create playbooks, governance models and best-practice frameworks that drive consistency across regions.
Develop team operating rhythms, customer engagement standards and success measures.
Build scalable models that support onboarding, adoption, value realisation and renewal readiness.

Lead & Develop High-Performing Teams

Lead, coach and develop Customer Delivery Managers.
Set clear objectives, expectations and performance standards.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and customer focus.
Support Strategic Account Managers through functional leadership and capability development.

Drive Customer Outcomes & Renewals

Own the post-contract customer lifecycle from sales handover through onboarding, adoption, engagement, value realisation and renewal.
Establish and maintain a comprehensive account-health framework.
Strengthen customer governance, success planning and executive engagement approaches.
Improve renewal readiness through customer evidence packs, value narratives and success metrics.
Identify and support appropriate within-contract growth opportunities.

Partner Across Pearson

Collaborate closely with Sales, Product, Marketing, Customer Success, Implementation Delivery, RevOps and Enablement teams.
Ensure alignment across the customer lifecycle.
Act as an escalation point for complex customer situations, renewal risks and competitive threats.
Share customer insight to inform product, commercial and strategic decision-making.

Influence Strategic Direction

Represent Account Management within central leadership forums.
Provide executive insight into customer outcomes, engagement trends, renewal health and portfolio performance.
Help shape Pearson's approach to customer success and long-term customer value creation.

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS

This role enables acquisition-focused sales teams to continue growing new business while dedicated account teams nurture strategic institutional relationships after contract signature.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in creating a consistent customer experience, improving retention, driving adoption and ensuring customers realise measurable value from their investment in Pearson solutions.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR - Essential Experience

Significant leadership experience across Account Management, Customer Success, Strategic Accounts, Post-Sales or Customer Delivery functions.
Experience leading multi-regional or international teams.
Proven success designing and embedding customer-facing operating models, standards and playbooks at scale.
Strong track record of leading through influence within matrix organisations.
Experience developing customer lifecycle strategies that improve adoption, retention and renewal outcomes.

Knowledge & Skills

Deep understanding of customer adoption, value realisation, retention, renewal readiness and account growth.
Experience building Account Management systems, frameworks and governance disciplines.
Strong commercial acumen and confidence using CRM platforms, customer analytics and forecasting tools.
Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to influence senior leaders and align diverse teams around common goals.
Structured, pragmatic and solution-oriented approach to complex business challenges.
Strong planning, organisation and prioritisation capabilities.
Comfortable working within global, matrixed environments.
Digital confidence across technology products and customer success platforms without needing to be a technical specialist.
The judgement to challenge constructively, make decisions and bring recommendations rather than waiting for detailed direction.

Desirable

Experience within Higher Education, Education Technology, SaaS or digital learning environments.
Knowledge of customer success technologies and account-health methodologies.
Experience leading transformation or capability-building initiatives.
Familiarity with strategic account planning and enterprise customer engagement models.

WHY JOIN PEARSON?

At Pearson, we're committed to helping learners realise the life they imagine through learning.

This is a unique opportunity to build and lead a global post-sales capability, shape the future of Account Management within International Higher Education and create lasting impact for institutions, educators and learners around the world.

You'll have the opportunity to influence strategy on a global scale, develop high-performing teams, strengthen customer partnerships and help shape how Pearson delivers long-term value for customers across the higher education sector.

Who we are:

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. We are the world's lifelong learning company. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are.

To learn more: We are Pearson.

Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

If you are an individual with a disability and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career site as a result of your disability, you may request reasonable accommodations by emailing TalentExperienceGlobalTeam@grp.pearson.com.

Job Details