Principal, Solutioning

Pearson; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Pearson is seeking a Principal, Solutioning to lead the global Sales Specialist capability across International Higher Education. This role drives standards, playbooks, enablement and best practices that enable Sales Specialists to deliver outcomes across the customer journey.

Working within the GTM Central Function, you’ll partner with Sales, Product, Marketing and Enablement to elevate solution excellence globally.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in Solution Consulting, Pre-Sales, Sales Engineering or leadership roles.
• Strong track record delivering customer-facing technical and commercial solutions in SaaS/tech/education tech.
• Experience developing capability frameworks, standards, playbooks and enablement programmes.
• Demonstrated success improving specialist or solution consulting teams through influence.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Global Sales Specialist capability and framework development.
• Establish best practices for discovery, demonstrations and solution design.
• Define career pathways and development programmes for specialists worldwide.
• Partner with Enablement, Product Marketing and RevOps to improve effectiveness and consistency.
• Monitor adoption of standards across regions.

Skills

Solution Consulting

Pre-Sales Leadership

Sales Engineering

Executive engagement

Stakeholder management

Tools

CRM

Demonstration platforms

Sales enablement tools

Job description

Job Title - Principal, Solutioning Description

Lead Pearson's global Sales Specialist capability, defining solutioning standards, enablement, best practices and customer engagement strategies that drive sales excellence across International Higher Education. This role may also be known in the market as Principal Solutions Consultant, Director of Solution Consulting, Director, Solutions Consulting, Head of Solution Consulting, Pre-Sales Director, Director of Sales Engineering, Solutions Engineering Director, Principal Solution Consultant, Global Solutions Director, Director of Solution Strategy, Director, Technical Pre-Sales, Global Sales Specialist Leader

About the Role

Pearson is seeking an experienced and influential Principal, Solutioning to lead the global Sales Specialist capability across our International Higher Education business.

This is a highly strategic leadership role with responsibility for defining the standards, playbooks, enablement programmes and best practices that enable Sales Specialists to deliver exceptional customer outcomes across every stage of the customer journey.

Working within the GTM Central Function, you will partner closely with Sales, Product, Marketing, Customer Success and Enablement teams to elevate solution excellence globally. Whilst this role has no direct reports, it carries significant influence across regional specialist teams and plays a critical role in shaping how Pearson engages customers through discovery, demonstration, solution design and value-based selling.

This position offers the opportunity to create lasting impact across a global organisation by raising capability, driving consistency and ensuring Pearson's specialists are recognised as trusted advisors who connect technology solutions to meaningful educational outcomes.

What You'll Be Doing

Lead the Global Sales Specialist Capability

• Own and evolve the global Sales Specialist framework, competency model and operating standards

• Establish best practices for discovery, demonstrations and solution design

• Define career pathways and capability development programmes for specialists globally

• Partner with Sales Enablement, Product Marketing and RevOps to improve effectiveness and consistency

• Create measures of success and monitor adoption of specialist standards across regions

Build Specialist Excellence

• Lead the global Sales Specialist community of practice

• Foster collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement

• Coach teams on complex opportunities, executive conversations and solution design challenges

• Develop scalable tools, assets and resources that improve specialist performance

• Champion a culture of expertise, customer focus and continuous learning

Drive Business Impact

• Support strategic customer opportunities where specialist expertise can accelerate outcomes

• Partner across Sales, Product, Marketing and Customer Success teams to align customer engagement strategies

• Bring customer insight and market intelligence back into the organisation

• Act as an ambassador for Pearson with customers, partners and industry stakeholders

• Influence senior leaders and stakeholders to drive adoption of best practice solutioning approaches

What We're Looking For

Essential Experience

• Significant experience in Solution Consulting, Pre-Sales, Sales Engineering, Solution Architecture or Sales Specialist leadership roles

• Strong track record of delivering customer-facing technical and commercial solutions within SaaS, technology, education technology or enterprise environments

• Experience developing capability frameworks, standards, playbooks and enablement programmes

• Demonstrated success improving the effectiveness of specialist or solution consulting teams through influence and leadership

• Experience leading complex customer discovery, demonstrations and solution design engagements

• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills

Knowledge & Skills

• Deep understanding of solution selling methodologies

• Ability to translate technical capabilities into compelling business outcomes

• Exceptional communication, presentation and executive engagement skills

• Strong commercial acumen and customer-centric mindset

• Excellent planning, organisation and prioritisation abilities

• Experience working across matrixed global organisations

• Familiarity with CRM, sales enablement and demonstration platforms

Desirable

• Experience within Higher Education, Education Technology, Publishing or Digital Learning

• Knowledge of LMS platforms, integrations and educational technology ecosystems

• Experience representing organisations at conferences, customer events or industry forums

LOCATION & WORKING PATTERN

• Remote role based in the UK or another approved EMEA location.

• No regular office requirement. UK-based colleagues may use the London Strand office where practical.

• Customer travel is expected. Plan for a working pattern that may be approximately 50% virtual and 50% travel, subject to business need.

Why Join Pearson?

At Pearson, we're committed to helping learners realise the life they imagine through learning. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence how we engage customers globally, shape a world-class specialist capability and drive meaningful impact across education at scale.

Join us and help transform how customers discover, understand and realise value from Pearson's products and services.

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 [e-mail].

Job:

Sales

Job Family:

GO_TO_MARKET

Organization:

Higher Education

Schedule:

FULL_TIME

Workplace Type:

Remote

Req ID:

25837