Account Executive 4, K12 - North Carolina

Dell Technologies; North Carolina; On-site; USD 285,000 - 345,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health benefits

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

A leading technology company in the United States seeks a K‑12 Education Strategist to shape markets and create demand in U.S. school districts. This strategic advisory role involves engaging with senior leaders to understand their challenges and align Dell's solutions with their goals. Candidates should have extensive experience in K‑12 education and senior leadership roles, combining technical fluency with strong relationship-building skills. The total compensation package ranges from $285,000 to $345,000, including base salary and commissions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in K‑12 school districts.
• Experience in senior district leadership positions like CTO, CIO.
• Proven ability to build relationships with senior district leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead discovery conversations with district leaders to understand their priorities.
• Build and sustain relationships with district leaders.
• Identify and qualify strategic opportunities in K‑12 education.

Skills

Strategic advisory

Relationship building

K‑12 education knowledge

Technical fluency

Market intelligence

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

K‑12 Education Strategist

Do you have the K‑12 education expertise and strategic acumen to shape markets, create demand, and establish Dell Technologies as the leading partner for digital transformation in U.S. school districts? K‑12 education is undergoing profound transformation, shaped by artificial intelligence, changing student and family expectations, teacher and staff shortages, heightened cybersecurity threats, learning recovery challenges, and new opportunities to reimagine teaching, learning, and school operations in a digital economy. Dell Technologies collaborates with school districts to advance their missions of educating and preparing all students for success by providing secure, scalable, and cost‑optimized multicloud and modern infrastructure solutions that span district data centers, schools, public cloud, and edge environments.

Role Overview

The K‑12 Education Strategist shapes markets, creates demand, and positions Dell as a thought leader in U.S. school districts through strategic advisory work, executive relationship‑building, and thought leadership. This role identifies and qualifies opportunities at the top of the funnel, provides market intelligence, and establishes Dell’s credibility with senior district leaders. It is a strategic advisory and market‑shaping role, not a sales support or deal execution role. The strategist engages directly with senior district leaders to understand their most pressing challenges and long‑term goals, then works with Dell account teams and internal stakeholders to align the right strategies, solutions, and partnerships. They spend significant time in districts and schools and in virtual executive conversations, facilitating dialogue among diverse stakeholders and building deep, trusted relationships. The strategist serves as a bridge between vertical expertise and technical credibility, bringing deep knowledge of K‑12 education combined with technical fluency often gained as former CTOs, CIOs, or curriculum and instructional technology leaders who have led infrastructure modernization, cloud migrations, digital learning initiatives, and cybersecurity programs. When an AE brings a strategist to a meeting, they bring someone who understands K‑12 education, understands technology, and can connect the two.

What Success Looks Like In Year One

• Established trusted relationships with 7‑9 senior district leaders at strategic accounts
• Shaped 4‑5 strategic opportunities contributing to meaningful pipeline growth
• Positioned Dell as a thought leader through 2‑3 major conference speaking engagements
• Facilitated 4‑6 high‑impact strategic engagements that deepen relationships and uncover opportunities
• Delivered enablement that measurably improves sales teams’ ability to engage K‑12 stakeholders
• Become a trusted resource for account executives who leverage your expertise to win deals

Key Responsibilities: External – K‑12 School Districts & Industry

Strategic Advisory & Discovery

• Lead discovery conversations with district leaders to understand strategic priorities and desired outcomes across teaching and learning, student success, educator support, and operational efficiency, with particular depth in technical areas such as infrastructure modernization, cloud migration, digital learning platforms, cybersecurity, and data strategy
• Help district leaders align technology initiatives with strategic plans, instructional priorities, and long‑term visions
• Provide consultative guidance on digital learning strategies, personalized learning, educator professional development, student data and analytics, operational efficiency, cybersecurity, and family engagement

Executive Relationship Development

• Build and sustain trusted relationships with senior district leaders including Superintendents, Deputy Superintendents, Chief Academic Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Information Officers, Chief Financial Officers, and Cabinet‑level leaders
• Extend Dell’s reach beyond IT contacts to engage instructional leadership, curriculum and assessment, student services, operations, finance, and human resources leaders
• Serve as strategic advisor to district leaders, aligning Dell’s capabilities with their missions

Strategic Engagements & Programs

• Design and participate in Executive Briefing Center sessions, Strategic Planning Days, and workshops that bring together instructional, operational, IT, and community stakeholders to explore future‑state possibilities
• Design strategic events including roundtables, summits, and market briefings that position Dell and create demand
• Foster collaborative partnerships between districts and Dell, including pilots, co‑innovation initiatives, and joint storytelling

Opportunity Creation & Top‑of‑Funnel Pipeline Development

• Identify and qualify strategic opportunities at the top of the funnel, shaping them before they become formal RFPs and positioning Dell early in decision‑making
• Make strategic connections across and within districts to support integrated strategies and uncover opportunities
• Help district customers network with one another, sharing best practices and facilitating communities of practice

Thought Leadership & Market Presence

• Position Dell as a thought leader through speaking at conferences, delivering keynotes, serving on panels, and contributing to content that spotlights K‑12 innovation
• Monitor and interpret trends in K‑12 education and translate them into insight for customers and internal teams

Key Responsibilities: Internal – Dell Technologies

Strategic Account Support

• Partner with sales teams to inform and strengthen account strategies, bringing vertical expertise and technical credibility that helps account executives understand dynamics, motivations, challenges, and context
• Provide strategic input in account planning sessions on governance, budget cycles, school board dynamics, superintendent transitions, and long‑term priorities

Market Intelligence & Enablement

• Develop and deliver enablement programs on K‑12 education market trends, district structures, procurement processes, stakeholder roles, and strategic engagement approaches
• Provide market intelligence that shapes how Dell positions its offerings in K‑12 education

Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Solution Influence

• Facilitate collaboration across sales, presales, services, and Strategically Aligned Businesses to create cohesive engagement plans
• Provide strategic context to help internal teams leverage K‑12 relationships to co‑create solutions
• Provide input to product, services, and solution teams to influence offerings that better support district needs

Voice of the Customer & Marketing Partnership

• Serve as voice of the customer into marketing, portfolio, and business units, ensuring messaging and content reflect K‑12 education realities
• Work with marketing as a K‑12 education SME to review and refine content for relevance and accuracy
• Identify and connect marketing and sales teams with customer stories, references, and advocates

What This Role Is Not Responsible For

• Writing RFP responses, proposals, or contracts
• Running tactical customer events tied to individual deals
• Moving opportunities through the sales funnel or closing deals
• Providing ongoing one‑on‑one coaching to individual account executives on basic sales skills
• Filling tactical gaps in sales execution
• Serving as a general resource for ad hoc K‑12 education questions from internal teams

Collaboration Model

When consulted on activities outside core strategic responsibilities (such as RFP responses, tactical events, or deal execution), the strategist provides strategic context, market intelligence, or district insight, then steps back. Execution responsibility sits with the appropriate functional owner (sales, marketing, presales, etc.).

Required Experience & Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree strongly preferred in education, educational leadership, curriculum and instruction, educational technology, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in K‑12 school districts, including roles in district leadership, instructional leadership, curriculum, assessment, educational technology, or district operations.
• Senior‑level district leadership experience, such as superintendent, deputy superintendent, chief academic officer, CTO/CIO, curriculum director, or equivalent cabinet‑level role.
• Direct technology leadership experience as a CTO, CIO, or senior IT leader with hands‑on responsibility for infrastructure, cloud, digital learning, cybersecurity, or data initiatives.
• Proven ability to build strong relationships with senior district leaders and lead strategic, consultative engagements, including discovery, facilitation, and executive‑level communication.
• Recognized thought leadership demonstrated through speaking engagements, publications, or major district transformation initiatives.
• Deep understanding of K‑12 environments, including governance, funding models, accountability systems, instructional priorities, and digital transformation trends, paired with strong technical fluency across modern IT, cloud, cybersecurity, and digital learning platforms.
• Excellent communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills, active involvement in K‑12 associations, and willingness to travel up to 60%.

Preferred

• Doctorate in education, educational leadership, or related field
• Teaching or building‑level leadership experience that provides credibility with educators and instructional leaders
• Experience facilitating executive workshops or strategy sessions
• Leadership positions within K‑12 education associations, coalitions, or professional networks
• Experience working with school boards and navigating district governance dynamics

Core Competencies & Attributes

• Executive presence & political awareness: Able to credibly engage superintendents, school boards, cabinet leaders, and community stakeholders while navigating the pressures of accountability, budget constraints, and public expectations.
• District systems thinking: Understands how teaching and learning, student services, operations, finance, and IT interconnect—and identifies where technology can drive meaningful, multi‑department impact.
• Consultative discovery & strategic synthesis: Surfaces true district priorities and translates complex instructional, operational, and technical information into clear, actionable strategic options.
• Cross‑silo relationship building: Builds trust across academic, operational, and technology teams, creating connections that enable collaboration and shared direction.
• High‑stakes facilitation & influence without authority: Designs and leads strategic discussions among leaders with competing priorities, shaping outcomes through insight, credibility, and relationship strength rather than positional power.
• Adaptive communication: Communicates effectively with CTOs, chief academic officers, CFOs, educators, and community leaders—tailoring messages across technical, instructional, and financial contexts.
• Instructional & contextual awareness: Understands classroom practice, instructional priorities, and district culture, connecting technology investments to teaching, learning, and student outcomes.
• Vertical and technical expertise: Combines deep K‑12 knowledge with strong technical fluency to engage confidently on both strategic district priorities and modern infrastructure, cloud, cybersecurity, and data initiatives.

Compensation

Dell is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The Total Target Compensation range for this position is $285,000 - 345,000, which includes base salary and commissions.

Benefits And Perks Of Working At Dell Technologies

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Job ID: R285891 Job Function: Outside Sales