Account Manager (99)

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.; Columbia Township (MO); On-site; USD 21,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k with match

Life insurance

Commuter benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (BNED) is hiring a Client Partnerships Specialist to manage a portfolio of partner schools, delivering high-touch service focused on satisfaction, retention, and long-term success.

You will be the primary liaison between schools and MBS Direct, coordinating course material adoption and ensuring on-time booklist management. Ideal candidates bring a track record in account management, excellent communication, and strong analytical skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in account management, customer success, client services, or relationship management.
• Proven ability to build trusted client relationships and deliver exceptional service.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication, including executive interactions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Strong technical aptitude to learn new systems and reporting tools.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with client schools, delivering service focused on satisfaction, retention, and long-term success.
• Serve as primary contact between partner schools and MBS Direct, ensuring timely, professional communication.
• Support schools during course material adoption with adoption research and booklist management.
• Coordinate with internal teams and school partners to meet deadlines and deliverables.
• Identify and resolve client concerns while anticipating issues and providing solutions.
• Prepare and present client reports, metrics, and insights to inform decisions.
• Conduct reviews to discuss performance, initiatives, and growth opportunities.
• Maintain records related to school consignment inventory and client accounts.
• Support digital course material initiatives, LMS, SIS, eBook adoptions, and related portals.
• Monitor back-ordered materials and digital fulfillment to identify improvements.
• Identify opportunities to expand services and collaborate with Sales/Marketing on revenue growth.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve processes and customer experience.

Skills

Account management

Customer success

Relationship management

Communication skills

Time management

Analytical thinking

MS Office

Tech-savvy

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

Education - It's in Our DNA

At Barnes & Noble Education (“BNED”) and across our family of brands, we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education.

Education - It's in Our DNA

At Barnes & Noble Education (“BNED”) and across our family of brands, we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education.

How You'll Make An Impact

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with an assigned portfolio of client schools, delivering exceptional service focused on customer satisfaction, retention, and long-term success.
• Serve as the primary point of contact between partner schools and MBS Direct, ensuring timely, professional, and effective communication.
• Support schools throughout the course material adoption process by providing book adoption research, assisting with course material selection, and ensuring accurate and timely booklist management.
• Coordinate with internal teams and school partners to ensure adoption deadlines, operational deliverables, and client requests are completed accurately and on schedule.
• Proactively identify, investigate, and resolve client concerns while anticipating potential issues and implementing effective solutions.
• Prepare, analyze, and present client reports, performance metrics, and business insights to support informed decision-making and strengthen client partnerships.
• Conduct regular business and partnership reviews to discuss operational performance, current initiatives, service opportunities, and future growth strategies.
• Maintain accurate records related to school consignment inventory, client accounts, and operational activities.
• Support digital course material initiatives, including Inclusive Access, Easy Access, Learning Management Systems (LMS), Student Information Systems (SIS), eBook and courseware adoptions, the Adoptions & Insights Portal, and VitalSource Manage.
• Monitor back-ordered materials, digital fulfillment, and operational trends to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and enhanced client service.
• Identify opportunities to expand services, recommend additional products and solutions, and partner with Sales and Marketing to support revenue growth.
• Collaborate with internal cross-functional teams to improve processes, enhance the customer experience, and ensure successful execution of client initiatives.
• Additional responsibilities as required.

What You'll Need To Succeed

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Accounting, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
• Experience in account management, customer success, client services, relationship management, or a similar customer-facing role.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted client relationships and deliver exceptional customer service.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, with the ability to effectively interact with clients, including executive-level stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines while maintaining accuracy in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong technical aptitude with the ability to quickly learn new systems, reporting tools, and digital platforms.

How We Elevate Our Employees

We believe your success is our success, so our benefits package is designed specifically to support you in every aspect of your life. At BNED, we offer a variety of programs and resources to support the physical, mental, and financial well-being of our employees by offering a competitive total rewards package for full-time employees, which includes medical, dental, and vision plans, 401k with an annual discretionary match, life insurance, commuter benefits, paid time off with paid holidays, and a broad range of other benefits.

The hiring rate for this position is $18.50 per hour. This rate represents the base salary only, in good faith at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

At Barnes & Noble Education, we empower everyone. Our mission is to support students, faculty, and schools, serving as a catalyst to meet the evolving needs of the education system and a new generation of students. That starts with fostering an environment for our employees where diversity and individuality is celebrated.

Barnes & Noble Education is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affine

Barnes & Noble Education provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete an application or participate in the interview process, please contact [e-mail].