Business Development & Customer Success Specialist, EdTech (Contract)

Rowohlt Verlag GmbH; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

Macmillan Learning is seeking a Business Development & Customer Success Specialist, EdTech (Contract) to drive pilot opportunities and support instructors through live classroom implementation. You will research institutions, execute outbound outreach, conduct discovery conversations, and deliver customized demonstrations of the ELSiE platform.

Collaboration with sales, product, and program teams is essential.

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering outbound outreach via phone and email.
• Ability to conduct consultative discovery conversations to identify needs.
• Experience delivering live product demonstrations to educators and administrators.
• Hands-on CRM usage (Salesforce) for pipeline management and reporting.
• Willingness to provide professional references or case studies.

Responsibilities

• Research target institutions and build focused prospect pipelines.
• Execute outbound communication via phone and email.
• Conduct consultative discovery conversations to uncover institutional needs.
• Deliver customized live demonstrations of the ELSiE platform.
• Advise instructors through pilot onboarding, setup, and classroom execution.
• Monitor pilot progression and identify adoption barriers; report progress.

Skills

Outbound outreach

Discovery

Live demos

Adaptability

References

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Business Development & Customer Success Specialist, EdTech (Contract)

Macmillan Learning is a part of the family-owned Holtzbrinck group of companies and is one of the leading educational technology companies. Through deep partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers, we facilitate teaching and learning opportunities that spark student engagement and improve outcomes. We provide educators with tailored solutions designed to inspire student curiosity and measure progress. Macmillan Learning is comprised of renowned brands including Bedford/St. Martins, W.H. Freeman, Worth Publishers, Sapling Learning, SkyFactor, Late Nite Labs, EBI-MAPworks, i[lt]clicker, REEF and Hayden-McNeil.

IT/Technology

Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned digital learning company that inspires what’s possible for every learner . Our tools, content, and services are grounded in research and designed to support learning, wherever and however it takes place . To learn more, please visit our newsroom or macmillanlearning.com .

This is a contractor opportunity and does not constitute an offer of employment with Macmillan Learning.

Macmillan Learning is testing ELSiE, an AI-powered simulation platform that provides students with realistic scenarios to practice skills like negotiation and professional judgment . To determine which higher education instructors need this tool, what drives adoption, and how to convert demonstrations into active classroom usage, we require a contractor to drive the full engagement cycle—from initial outreach through pilot activation and post-launch evaluation .

In this engagement, you will collaborate directly with sales leaders, product teams, and the Program Director . Your goal is to establish qualified pilot opportunities, guide instructors through live classroom implementation, and gather structured market evidence on product viability .

Scope of Services

• You’ll research and identify target institutions and contacts to build focused prospect pipelines .
• You’ll execute sustained outbound communication via phone, tailored emails, and follow-up sequences .
• You’ll conduct consultative discovery conversations to uncover institutional needs and evaluate potential usage .
• You’ll deliver customized live demonstrations of the ELSiE platform, accurately reflecting current product capabilities .
• You’ll advise and support instructors through pilot onboarding, setup, and first-time classroom execution .
• You’ll monitor pilot progression, identify adoption barriers, and recommend actions to resume stalled implementations .
• You’ll gather and synthesize instructor feedback to identify systemic product and market trends for internal teams .
• You’ll document activity, maintain pipeline accuracy, and generate monthly status reports within Salesforce .

Expected Deliverables and Outcomes

• Active Pilot Deployments: Fully onboarded higher education instructors actively utilizing the ELSiE platform in classroom settings .
• Market & Product Analysis Reports: Structured qualitative feedback and monthly Salesforce reports summarizing adoption patterns, product limitations, and market insights due at designated monthly milestones .
• Continuation & Advocacy Plans: Documented continuation strategies for successful pilots (such as second-course extensions or departmental expansions) and recruited faculty contacts for case studies or reference calls .
• Pipeline Documentation: Fully updated and accurate CRM records in Salesforce detailing prospect contacts, pilot status, and engagement metrics .

Required Capabilities:

• Demonstrated Delivery: Proven background executing outbound outreach (phone/email), managing client discovery, and guiding users through product onboarding .
• Consultative Communication: Ability to conduct problem-based discovery conversations and present live digital product demonstrations clearly .
• Technical Proficiency: Hands‑on experience navigating and updating CRMs (such as Salesforce) for pipeline management and reporting .
• Adaptability: Demonstrated capability to operate effectively in early‑stage product environments with evolving processes .
• Work Sample/Evidence: Willingness to provide professional references or case studies demonstrating success with user activation or pilot management .

Preferred Capabilities:

• Background working within higher education, edtech, or academic customer success .
• Exposure to AI-enabled tools, simulation learning, or pilot program management .
• Familiarity with academic purchasing cycles or user agreement coordination .

Engagement Parameters

• Engagement type: Contractor (employed through a third‑party staffing partner)
• Time commitment: Approximately 40 hours per week

We are looking forward to your speculative application.