Director Sales

Ascend Learning; Leawood (KS); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascend Learning, including its ClickSafety brand, seeks a dynamic Director of Sales to lead and inspire a high-performing team focused on safety training and compliance. You will drive revenue growth, expand market share, and strengthen customer relationships across industries.

Reporting to the VP of Sales, you will design strategic initiatives, coach the team, and collaborate with marketing, product, and customer success to exceed targets while traveling as needed to engage clients and partners.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years in sales with at least 5 years in leadership roles, preferably SaaS, e-learning, safety or compliance industries.
• Coaching and developing sales professionals to improve performance and career growth.
• Proven ability to meet or exceed revenue targets and drive business growth.
• Strong strategic thinking with ability to analyze market trends and adapt plans.
• Experience with CRM systems and forecasting tools; data-driven decision maker.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills across all levels.
• Collaborative approach across marketing, product, and customer success teams.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% for client meetings and events.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing sales team.
• Design and implement strategic sales plans aligned with company objectives.
• Set clear KPIs with the VP of Sales and monitor performance.
• Oversee sales pipeline management and accurate forecasting.
• Build and nurture long-term relationships with key clients and partners.
• Monitor market trends and competitive landscape to refine strategy.
• Improve sales processes and CRM adoption; drive efficiency and reporting accuracy.
• Collaborate with marketing, product, and customer success teams for growth.
• Prepare regular performance reports and strategic updates for leadership.
• Lead talent acquisition and resource planning for the sales org.
• Travel for client meetings and industry events as needed.

Skills

Sales leadership

Coaching & development

Strategic thinking

CRM proficiency

Data-driven

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Sales management certs

Tools

Dynamics 365

Salesforce

HubSpot

SalesLoft

Gong

Job description

We Impact Lives Through Purpose-Driven Work in A People First Culture

Ascend Learning is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning.

Our values-driven culture unifies our teams and inspires a mindset of action, innovation, and collaboration, with a relentless focus on customers.

We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. If this sounds like an environment where you'd thrive, read on to learn more.

Ascend Learning, through its brand ClickSafety, is a leading provider of certification and training solutions in general industry and construction industries. ClickSafety provides online safety training and compliance solutions for more than 10,000 organizations nationwide across multiple industries. As the first authorized OSHA 10 and 30 Outreach Training online provider, ClickSafety has deep expertise helping businesses build strong safety culture to protect workers.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

ClickSafety is seeking a dynamic and results-driven Director of Sales to lead and inspire our high-performing sales team. Reporting directly to the VP of Sales, the Director of Sales will be responsible for developing and executing strategic sales initiatives that drive revenue growth, expand market share, and strengthen customer relationships within the safety training and compliance industry.

As the Director of Sales, you will be responsible for managing, coaching and leading ClickSafety sales employees and delivering upon all sales goals. This role develops and executes sales strategies, objectives, and initiatives to increase revenue growth for the sales team.

WHERE YOU’LL WORK

This position will work hybrid from our Leawood, KS office. We will consider remote candidates with significant safety industry sales experience.

HOW YOU’LL SPEND YOUR TIME

• Sales Team Leadership and Development:Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing sales team by providing ongoing coaching, training, and performance feedback. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement to maximize individual and team success.
• Strategic Sales Planning:Design and implement comprehensive sales strategies that align with ClickSafety’s overall business objectives and growth targets. Identify priority markets, customer segments, and product focus areas to optimize sales efforts and resources.
• Sales Goal Setting and Performance Management:Collaborate with the VP of Sales to establish clear, measurable sales targets and KPIs. Monitor team performance against goals, analyze variances, and implement corrective actions to ensure targets are consistently met or exceeded.
• Pipeline Development and Forecasting:Oversee the management of the team’s sales pipeline to ensure healthy deal flow and accurate forecasting. Use data-driven insights to identify bottlenecks and opportunities within the sales cycle, adjusting strategies as necessary to accelerate revenue generation.
• Client Relationship Management:Build and nurture strong, long-term relationships with key clients, prospects, and strategic partners. Serve as a trusted advisor by understanding their needs, addressing challenges, and delivering tailored solutions that enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Market and Competitive Analysis:Continuously monitor industry trends, competitive landscape, and customer feedback to identify emerging opportunities and potential threats. Use these insights to refine sales approaches and inform product positioning.
• Sales Process Optimization:Partner with VP of Sales to evaluate and enhance sales processes, tools, and technologies to improve efficiency, consistency, and reporting accuracy. Champion the adoption of CRM systems and sales enablement platforms to empower the team with real-time data and resources.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:Work closely with marketing to align lead generation and campaign efforts, with product teams to relay customer insights and feedback, and with customer success to ensure smooth onboarding and retention. Promote a unified approach that drives overall company growth.
• Reporting and Communication:Prepare and present regular sales performance reports, forecasts, and strategic updates to the VP of Sales and executive leadership. Provide actionable insights and recommendations to support informed decision-making.
• Talent Acquisition and Resource Planning:Participate in recruiting top sales talent and manage resource allocation within the team to meet evolving business demands. Ensure the sales organization is adequately staffed and equipped to achieve its objectives.
• Travel as needed for client meetings, trade shows, etc. balancing remote and in-person team engagement to exceed sales targets.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Bachelor’s Degree:A degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, or a related field is preferred. Advanced degrees or relevant certifications (e.g., sales management, leadership) are a plus.
• Proven Sales Leadership Experience:Minimum of 7-10 years in sales roles with at least 5 years in a progressive leadership or management position, preferably leading sales inside and outside sales teams in SaaS, e-learning, safety, or compliance-related industries.
• Coaching and Team Development:Experience in mentoring, motivating, and developing sales professionals to improve performance and foster career growth and developing high performing sales organization.
• Track Record of Sales Success:Demonstrated ability to consistently meet or exceed revenue targets and drive significant business growth through strategic sales initiatives. Able to demonstrate a consultative sales approach in working with clients. Strong track record of forming customer relationships which have resulted in long‑term productive business relationships.
• Strong Strategic Thinking:Demonstrated ability to develop and execute comprehensive sales strategies, analyze market trends, and adapt plans to capitalize on new opportunities and address challenges.
• Systems, Process, and Data Driven:Proficiency of using CRM systems and forecasting tools to manage pipeline, measure performance, and inform strategic decisions. (e.g. Dynamics 365, Salesforce, Hubspot, SalesLoft, Gong, etc.). Experience with MEDDIC or similar sales methodology providing discipline and rigor to the sales process.
• Strong Financial Acumen:Financial acumen related to forecasting, profit and loss statements, balance sheets and other financial instruments
• Excellent Communication and Interpersonal Skills:Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence customers, partners, and internal stakeholders at all levels. Able to demonstrate a consultative sales approach in working with clients and strong track record
• Collaborative Approach:Ability to work cross-functionally with marketing, product, and customer success and support teams to align efforts and achieve company-wide objectives.
• Travel is required up to 50% of the time.

Equal Opportunity Employer
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