Regional Director, Strategic Accounts — Higher Ed

Cengage Group

Portland (ME)

Remote

USD 117,000 - 152,000

Full time

6 days ago

Be an early applicant

Application generator

Turn this role into an interview — a resume and cover letter built around what this employer wants.

Get past ATS filters

Job summary

Cengage Group in the United States is seeking a Regional Director, Strategic Accounts to drive growth across a high‑visibility territory, leading a team of Strategic Account Directors and collaborating with Solutions Sales and Customer Success. You will own regional revenue, translate vision into plans, and ensure data‑driven forecasting, pricing strategy, and cross‑functional execution.

The role emphasizes leadership, inclusion, and continuous improvement, with a focus on institutional markets

Qualifications

7–10+ years of progressive sales experience in B2B, higher‑education, publishing, SaaS, or enterprise‑level account management roles.
3–5+ years of direct sales leadership experience, managing quota‑carrying Account Executives/Strategic Account Directors with full revenue accountability.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex, multi‑stakeholder institutional sales cycles, including executive‑level customer engagement.
Strong commercial acumen, including experience with pricing strategy, discount governance, negotiation frameworks, and contract execution.
Exceptional communication, executive presence, and the ability to inspire confidence with senior institutional leaders.
Strong operational rigor with experience driving consistent processes, accountability rhythms, and performance management.
Track record of developing high‑performing, diverse teams with a focus on talent development, succession planning, and coaching excellence.

Responsibilities

Own regional revenue performance and overall account strategy, ensuring growth, retention, and execution of strategic priorities across the assigned territory.
Translate the VP, Strategic Accounts’ vision into regional operating plans with clear goals, expectations, and processes for consistent execution.
Drive forecast accuracy and pipeline rigor through regular inspection, strong operating cadence, and data-validated forecasting for operational viability.
Lead development and execution of strategic account plans that leverage analytics, market trends and program performance to prioritize high‑value department, cohort, and institution‑level opportunities.
Guide complex deal strategy; align cross‑functional resources and assist in high‑value negotiations to accelerate growth.
Coach Strategic Account Directors on negotiation excellence and commercial rigor—including pricing strategy, discount/approval guardrails, executive‑level contracting, and close‑plan quality ensuring consistent, high‑standard execution across the region.
Advance Inclusive Access (IA), Equitable Access (EA), and Cengage Unlimited (CU) execution and data fluency (enrollment, usage, pricing, adoption, renewals) and require these insights in planning, risk mitigation, and forecasting.
Cultivate channel and bookstore partnerships for IA, EA and CU accounts, ensuring alignment on pricing, process, implementation, and program performance.
Build strong partnerships with Solutions Sales, Solutions Engineering, and Customer Success leadership to ensure cohesive pre‑sale strategy and post‑sale execution.