Remote-First Partnerships Lead, Scholarly Publishing

Cactus Communications; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

CACTUS is a remote-first organization redefining scholarly publishing. You will partner with scholarly societies, academic publishers, and university presses across the U.S., building trusted relationships and positioning CACTUS as a strategic partner.

You will work closely with clients to address evolving challenges around editorial workflows, research quality, visibility, engagement, and compliance through a portfolio that combines cutting-edge technology with deep publishing expertise.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of B2B sales experience with a proven ability to open new accounts and build pipeline from scratch.
• Background in academic publishing, university presses, libraries, or scholarly societies; familiarity with editorial workflows or research integrity is a strong plus.
• Comfortable navigating complex buying groups involving Publishing Directors, Executive Directors, CTOs, and Procurement teams.
• Structured and skilled at managing long sales cycles with multiple stakeholders.
• Self-directed and productive in a remote, high-autonomy environment.
• Disciplined in pipeline management, forecasting, and CRM hygiene; experience with Dynamics or similar CRM tools preferred.
• Comfortable adopting AI-powered tools that enhance prospecting and client engagement.
• Willingness to travel at least 30% for client meetings and industry events.

Responsibilities

• Identify, engage, and win new clients across a defined U.S. territory — from first conversation to signed agreement.
• Build and manage a healthy pipeline while consistently meeting and exceeding revenue goals.
• Introduce research integrity offerings to journals navigating increasing scrutiny around quality and misconduct, helping them build more trustworthy publishing processes.
• Help societies grow the reach and impact of their research through digital communication services, including video abstracts, infographics, and targeted promotion.
• Partner with publishers to improve operational efficiency by bringing editorial, peer review, and workflow solutions to teams looking to reduce friction and scale effectively.
• Maintain an active presence at SSP, CSE, and other key industry gatherings, building relationships and staying close to emerging industry trends.
• Cultivate deep, long-term partnerships where CACTUS becomes the first call when clients face operational, quality, or growth challenges.
• Collaborate with internal teams across marketing, product, and operations to deliver tailored solutions for client needs.
• Maintain strong commercial discipline through accurate forecasting, effective negotiations, and up-to-date CRM management.

Skills

B2B sales

New accounts

Pipeline management

CRM hygiene

CRM tools (Dynamics)

Tools

Dynamics CRM

Job description

CACTUS is a remote-first organization redefining scholarly publishing. You will partner with scholarly societies, academic publishers, and university presses across the U.S., building trusted relationships and positioning CACTUS as a strategic partner.

You will work closely with clients to address evolving challenges around editorial workflows, research quality, visibility, engagement, and compliance through a portfolio that combines cutting-edge technology with deep publishing expertise.