Senior Deal Desk Analyst | Hybrid | Reston, VA

Ellucian; Reston (VA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health coverage

Flexible time off

Thrive Flex Lifestyle Account

401k w/ match & BrightPlan

Parental Leave

5 charitable days

Telemedicine

Headspace Care

Wellbeats

RethinkCare & Wellthy

Diversity and inclusion programs

Employee referral bonuses

Education Assistance Program

LinkedIn Learning

Job summary

Ellucian in Reston, VA is seeking a Senior Deal Desk Analyst to partner with Sales, Finance, Legal and Executive Leadership, leading complex deal structuring, pricing strategy, and governance across a global organization. This role demands executive presence, analytical rigor, and strong judgment to influence high-impact transactions.

You will drive pricing governance, architect complex quotes, renewals, and multi-element agreements, and mentor junior analysts while shaping enterprise licensing

Qualifications

• 5+ years in Deal Desk, Pricing or related roles in enterprise environment.
• 3+ years in analytical roles within Sales, Finance or Revenue Ops.
• Experience structuring SaaS, cloud, and enterprise software agreements.
• Strong ability to model pricing and licensing strategies.
• Deep understanding of revenue principles and discount governance.
• Advanced Excel skills for financial modeling.

Responsibilities

• Serve as escalation point for complex deal structures across global accounts.
• Lead cross-functional deal reviews with Sales, Finance, Legal, and Contracts.
• Drive pricing governance aligned to revenue and margins.
• Architect and approve multi-element quotes and renewals.
• Provide guidance on licensing models and cloud services.
• Identify deal risks and propose mitigation strategies.
• Improve deal desk processes, tools, and policies.
• Develop financial models to evaluate profitability and scenarios.
• Mentor junior analysts and elevate team capability.

Skills

Deal Desk Leadership

Pricing strategy

Financial analysis

SaaS licensing

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

Microsoft Excel

CRM systems

ERP systems

Job description

Ellucian powers innovation for higher education, partnering with approximately 3,000 customers across 50 countries, serving more than 21 million students. Ellucian's AI-powered platform, trained on the richest dataset available in higher education, drives efficiency, personalized experiences, and strengthened engagement for all students, faculty and staff. Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, including data-rich tools for student recruitment, enrollment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement. Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners and user community of more than 45,000 provides best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes.

The Senior Deal Desk Analyst is a strategic partner to Sales, Finance, Legal, and Executive Leadership, responsible for leading complex deal structuring, pricing strategy, and commercial governance across the Global Sales organization. This role operates as a senior subject matter expert, advising on high-impact transactions, driving scalable processes, and ensuring alignment with Ellucian’s financial and operational objectives.The Senior Deal Desk Analyst brings expertise in pricing models, SaaS licensing, and enterprise negotiations, and plays a critical role in influencing deal strategy, mitigating risk, and optimizing revenue outcomes. This individual thrives in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment and demonstrates executive presence, analytical rigor, and sound judgment.

Where You Will Make an Impact

• Serve as the escalation point and trusted advisor for complex, strategic, and non-standard deal structures across enterprise and global accounts
• Lead cross-functional deal reviews with Sales Leadership, Finance, Legal, and Contracts to structure compliant, profitable, and scalable agreements
• Drive pricing and discount governance, ensuring alignment with revenue, margin, and growth objectives
• Architect and approve complex quotes, amendments, renewals, and multi-element agreements including cumulative discount structures and global enterprise frameworks
• Provide strategic guidance on licensing models, SaaS constructs, cloud services, and long-term strategies
• Identify deal risks and propose mitigation strategies while balancing customer needs and business objectives
• Influence and improve end-to-end deal desk processes, tools, and policies to increase efficiency, visibility, and scalability
• Develop and maintain financial models to evaluate profitability, revenue impact, and scenario planning
• Act as a subject matter expert on pricing strategy and commercial best practices; mentor junior analysts and elevate team capability

What You Will Bring

• 5+ years of progressive Deal Desk, Pricing, Financial Analysis or other relevant experience in a high-volume, enterprise-level environment with demonstrated ownership of complex and strategic transactions
• 3+ years in an analytical role within Sales, Finance, Revenue Operations, or related disciplines
• Proven experience structuring and negotiating complex SaaS, cloud, and enterprise software agreements
• Ability to analyze, model, and recommend pricing and licensing strategies that optimize revenue and margin
• Deep understanding of revenue principles, discount governance, and commercial risk management
• Advanced expertise in Microsoft Excel including financial modeling, scenario analysis, and data interpretation
• Strong working knowledge of CRM and ERP systems and deal lifecycle processes
• Experience developing customer-facing level presentations and commercial proposals
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and sound judgment
• Highly organized, detail oriented, and adaptable in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, drive process improvement, and mentor others

• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
• Flexible time off
• Thrive Flex Lifestyle Account (LSA) that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
• 401k w/ match & BrightPlan - to help you save for the future
• Parental Leave
• 5 charitable days to support the community that supports us
• Telemedicine
• Wellness
  • Headspace Care (mental health)
  • Wellbeats (virtual fitness classes)
• RethinkCare & Wellthy - caregiver supporq
• Diversity and inclusion programs which provide access to internal employee resource groups
• Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team
• We Foster a learning culture with:
  • Education Assistance Program
  • Professional development opportunities
  • LinkedIn Learning

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