Senior Strategic Account Director – Higher Education

Cengage Group; Omaha (NE); On-site; USD 77,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Cengage is seeking a Strategic Account Director in the North America Higher Education Sales group to own multi-year account strategies, forecast revenue, and lead high-stakes negotiations with senior academic leaders.

You will drive CU/EA/IA programs, expand institutional partnerships, coordinate with cross-functional teams, and ensure student outcomes while delivering measurable revenue growth.

Qualifications

• BA or BS degree required.
• 5+ years of educational or enterprise-level sales experience.
• Ability to own and execute strategic account plans with long-term revenue accountability.
• Strong background in high-level negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex contract negotiations with senior academic and administrative leaders.
• Own account strategy and forecast for each institution in the territory.
• Develop multi-year growth, retention, and expansion plans aligned with client priorities.
• Identify high-impact opportunities and align UL/EA/IA benefits with budgets.
• Drive renewals, upsell, expansion, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Articulate value of Cengage products to support affordability and student outcomes.

Skills

Strategic account management

Negotiation skills

Forecasting

Communication skills

Executive stakeholder engagement

Education

BA or BS degree

Tools

CRM platforms

Salesforce

Job description

Cengage is seeking a Strategic Account Director in the North America Higher Education Sales group to own multi-year account strategies, forecast revenue, and lead high-stakes negotiations with senior academic leaders.

You will drive CU/EA/IA programs, expand institutional partnerships, coordinate with cross-functional teams, and ensure student outcomes while delivering measurable revenue growth.