Sr Sales Development Representative

Cengage; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 54,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Cengage is seeking a Senior Sales Development Representative to build a qualified pipeline through targeted outbound outreach and strategic account engagement. You will work with Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Operations to convert interest into opportunities, coaching peers and optimizing processes along the way.

The role emphasizes consultative discovery, cross-team collaboration, and a metrics-driven approach to exceed quarterly targets in a dynamic Higher Education sales environment.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of proven SDR success; SaaS experience preferred.
• Track record of meeting or exceeding qualified meetings and pipeline goals.
• Strong consultative discovery and qualification skills.
• Experience prospecting into complex organizations with multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communication with professionalism.

Responsibilities

• Consistently drive qualified client meetings and sales pipeline by outbound prospecting and outreach.
• Invite key personas to in-person and virtual Cengage events to develop opportunities.
• Build and execute multi-channel outreach across phone, email, LinkedIn and other channels.
• Research institutions and accounts to identify goals, influencers, and decision-makers; tailor messaging.
• Navigate complex accounts and involve multiple parties to gain momentum and align next steps.
• Nurture leads until sales-ready; provide clear qualification context and next steps to partners.
• Collaborate with Sales to prioritize accounts and align on outreach strategy.
• Maintain accurate CRM documentation for activity, qualification, lead status, and next steps.

Skills

SDR experience

Quota attainment

Consultative discovery

Prospecting complex orgs

Communication skills

CRM proficiency

LinkedIn outreach

Time management

Tools

CRM systems

Sales engagement tools

LinkedIn

MS Office

Job description

We believe in the power and joy of learning At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping learners around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education. We trust in the impact and delight of learning Cengage's Higher Education business supports learning and student success by providing exceptional materials and digital solutions to faculty and students enrolled in two-year, four-year, and vocational programs. We serve more than 10 million of the 18 million students in US higher ed, setting a world-class standard of service for our customers. Our quality course materials range from textbooks and eBooks to courseware like MindTap and WebAssign. In the US, we offer Cengage Unlimited and Cengage Unlimited for Institutions, empowering students to bring to bear the power and joy of learning to transform lives! Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery Our business thrives on a strong culture of inclusion. Creating an inclusive workplace is essential to the success of our company and our learners. We value diverse perspectives and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. Our programs, benefits, and initiatives are integrated into the fabric of our daily operations, fostering engagement and discovery.

About the role

The Senior Sales Development Representative is an experienced individual contributor charged with developing a qualified sales pipeline by means of targeted outbound communication and meaningful sales interactions. Throughout Cengage Higher Education, you will connect institutional priorities with solutions that advance affordability, access, engagement, and student success. As a senior individual contributor, you will independently manage complex accounts and partner groups. You will also support team growth by coaching colleagues, exchanging proven techniques, and streamlining processes. Success depends on consistent delivery, consultative discovery, wise decision-making, and effective collaboration with Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Operations.

What you'll do here:

• Consistently drive qualified client meetings and sales pipeline by means of targeted outbound prospecting, account-centered outreach, and working alongside sales.
• Strategically invite key personas to in-person and virtual Cengage events that develop CUI opportunities.
• Build and complete personalized multi-channel outreach across phone, email, LinkedIn, and other approved channels.
• Research institutions and accounts to identify business goals, initiatives, influencers, decision-makers, and potential buying groups; translate those insights into relevant messaging.
• Navigate complex accounts and involve several interested parties to generate momentum, boost meeting quality, and strengthen opportunity potential.
• Nurture and manage leads until they are sales-ready, providing sales partners with complete qualification context, clear next steps, and a high-quality handoff.
• Partner closely with Sales to prioritize accounts, align on outreach strategy, and support timely follow-up and disposition.
• Ensure accurate and up-to-date CRM documentation for activity, qualification findings, lead status, disposition, and next steps; draw on performance data to set work priorities and boost results.
• Serve as a role model and peer resource by supporting onboarding, mentoring teammates, sharing guidelines, and contributing to pilots or process improvements.

Skills you will need here:

• More than 2 years of proven success in Sales Development Representative (SDR) positions; experience in SaaS is desirable.
• A demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding goals for qualified meetings, sales-qualified leads, opportunity creation, or pipeline contribution.
• Advanced consultative discovery and qualification skills, including the ability to uncover business priorities, assess fit, identify collaborators, and secure a clear next step.
• Experience prospecting into complex organizations, engaging multiple collaborators, and tailoring outreach to different roles and business contexts.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, combined with the professional demeanor, persistence, and judgment needed to establish credibility with prospects and internal partners.
• Strong proficiency with CRM systems, sales engagement tools, LinkedIn, and Microsoft Office applications, along with high standards for data quality and follow-through.
• The ability to apply activity, conversion, and account insights to prioritize work, identify performance gaps, and modify your approach.
• Excellent organization and time-management skills, with the capability to handle a high-volume workload independently while preserving quality.
• Experience supporting, mentoring, or orienting peers and the ability to lead through example without formal authority.
• A cooperative, development-focused approach and the ability to work well across Sales, Marketing, Revenue Operations, and Enablement.
• Knowledge of higher education, education technology, or complex B2B solutions is preferred.

About Cengage

Serving millions of learners worldwide, Cengage is a global education technology company. We deliver affordable, quality digital products and services that prepare students with necessary skills for the workforce. For more than a century, we have fostered the power and joy of learning through trusted, engaging content and integrated digital platforms. Our offerings reach higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching, and research sectors worldwide. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Cengage is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of any classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws. Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at [e-mail].

Cengage, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

Compensation At Cengage, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location. In this position, you will be eligible to participate in the company’s variable Sales incentive compensation program.

$26.00 - $35.00 USD0 Target Variable Compensation: 25,000.00 USD Annual: Individual Target annually Actual incentive earnings are not guaranteed and may be more or less than the target amount based on achievement of performance goals and the terms of the applicable incentive compensation plan.

Cengage, a global edtech company supports learners, educators and institutions across more than 100 countries. With products serving nearly 16 million digital users across the Higher Education, School, Work and English Language Learning markets, we’ve built a learning ecosystem that connects education to employment. We combine trusted content, AI-powered insights and scalable digital platforms to power learning for every future and drive meaningful outcomes at every stage of the learning journey.