State Adoption Strategist, CTE Curriculum

Pearson; City of Albany (NY); Remote; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Bonus program (not guaranteed)

Holiday and vacation policy

Employee Recognition Program

Job summary

Pearson is seeking a State Adoption Advanced Specialist to own strategy, requirements interpretation, and post-adoption execution for CTE state adoptions across districts. You will partner with RFP/Bid Management, translate state-specific needs into actionable guidance, and help shape our courseware to meet state review hurdles.

The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, district-facing communication, and deep knowledge of state calendars, procurement processes, and nuances, including

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in K-12 state adoptions, curriculum procurement, or CTE program strategy in educational technology or a related field.
• Experience with the Texas state adoption process is especially helpful, given Texas's role as one of our most critical adoption states.
• Demonstrated expertise navigating the complexities of state adoption bid processes — knowing not just how to comply, but how to strategically position for success.
• Strong cross-functional collaborator, able to work closely with a Bid Management/RFP team without duplicating their function.
• Self-starter with strong research and analytical skills; comfortable building expertise independently.
• Excellent communicator, able to translate complex, state-specific requirements into clear, actionable guidance for internal teams.
• Detail-oriented and comfortable managing towards nuanced, high-stakes requirements.
• Bachelor's degree and 3+ years of experience in the K-12 or CTE education market.
• Experience serving as a customer- or district-facing point of contact during a formal review, procurement, or compliance process is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Serve as internal SME on CTE state adoption processes, requirements, and timelines.
• Research state enrollment data and the competitive landscape for a given state adoption, informing title/product decisions.
• Interpret nuanced state-specific submission requirements and translate them into clear guidance for the teams executing the bid.
• Digest state submission paperwork and relay back to Product exactly what's needed to clear review hurdles.
• Monitor state adoption calendars, legislative activity, and regulatory changes affecting CTE curriculum adoption.
• Provide strategic context and guidance to the RFP/Bid Management team for bids.
• Ensure submission strategy reflects understanding of each state's adoption process.
• Monitor state purchasing contracts and vendor agreements to stay current.
• Track active state/district contracts, available RFPs, and co-ops; coordinate with internal teams.
• Serve as a customer-facing point of contact for districts during adoption review.
• Manage official presentation and review dates with districts.
• Coordinate submission processes for district-level review.
• Navigate district communication rules, including cone of silence requirements (Texas).
• Develop execution strategy after a successful adoption and structure roadshows.
• Advise on partnering with districts during sell-in after an adoption win.
• Build relationships with state agencies to anticipate adoption cycle changes.
• Partner with Curriculum and Product teams to relay state-specific nuances; keep product ownership with product.
• Document and share adoption process knowledge to build durable expertise.

Skills

K-12 adoptions

CTE program strategy

Educational technology

Texas adoption process

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Pearson is seeking a State Adoption Advanced Specialist to own strategy, requirements interpretation, and post-adoption execution for CTE state adoptions across districts. You will partner with RFP/Bid Management, translate state-specific needs into actionable guidance, and help shape our courseware to meet state review hurdles.

The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, district-facing communication, and deep knowledge of state calendars, procurement processes, and nuances, including