Sales Account Manager (Strong It Background)

Network Finance; South Africa; Hybrid; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Bonuses & pension

25 days annual leave

Health coverage

Job summary

Sage is seeking an Events Manager to lead our South African events programme across business units and product portfolio. You will deliver virtual and in-person events, manage end-to-end delivery, and collaborate with marketing, sales, and external partners to drive engagement and lead generation.

Based in Johannesburg with a hybrid schedule, you will oversee budgets, venues, speakers, and comprehensive post-event analysis to measure ROI and business impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Proven experience in sales, business development, or account management.
• Strong understanding of the academic and higher-education market.
• Experience using CRM and digital sales tools.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Market Analysis & Strategic Planning: identify customer needs, trends, opportunities and plan territories/accounts.
• Strategic Account Management: manage academic accounts, renewals, and growth.
• Product Adoption & Stakeholder Engagement: drive adoption and build relationships with key stakeholders.
• Business Development & Revenue Growth: pursue new opportunities, build pipeline, present proposals.
• AI Enablement & Digital Fluency: use AI tools to enhance sales planning and forecasting.
• Collaboration & Performance Reporting: coordinate with cross-functional teams and report on performance.

Skills

Strategic account management

Sales & BD experience

CRM software

Academic market knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Education, or related field

Tools

CRM platforms

Job description

Our client is seeking a proactive, highly organised Events Manager to lead the delivery of our South African events programme across our business units and product portfolio. Create experiences that connect, engage and drive growth At Sage, we believe great experiences bring brands to life and create meaningful connections with customers.

From engaging webinars and virtual experiences to high-impact conferences, trade shows, and networking events, you'll bring our brand to life, create memorable attendee experiences, and turn events into measurable business results.

Working closely with marketing, sales, digital teams, external partners, and our regional Events Executive, you'll play a key role in driving engagement, generating leads, and supporting our performance marketing goals.

This role is based in Johannesburg and is hybrid: 3 days working in office.

What you'll do:

• Deliver standout events: Plan and execute a diverse programme of virtual and in-person events, from initial concept and planning through to delivery and post-event evaluation.
• Create engaging virtual experiences: Manage webinars and online events, coordinating speakers, content, agendas, interactive features, and platforms such as ON24 and GoToWebinar.
• Bring our brand to life: Oversee in-person conferences, trade shows, and networking events, managing venues, suppliers, budgets, branding, logistics, and attendee experiences.
• Drive engagement and demand: Partner with sales and marketing teams to promote events, generate quality leads, and maximise audience participation and business impact.
• Build strong partnerships: Collaborate with internal stakeholders, speakers, sponsors, agencies, and external partners to deliver seamless events.
• Measure what matters: Track attendance, engagement, lead generation, and ROI, using insights and feedback to continually improve event performance.
• Manage delivery end to end: Own event timelines, budgets, multiple projects, and on-the-day execution, ensuring every detail is delivered to a high standard.

What you'll bring:

• 5-7 years' experience in event management, ideally within B2B, technology, or marketing.
• Proven experience delivering both virtual events and in-person experiences, from planning through to reporting.
• Familiarity with webinar platforms such as ON24, GoToWebinar, Zoom, or Webex.
• Strong project management and organisational skills, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Confident communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to coordinate speakers, suppliers, agencies, and internal teams.
• A data-driven mindset, with experience measuring event performance and using insights to improve engagement and ROI.
• A proactive, collaborative approach and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, commercially focused environment.

Why join Sage?

At Sage, you'll have the opportunity to make an impact, grow your career, and be part of a team helping businesses thrive.

Benefits

• Video: Generous bonuses and pension scheme: Up to 8% matched pension contribution plus 2% top-up by Sage.
• 25 days of paid annual leave with the option to buy up to another 5 days
• 8 bank holiday days
• Paid 5 days yearly to volunteer through our Sage Foundation
• 50% income protection
• Holiday buy + sell
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• Work away scheme for up to 10 weeks a year
• Ongoing training and professional development
• Hybrid working
• Healthy Mind app membership
• Access to various helpful memberships for finances, health and wellbeing

Working at Sage means you're supporting millions of small and mid-sized businesses globally with technology to work smarter and move faster. We build software that reduces busywork so customers can spend less time on admin and more time building their business.

Our colleagues are high-performers who prioritise growth, make bold choices, and focus and galvanise to get things done. They work on meaningful, market-shaping initiatives that stretch their skills, sharpen their craft, and create real customer impact.

Explore our culture and benefits: sage.com/careers/working-at-sage

We celebrate individuality and welcome you to join us if you embrace all backgrounds, identities, beliefs, and ways of working. If you need support applying, contact .

Key Account Manager

The Key Account Manager drives sustainable revenue growth, market penetration, and strategic partnerships within higher education. This hybrid role combines new business development with strategic account management, focusing on retaining and expanding existing accounts while securing new opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

Market Analysis & Strategic Planning

• Conduct market research to identify customer needs, competitor activity, emerging trends, and growth opportunities.
• Develop and maintain annual territory and account plans covering revenue objectives, account priorities, stakeholder strategies, and growth opportunities.
• Use market intelligence and AI-driven insights to improve territory planning, account prioritisation, and product positioning.

Strategic Account Management

• Manage a portfolio of academic accounts to support customer retention, satisfaction, and sustainable revenue growth.
• Expand accounts through greater adoption of existing products and introduction of value-added solutions.
• Deliver successful renewals for allocated customer agreements and contracts.
• Identify and mitigate retention risks while strengthening long-term customer partnerships.

Product Adoption & Stakeholder Engagement

• Retain, grow, and secure product adoptions across academic institutions.
• Build trusted relationships with faculty, librarians, procurement teams, department heads, authors, and key decision-makers.
• Maintain regular virtual and in-person customer engagement, providing responsive, high-quality service.
• Promote customer success, product utilisation, and long-term account advocacy.

Business Development & Revenue Growth

• Identify, qualify, and pursue new opportunities within existing and prospective accounts.
• Build pipeline through proactive prospecting, networking, and stakeholder engagement.
• Deliver tailored product demonstrations, presentations, and proposals.
• Negoti­ate and close new contracts, renewals, and commercial agreements.
• Achieve assigned new-business, retention, and revenue-growth targets.

AI Enablement & Digital Fluency

• Use AI-powered tools to enhance customer engagement, sales planning, forecasting, pipeline management, and productivity.
• Identify opportunities for AI-enabled solutions that support digital transformation in academic institutions.
• Stay current with emerging AI trends in education, research, and academic publishing.

Collaboration & Performance Reporting

• Partner with Marketing, Product, Customer Success, Editorial, and Support teams to deliver tailored customer solutions.
• Share customer and market insights that inform product development and innovation.
• Maintain accurate CRM records and monitor account health, product adoption, pipeline, and renewal performance.
• Provide regular sales forecasts, performance updates, and strategic recommendations.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Education, or a related field.
• Proven experience in sales, business development, account management, or customer success, preferably in education, publishing, information services, or technology.
• Strong understanding of the academic and higher-education market.
• Demonstrated ability to manage strategic accounts while developing and securing new business.
• Experience using CRM platforms and digital sales tools.

About LexisNexis Legal & Professional

About Our Team LexisNexis Legal & Professional serves customers in more than 150 countries and employs 11,800 people worldwide. As part of RELX, we use AI and advanced technologies to improve productivity and transform the business and practice of law. Our teams develop, test, and validate solutions in line with RELX Responsible AI Principles.

About the Business LexisNexis Legal & Professional provides legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics that help customers increase productivity, improve decision‑making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world.

Work in a Way That Works for You We support a healthy work-life balance through wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance, and sabbaticals. This hybrid role offers flexible working hours to help you work when you're most productive.

Working for You Benefits in South Africa include Medical Aid, a Retirement Plan with risk benefits covering disability, critical illness, life and funeral cover, modern family benefits including adoption and surrogacy, and study leave.

We know your well-being and happiness are key to a long and successful career. We are delighted to offer country specific benefits. Click here ( to access benefits specific to your location.

We are committed to providing a fair and accessible hiring process. If you have a disability or other need that requires accommodation or adjustment, please let us know by completing our Applicant Request Support Form or please contact .

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Sage is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at Sage will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Sage does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

We are an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.