Account Manager - Education Partnerships

ACU is affiliated with the Fellowship of the Church of Christ. All qualified applicants must be professing Christians and willing to support the Christian mission and purpose of the university.

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Responsible for Business Development at ACU Dallas for Education products. This job is remote with travel.

Imagine helping education organizations and their leaders develop, support, and retain great educators, from early childhood through K–12 and community colleges. In this role, you’ll build relationships with education leaders, listen to the challenges they are facing, and connect them with ACU programs and pathways designed to meet their workforce and professional development needs. You’ll be a trusted partner, helping organizations address some of the most significant challenges facing education today while making a meaningful impact in the lives and careers of educators, future educators, and leaders.

Major Responsibilities:

• Sales and Negotiation

• Client Relationship Management

• Product Leadership

• Salesforce (CRM management)

Essential Duties:

• Sales and Negotiation

  • Build and expand current educational partnership accounts by maintaining rapport, answering requests, introducing additional services, and upselling opportunities.

  • Proactively identify and engage key decision-makers across the education landscape, including Superintendents, Human Resources leaders, early childhood executives, community college leaders, and other education decision-makers focused on recruiting, developing, and retaining employees.

  • Utilize multiple tools to find and to develop outreach campaigns for potential clients/ leads via networking events, cold calling, sales presentations, and social media channels.

  • Meet and exceed ACU education enrollment goals by devising innovative strategies to increase awareness of ACU’s degree, certification, and professional development pathways across early childhood, K–12, and community college partners.

  • Collaborates with Sales Managers and other departments of ACU to drive new and further existing business partnerships

  • Track industry and market trends by monitoring competitor companies and gathering intel on their current and new products, pricing structures, services, sales campaigns, and discounts.

• Client Relationship Management

  • Build and strengthen relationships across the education landscape, including early childhood organizations, Education Service Centers (ESCs), Independent School Districts (ISDs), and community colleges, to increase awareness of ACU programs and pathways that support employee development, advancement, and retention.

  • Understand key roles and responsibilities within partner organizations and ACU to effectively serve as a liaison, connecting partners with the appropriate resources and internal teams.

  • Analyze client behavior and measure the impact on business outcomes to update strategies and gain new leads.

  • Serve as a bridge between education partners and prospective students, ensuring a seamless handoff to ACU enrollment and student success teams.

  • Maintain a high-level view of the customer service lifecycle to anticipate and mitigate potential roadblocks.

• Product Leadership

  • Support ACU’s education programs and pathways by collaborating with early childhood organizations, Education Service Centers (ESCs), Independent School Districts (ISDs), community colleges, and other education partners to ensure clear communication and alignment of ACU offerings.

  • Develop in-depth knowledge of ACU’s education portfolio, becoming a Subject Matter Expert on degree, certification, and professional development pathways relevant to early childhood, K–12, and community college partners.

  • Educate key decision-makers on ACU programs and partnership opportunities through virtual presentations, networking events, conferences, and in-person meetings.

  • Facilitate the development and execution of partnership agreements, including MOUs and Sales Order Forms, to support the implementation and growth of education partnerships.

  • Serve as a voice of the market by gathering feedback from education partners and sharing insights with ACU leadership to inform the development, refinement, and expansion of programs and partnership offerings.

Professional Development and Skills Requirements

• Skills

  • Must be able to build and maintain trust within the Education community (Early Childhood through Community College) quickly.

  • Must be passionate about supporting teachers and education leadership within the Education Community.

  • Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced, start-up, strong-growth environment

  • Must be able to manage multiple client initiatives at varying stages

  • Must have strong communication skills with a passion for building customer relations

  • Must be results-focused with the ability to manage competing demands

  • Must be comfortable negotiating and creating buy-in from management at all levels

  • Experience with Salesforce or other account management platforms is preferred

  • Cross-industry knowledge in one or more areas: Nursing, Information Technology, Higher education, or other vertices

  • Must be comfortable working with spreadsheets, Salesforce, Zoom, and other organizational software

Qualifications

Professional

• A background in early childhood, K-12, or community college educational teaching and leadership with a strong passion for developing and supporting teachers and administrators

• Past experience with at least three years of educational administration at the district level.

Personal

• An advanced degree in teaching, business, or educational leadership.

Physical Demands

• Most work is performed in front of a computer, on the telephone, or in person on client sites. One must be able to use the computer and remain stationary for long periods.

• Manage conversations in person, online, and by telephone

• Limited travel – locations vary; some overnight trips may be necessary.

• Work well under pressure and manage stress well.

• Communicate clearly: speak, read, write, and hear to perform essential functions.

ACU does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, disability, genetic information, national or ethnic origin in employment opportunities, in keeping with applicable state and federal law.

ACU is committed to maintaining a safe and secure campus environment and protecting the university's financial and physical assets. Therefore, Abilene Christian University conducts background checks on all candidates for employment in security sensitive positions. As a current employee, it will be determined if you need an additional background check upon your hire.