Principal, Sales

About the job At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. We are the world's lifelong learning company. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. Learn more: Pearson Our team Our commercial team partners with in-country sales teams to accelerate strategic growth, unlock complex opportunities, and deliver customer-centric solutions across diverse markets. We work at the intersection of sales strategy, solution design, and deal execution to help close high-value opportunities that create long-term impact. About the Role We are seeking a results-driven and strategic professional to lead and support large, complex deal pursuits across diverse markets. The role requires identifying high-value opportunities, building strong stakeholder relationships, and driving opportunities through the full sales lifecycle from qualification to successful closure. The ideal candidate will bring strong commercial acumen, negotiation, and collaboration skills, with the ability to work independently and deliver results in fast-paced environments. Key Responsibilities Lead and support the pursuit of large, complex deals, ensuring a strong strategy from opportunity identification through to close. Proactively identify, qualify, and originate high-value opportunities across target markets and customer segments. Partner with in-country, regional, and central, sales, account, and technical teams to shape compelling solutions that address complex customer requirements. Build and maintain strong relationships with senior decision-makers and key stakeholders throughout the deal lifecycle. Act as a trusted strategic and technical advisor on deal strategy, customer solution design, and specialty product positioning, removing obstacles and accelerating progress. Independently originate and own strategic opportunities, while partnering with in-country teams to advance priority deals and expand market reach. Lead negotiations and coordinate cross-functional input to secure competitive, customer-focused outcomes. Share best practices, improve sales processes, and raise execution standards across teams to strengthen collaboration and performance. Drive measurable commercial impact by improving win rates, accelerating complex deal closure, strengthening collaboration, and contributing to revenue growth. Required skills and experience Strong alignment with Pearson’s culture, values, and leadership behaviours: Customer Centricity, Raising the Performance Bar, Exceptional Collaboration for Value, and Our Leaders Inspire. Proven track record of identifying, developing, and closing large, complex deals in competitive environments. Experience working across cross-functional teams, including account, technical, and commercial stakeholders, to deliver tailored customer solutions. Strong business acumen and strategic thinking, with the ability to assess opportunities, define winning approaches, and drive revenue growth. Excellent communication, influencing, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, with confidence engaging senior stakeholders. Demonstrated strength in account management, outbound sales, strategic planning, and customer relationship management. High adaptability, a proactive and driven mindset, and the ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes environments. Sales intelligence capability, with the ability to use market and opportunity insights to identify growth potential, improve forecasting, and inform strategic commercial decisions. Comfort working with data, sales intelligence, and evolving technologies—including artificial intelligence—to improve decision-making and commercial outcomes. Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. If you are an individual with a disability and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career site as a result of your disability, you may request reasonable accommodations by emailing View email address on click.appcast.io. Job: Sales • Job Family: GO_TO_MARKET • Organization: English Language Learning • Schedule: FULL_TIME • Workplace Type: Hybrid • Req ID: 24197 #J-18808-Ljbffr