Senior Sales Executive

Job Description

Position Overview \n

We are seeking an experienced, consultative, and mission-driven Senior Sales Executive to help lead our enterprise growth across K-12 school districts nationwide.

In this role, you will be responsible for building, managing, and closing a multi-year enterprise pipeline with public school district leaders. You will represent Upstream Literacy with deep credibility, engaging directly with state DOE Literacy Directors, Superintendents, Chief Academic Officers, and District Literacy Directors and Principals. We are also looking for someone to help us in developing relationships with leading education organizations such as the Council of Great City Schools, AASA, The Council of Chief State School Officers, The National Association of Elementary School Principals, ASCD, and The International Society for Technology Education.  Ideally, you bring a strong background in K-12 edtech enterprise sales combined with a solid understanding of K-12 literacy instruction, the Science of Reading, and implementation science.

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• Enterprise Pipeline & Sales Execution:
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• Drive net-new district partner acquisition across target segments, focusing on Medium (11–30 schools) and Large (31+ schools) public school districts.
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• Manage end-to-end consultative sales cycles, selling annual enterprise subscriptions structured around a district base fee ($15k–$30k) plus school-level implementation fees.
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• Build and maintain a robust pipeline to meet and exceed annual quota targets.
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• Consultative & Knowledge-Based Selling:
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• Frame sales engagements around organizational change and systemic literacy improvement rather than simple software features.
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• Clearly articulate the value of combining Science of Reading principles with Implementation Science to solve systemic reading barriers.
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• Conduct strategic presentations, platform demonstrations, and executive briefings for high-level district decision-makers.
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• Executive Stakeholder Engagement:
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• Establish trusted advisor relationships with key buying personas, including Superintendents, Curriculum Directors, Literacy Directors, and Chief Academic Officers.
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• Work closely with our leadership and Education Team to leverage existing institutional relationships and industry events (e.g., premier literacy conferences).
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• Funding & Procurement Strategy:
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• Guide district decision-makers on utilizing federal, state, and grant funding streams for Upstream Literacy engagements (e.g., Title I, Title II-A, Title IV-A, and Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grants).
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• Navigate public district procurement, RFP processes, and contract negotiations.
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• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
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• Partner with our Implementation Partners and Customer Success teams to ensure seamless transition from contract signing through onboarding and continuous support.
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• Share market insights, competitive feedback, and district buying trends with internal Product, Engineering, and Education teams.
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• EdTech Sales Leadership:
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• 5+ years of demonstrated success in enterprise K-12 sales, selling directly to district central office leadership (Superintendents, CAOs, Curriculum & Literacy Directors).
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• Track record of consistently closing annual deal values ranging from $25,000 to $100,000+ per district contract.
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• Literacy & EdTech Expertise:
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• Deep familiarity with K-12 literacy instruction, the Science of Reading movement, state literacy mandates, and implementation frameworks.
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• Prior experience working within or selling to K-12 literacy/curriculum departments is highly desirable.
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• Strategic Consultative Approach:
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• Proven ability to run complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles with longer sales timelines.
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• Experience positioning solutions around ROI, operational efficiency, and long-term systemic improvement.
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• Funding & Policy Acumen:
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• Strong understanding of K-12 funding channels (Title I, II, IV, CLSD, state literacy grants) and local procurement regulations.
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• Communication & Credibility:
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• Exceptional written, verbal, and executive-level presentation skills.
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• Passion for educational equity and improving reading outcomes for elementary students.
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• Base Salary: $100,000 area
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• Commission: Performance-based uncapped commission structure
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• Opportunity to join a mission-driven founding team led by nationally recognized education and technology leaders.
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• Remote work environment with travel for key customer meetings and industry conferences.
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• Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance and retirement plan options.
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To Apply: Please submit your resume to View email address on ziprecruiter.com, along with a brief note sharing what interests you about this opportunity and how your experience connects to Upstream Literacy’s mission; a formal cover letter is not required.

Upstream Literacy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.Upstream Literacy is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact [email/contact information..