Executive Director, School Partnerships

Job Title Executive Director, School Partnerships Job Description For more than 80 years, Kaplan has been a trailblazer in education and professional advancement. We are a global company at the intersection of education and technology, focused on collaboration, innovation, and creativity to deliver a best-in-class educational experience and make Kaplan a great place to work. The future of education is here and we are eager to work alongside those who want to make a positive impact and inspire change in the world around them. Kaplan is a global educational services provider dedicated to helping students achieve their academic and career goals. Within Kaplan, the High School Segment focuses on delivering innovative, high-impact solutions to K12 institutions, school districts, and educational organizations. We empower partners with the tools, curriculum, and strategies needed to support students navigating the critical path to college and career readiness. Position Summary The Executive Director of Partner Sales will be the primary lead in charge of driving revenue growth and account sustainability within named strategic accounts and a defined geographic territory. Serving as a true "player-coach," you will lead by example—selling directly to high-profile strategic accounts while simultaneously acting as a functional lead to support, mentor, and guide other members of the partner sales team. In this dual-impact role, you will own the end-to-end sales lifecycle for major institutional partners, design and execute comprehensive renewal and expansion strategies, and formally document scalable implementation models to ensure long-term client success and seamless program deployment. Additionally you will partner with product leaders to deliver voice of the customer feedback that will be a key input to product innovation and development. Key Responsibilities Strategic Sales & Territory Growth: Drive net-new business and revenue growth by selling enterprise solutions directly to strategic accounts and within a defined geographic territory. Relationship building across the buyer org, clear theory of action work, and outcomes / impact goal setting are key capabilities. Independent School Market Development: Build/maintain relationships and pilot partnerships with independent and private secondary schools within the territory, developing a working knowledge of their distinct procurement processes, governance structures, and student outcome priorities — informing future go-to-market strategy in this emerging and cross-over segment. Account Expansion & Renewals: Lead and execute comprehensive retention and expansion strategies for existing high-value strategic accounts to maximize long-term contractual value and partner loyalty + success. Team Leadership & Coaching: Serve as a functional lead and mentor, providing guidance, strategy support, and skill development to develop other members of the partner sales team. Implementation Model Design: Document, formalize, and optimize client implementation models to create structured, repeatable deployment blueprints that ensure reliable student and institutional outcomes. Pipeline & Forecast Management: Maintain a high-visibility pipeline utilizing CRM/Salesforce best practices, providing accurate monthly and quarterly sales forecasts to senior executive leadership. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with multiple cross functional internal teams, product, security, privacy, and operations teams to align Kaplan’s capabilities with the unique, complex requirements of strategic K12 partners. Elevate Thought Leadership: Collaborate with product marketing to host webinars, execute conference playbook, and contribute to white papers and blog content that helps to pull the market and generate new leads. Minimum Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s degree required, Masters degree in Business Administration or Education Leadership; Advanced degree or equivalent leadership experience preferred. Experience: 8 years sales/leadership experience. Proven track record in enterprise sales, consulting, or educational sales management. Strong experience in a "player-coach" or functional leadership capacity is highly desirable. Experience navigating complex sales cycles within the K12 space or educational institutions (including independent schools and CMO’s) is a significant plus. AI Forward: Embrace AI tools with fluency as part of your workflows that support efficiency and impact. Sales Acumen: Exceptional ability to manage high-value sales pipelines, negotiate multi-year institutional contracts, and successfully drive both net-new acquisitions and account expansions. Communication & Relationship Building: Strong interpersonal, presentation, and public speaking skills, with the ability to communicate professionally and build deep trust with school district leadership and C-suite executives. Strategic & Operational Skills: Outstanding ability to analyze territory data, formalize operational implementation frameworks, and map educational solutions to institutional needs. Technical Proficiency: Skilled in modern CRM platforms (Salesforce) and collaborative tools (Google Workspace, including Docs, Sheets, and Drive). Beyond base salary, our comprehensive total rewards package includes: - Remote work provides a flexible work/life balance - Comprehensive Retirement Package automatically enrolled in The Company Contribution Plan (8-10% annual company contribution based on tenure) - Our Gift of Knowledge Program provides tuition assistance and substantial discounts for our employees and close family members - Comprehensive health benefits new hire eligibility starts on day 1 of employment - Generous Paid Time Off includes paid holidays, vacation, personal, sick paid time-off, plus one (1) volunteer day and one (1) diversity and inclusion day to participate and give back to our local communities We are committed to providing a supportive and rewarding work environment where every employee can thrive. You can learn more about our full benefits package and total rewards philosophy here. At Kaplan, we believe in attracting, rewarding, and retaining exceptional talent. Our compensation philosophy is designed to be competitive within the market, reflecting the value we place on the skills, experience, and contributions of our employees, while taking into account labor market trends and total rewards. For full-time positions, Kaplan has three Salary Grades. This position is Salary Grade B: $64,819 to $162,047. The specific compensation offered will be determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, education, skills, and market data. We are an equal opportunity employer and comply with all applicable federal and state wage laws. #LI-Remote Location Remote/Nationwide, USA Additional Locations Employee Type Employee Job Functional Area Sales Business Unit 00073 Kaplan Grad Diversity & Inclusion Statement: Kaplan is committed to cultivating an inclusive workplace that values diversity, promotes equity, and integrates inclusivity into all aspects of our operations. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, nationality, or sex. We believe that diversity strengthens our organization, fuels innovation, and improves our ability to serve our students, customers, and communities. Learn more about our culture here. Kaplan considers qualified applicants for employment even if applicants have an arrest or conviction in their background check records. Kaplan complies with related background check regulations, including but not limited to, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. There are various positions where certain convictions may disqualify applicants, such as those positions requiring interaction with minors, financial records, or other sensitive and/or confidential information. Kaplan is a drug-free workplace and complies with applicable laws. Kaplan, Inc. is a global educational services company, with about 10,000 employees and operations in 26 countries. We serve 1.2 million students each year and partner with about 4,000 educational institutions and 13,000 corporations across the world. Kaplan is the largest subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC). Across its 85-year history, first as a pioneer of the test prep industry, then as an early online education leader, and now as a global education provider, Kaplan has been recognized for expanding educational access and improving student outcomes through innovative uses of technology, instructional design, and learning science. We’ve been recognized as a Top Workplace for Innovators and Brands That Matter (Fast Company); and as one of America’s Top 100 employers (Forbes). Kaplan’s US-based businesses provide individuals, educational institutions, businesses and governments a broad array of services, supporting our students and partners to meet their diverse and evolving needs throughout their educational and professional journeys. Among the services provided are test preparation, coaching and advising, performance training, industry credentialing, and university support services, online enablement, analytics, and marketing. The test preparation and professional products are offered in the market under our brand names such as Kaplan, Kaplan Financial Education, Kaplan Schweser, PPI, College for Financial Planning, and Manhattan Prep. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, employees who support Kaplan’s North America division work primarily remotely across the US and in our corporate campus in Bengaluru, India. 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