Founding Market Lead, Illinois

Job Description

Job Description

???? Chicago | ???? Full-time | ✈️ ~50% Travel |

About Innovamat

Innovamat is transforming K–8 math education across the U.S. and beyond — and we’re just getting started.

We’re a fast-growing educational organization with 350+ teammates across 10 countries, building a new generation of math education grounded in research, teacher empowerment, and real classroom impact. Our curriculum, intervention programs, and adaptive technology are already trusted by 27,000+ teachers in 2,600+ schools worldwide — and we’re now in a pivotal phase of scaling our presence in the U.S.

Backed by leading thinkers like Peter Liljedahl (Building Thinking Classrooms), Innovamat sits at the intersection of learning science, product innovation, and execution.

We operate with a true startup mindset — we move fast, take ownership, experiment constantly, and are deeply driven by the impact we create for teachers and students.

Math should be joyful, meaningful, and transformational — not worksheets and rote memorization. We partner with districts and educators to reimagine what math classrooms can look like.

This is a chance to join early in our U.S. journey, take on real ownership, and help build something from the ground up.

The Role

We’re looking for a Founding Market Lead to launch and scale the Illinois region — one of our most strategic markets in the U.S.

This is not a traditional sales role. You’ll operate as the owner of the region , responsible for building pipeline, closing flagship partnerships, and laying the foundation for a high-performing team.

You’ll start as a hands-on builder — opening doors, closing deals, and shaping our go-to-market motion — and evolve into a leader, hiring and developing the team that will scale the region.

Roles like this are rare: you’ll have the autonomy of a founder, the backing of a global company, and the opportunity to shape how an entire region — and eventually the U.S. — grows.

What You’ll Do

Own and grow the Illinois territory:
Build Innovamat’s presence across the region by identifying priority districts, shaping a focused territory strategy, and creating strong momentum in the market. Lead district partnerships end-to-end — from outbound and first conversations to pilots and closing long-term agreements.

Operate with full ownership of the Illinois market:
Take a holistic view of the region — owning revenue, partnerships, and local strategy — while working closely with the GM as a trusted right hand. Drive performance and outcomes with a strong sense of accountability, treating the territory as your business.

Build and lead a high performing team:
Hire, onboard, and develop a high-performing regional team (AEs, Math Success Managers, etc.) as we scale. Set the bar for performance and culture from day one.

Open doors with districts:
Generate pipeline through strategic outreach, networking, conferences, and strong presence in the education ecosystem.

Lead consultative conversations:
Engage district leaders in meaningful discussions about their math challenges and introduce Innovamat’s research-backed approach.

Collaborate to close:
Partner closely with Math Success, Strategy, and Marketing to deliver compelling demos, pilots, and proposals.

Refine the go-to-market motion:
Identify patterns, improve messaging, and help build the playbook for scaling district partnerships across new regions.

Be the face of Innovamat locally:
Represent Innovamat at conferences, events, and district meetings to build credibility and brand presence.

What We’re Looking For

Entrepreneurial spirit: You create momentum from scratch. You’ve built, shipped, or taken ownership of something meaningful before.

Experience in fast-paced environments: A proven track record of grit, resilience, and performance in another fast paced environment where ownership and results matter (e.g. investment banking, consulting, private equity, engineering, operations, tech or early-stage startups ).

Founder mentality: You operate beyond your role, improving systems, processes, and outcomes for the broader team. You might be a former founder, a consultant ready to own outcomes, an MBA who prefers execution over theory, or someone from growth/product/strategy/ops who loves closing.

Operator mindset: You combine strategy with execution. You can zoom out to define the plan and zoom in to make it happen.

Closing ability: Experience owning the full sales cycle or consistently delivering results in a high-performance environment.

Team builder: You’re excited to hire, develop, and lead a team. You set a high bar and create environments where people perform at their best.

Resilience: You’re energized by opening doors and navigating complex, multi-stakeholder decision processes.

Relationship intelligence: You build trust with senior stakeholders and understand how institutions make decisions.

Learning mindset: Excited to deeply understand math education and how districts adopt new solutions.

Location: Based in Chicago and willing to travel ~50%.

What Makes You Stand Out

• You’ve helped launch or scale something from 0→1

• You take ownership beyond your job description

• You naturally improve systems, strategy, and execution

• You’re curious about education, learning science, and systemic change

• You thrive in high-impact, high-responsibility environments

What We Offer You

Compensation: OTE 170K, with uncapped earning potential.

401(k) match: 5% company match to support your long-term financial wellbeing.

Comprehensive health benefits: Medical, dental, and vision — we cover 100% of the premium for you.

Work alongside exceptional people: Collaborate with leading educators, mathematicians, and researchers shaping the future of math education.

A high-trust, collaborative team: We value ownership, candor, and genuine teamwork.

Meaningful ownership and visibility: As an early member of the U.S. expansion, your work will directly shape how we grow.

Cross-functional exposure: Work closely with Growth, Strategy, Marketing, and Math Success teams.

Mission-driven work: Be part of a systemic shift in education, transforming how students experience and learn math.

Time to recharge: Enjoy 22+ days of PTO, plus an additional week off during our company-wide holiday shutdown.

Connection & culture: Regular team meetups, team-building activities and an annual summer company offsite.

Innovamat is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building an inclusive team and welcome candidates from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

We process personal data as part of our recruitment procedures. Please consult our Candidate Privacy Notices for more information.

Innovamat is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities throughout our hiring process. If you require assistance or accommodations, please contact us.