Chief Growth Officer

CredLens is at an inflection point — and we're looking for the commercial leader who will help us define, shape, and win a market we're creating. The Chief Growth Officer will join our senior leadership team and own the full market-facing engine at CredLens: sales, marketing, communications, and web. This is not a role for someone who wants to inherit a playbook. It's a role for someone who wants to write one — and who has the experience, instincts, and drive to do it at a critical moment in our growth. We have built the infrastructure. We have the product. We have an early and growing client base. Now we need the leader who can take all of that and scale it. The Market We're Building Non-degree credentials are reshaping how people move from learning to earning. Millions of learners are pursuing certificates, bootcamps, and workforce programs as pathways to better jobs and higher wages. But growth has outpaced clarity. Thousands of offerings, uneven definitions, and fragmented outcomes data make it nearly impossible to distinguish impact from activity. When results are unclear, learners carry the risk, strong programs can't stand out, and investment can't reliably flow to what works. CredLens exists to fix that. We are a neutral, trusted source of high-quality outcomes data for non-degree credentials — connecting issuer-verified credential records to real-world employment, earnings, and education outcomes. Our partners use that data to improve programs, guide investment, and strengthen career pathways for learners. Two years in, we have a firmly established platform, a growing client base, and the backing of Strada Education Foundation. We are not a startup finding its footing. We are a company beginning to scale — and we are looking for the leader who will take us there. Key Responsibilities \n Growth Strategy & Engagement Leadership (30%) Own the integrated growth strategy across sales, marketing, and communications. Synthesize insights across market segments, deals, and partners to set commercial priorities, guide team focus, and inform product and go-to-market decisions. Define which customer segments, channels, and partnership models will drive CredLens from early traction to broad adoption — and sequence investments accordingly. This is a market-creation role as much as a market-capture role. The right leader will bring both the strategic clarity to see where the market is going and the operational discipline to build toward it. Fundraising Management (15%) Lead CredLens's fundraising strategy and execution in close partnership with the CEO, developing and managing a diversified funding pipeline across philanthropic and grant sources as earned revenue scales. Cultivate and steward relationships with funders, craft compelling cases for support that translate CredLens's mission and outcomes data into clear funder value, and partner with the CEO on major donor and board engagement. Build the systems and team capacity to support sustainable fundraising — and integrate that strategy with broader revenue and long-term sustainability planning. Team Development, Enablement & Pipeline Management (30%) Lead and grow the sales team and manage the existing marketing and communications function. Build a unified growth culture across both. Design onboarding and enablement so new sales hires can confidently pitch CredLens, run discovery, and assess fit quickly. Oversee execution quality across the engagement team, intervening selectively on complex or high-stakes opportunities. Own the forecast, stress-test assumptions, and optimize the sales process based on data, bottleneck analysis, and team input. The goal is a pipeline that is disciplined, transparent, and predictable — not dependent on heroics. Board-Ready Communication & Cross-Functional Leadership (25%) Produce concise, narrative-driven materials that connect fundraising pipeline, revenue pipeline, market positioning, customer demand signals, and product implications — and do it in a way that gives the board and leadership team genuine visibility, not just good news. Working with the leadership team, align Sales, Marketing, Product, and Customer Success around shared feedback loops, roadmap implications, and delivery realities. Serve as a visible and credible ambassador for CredLens across the workforce development, credentialing, and higher education ecosystem. What Success Looks Like in Year One Growth Strategy A clear, data-informed growth strategy is actively guiding decisions — with prioritized customer segments, channels, and partnership models tied to measurable targets. Revenue is on track to hit $2M in Year 1 with a credible path and early pipeline momentum toward $9M in Year 2. Investment sequencing reflects real market insights and is producing demonstrable movement from early traction toward broader adoption. Fundraising A diversified funding pipeline is established and actively managed. Relationships with key funders are deepening, compelling cases for support are in use, and the systems and processes to sustain fundraising alongside growing earned revenue are in place and running. Team & Pipeline The sales team is growing and well-enabled — new hires are onboarded quickly and confidently running discovery and pitching CredLens. A unified growth culture spans sales, marketing, and communications. The forecast is reliable and stress-tested. Sales process improvements are measurably reducing cycle friction, and pipeline health is visible at every stage without heroic manual effort. Communication & Cross-Functional Alignment Board materials are consistently concise, narrative-driven, and trusted. Sales, Marketing, Product, and Customer Success are operating with shared feedback loops and aligned on roadmap implications. CredLens's presence and credibility in the workforce development, credentialing, and higher education ecosystem is visibly growing. The Person Education We value demonstrated capability and learning agility above credentials. Bachelor's and/or advanced degrees in business, public policy, education, or related fields are a plus — but not required. Experience Required 12+ years of progressive experience in sales, marketing, or commercial leadership, including 7+ years in a senior leadership role managing multiple functions Demonstrated success creating or entering a new product market — you understand what it takes to seed a market, build credibility from scratch, and drive urgency where none previously existed Experience selling data products, analytics platforms, SaaS, or research services to institutional buyers A track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets in environments where the playbook was still being written Experience Preferred Background in workforce development, education, credentialing, or adjacent policy ecosystems Experience selling to or partnering with state agencies, higher education institutions, workforce boards, or philanthropy Familiarity with the non-degree credential landscape and the real challenges of outcomes measurement Experience working in or alongside mission-driven or nonprofit organizations Experience building demand generation programs that connect brand and content efforts to measurable pipeline results Skills Strategic leadership orientation — able to set long-range commercial direction while making pragmatic, near-term decisions about tools, processes, and team investments Exceptional discovery and consultative selling skills — able to ask probing questions about outcomes, data readiness, and constraints to rigorously assess fit Strong analytical instincts — comfortable synthesizing data across deals, segments, marketing channels, and partners to drive decisions Clear, compelling communicator — able to produce board-ready materials, shape brand messaging, and translate complex data concepts for diverse audiences Skilled team builder who leads with transparency, accountability, and genuine investment in people's development across multiple functions Sound judgment about deal fit, timing, scope, and resource allocation — knows when to pursue, when to walk away, and when to escalate Pragmatic operator — able to evaluate and assemble the right sales and marketing tools without over-engineering or under-investing Comfortable with ambiguity and energized by the pace of a high-growth organization Alignment to CredLens Core Values At CredLens, we're guided by a shared commitment to integrity, transparency, and empowerment — in the work we deliver and in how we show up for each other every day. We're looking for someone who thrives in a collaborative, open environment where honest communication is paired with kindness and respect. You bring a genuine learning mindset, a desire to help partners and users succeed, and a belief that trust is built through honesty and reliability — not just results. If you find real meaning in the work, care about the people you do it with, and want to contribute your unique perspective to a diverse and inclusive team, you'll feel right at home here. \n $251,300 - $282,700 a year plus annual bonus The pay range listed is based on national compensation benchmark data and may vary depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge, variations in cost of labor, and in some cases, geographic location. The exact job offer will be determined based on several factors such as the candidate’s individual skills, qualifications and experience relative to the requirements of the role. The range displayed with the job posting represents the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across the U.S. The company also reviews and considers internal equity (current employee salary) when hiring new employees to the organization. The range is the expected starting base salary for someone hired into this position with room to grow professionally, including increased earning potential beyond the starting pay range. Beyond a new hire’s base salary, CredLens also offers all full-time employees a comprehensive employee benefit package. \n Travel Requirements: Approximately 30% domestic travel anticipated. Mission and Values Alignment: Committed to providing equitable pathways to opportunity through PSET, particularly for individuals who have faced significant barriers. Demonstrated alignment with CredLens' guiding values, commitment to building a strong and healthy workplace culture, and working in a collaborative environment. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to CredLens' organizational vibrancy, employee experience, and mission. We strongly encourage applicants from people of color/the global majority, immigrant, bilingual, and bicultural individuals; people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA2S+ and gender nonconforming communities; and people with other diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. We believe every member on the team enriches our workplace by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and discover, design, and deliver critical insights and solutions.