Strategic Account Manager - Great Lakes Region

We Impact Lives Through Purpose-Driven Work in A People First Culture

Ascend Learning, a leading healthcare and learning technology company, is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data-driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning. From testing to certification, Ascend Learning products are used by physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers.

Headquartered in Burlington, MA, with additional office locations and hybrid and remote workers in cities across the U.S., Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America’s 2025 Greatest Workplaces as well as America’s Best Places to work for Mental Well-Being for 2025.

We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. If this sounds like an environment where you'd thrive, read on to learn more.

Ascend Learning's Nursing Category is fueled by a commitment to excellence as we support the full learning journey of future nurses. Our nursing brands — ATI, APEA, and NursingCE — offer evidence-based solutions designed to develop practice-ready nurses who are prepared for board certification and clinical practice. We use data analytics and engaging learning tools to help nursing students master core content. And we provide nursing education administrators and faculty with best-in-class support and expertise from some of the sharpest minds in nursing education. We aid nurse educators in understanding students' comprehension based on nearly two decades of data — including more than 12 million proctored assessments — that detail student learning and performance. The result is customers who are confident in their program offerings and positioned for healthy outcomes.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As a Strategic Account Manager, you’ll be responsible for maintaining and expanding relationships with strategically important large customers. Assigned to the highest-value clients, the Strategic Account Manager is tasked with building a deep understanding of the clients’ business processes, goals, and strategies to align our offerings and drive mutual growth and success. This role will support clients in the IA and NE territories.

WHERE YOU’LL WORK

This position will work remote in the Great Lakes territory, with preference to candidates in an Iowa or Nebraska location. Up to 50% travel is required.

HOW YOU’LL SPEND YOUR TIME

• Serve as the lead point of contact for strategic account matters, build and maintain strong, long-lasting client relationships, develop trusted advisor relationships with key accounts, customer stakeholders, and executive sponsors
• Identify and understand the roles of the clients’ stakeholders, identify champions, users, the technical team, and the economic buyers
• Manage relationships with existing clients to ensure their retention, and customer loyalty – including annual account reviews and reporting
• Manage and nurture the sales pipeline, ensure timely follow-ups, and progress tracking
• Uncover clients' objectives and pain points, build strategic roadmaps to drive positive outcomes and solutions to meet client needs while providing exceptional customer collaboration and guidance
• Develop account growth strategies, collaborate with category leadership, leverage market knowledge and client insights, including territory management, pipeline opportunities, and cross-sell opportunity referral activity where applicable
• Prepare compelling sales strategies, messaging, and presentations. Negotiate and close deals, collect implementation details for client execution
• Ensure timely and successful delivery of Ascends solutions according to customer needs and objectives, exceeding client expectations
• Prepare and present regular reports on account opportunities, sales forecasts, tailwinds, and headwinds to management
• Maintain CRM to include prospective client headcount or other category suitability
• Stay up to date with, and share, industry trends, competitors, and market conditions to identify new business opportunities

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 6+ years of relevant sales work experience
• Prior track record of influencing stakeholders up to the executive level, with proven negotiation skills for securing advantageous agreements
• Skilled in delivering tailored solutions to clients and managing multiple projects with precision
• Proficient in written communication for creating sales documents (proposals, contracts)
• Ability to build trust and proactively engage in upselling and cross selling
• Strong analytical abilities for sales data interpretation and strategy formulation
• Proven track record of delivering results in a quota-based sales environment with multi-year multimillion-dollar contracts
• Nursing education industry knowledge, background in healthcare or higher education experience preferred
• Proficient in CRM software (e.g., Salesforce, Zoho CRM, HubSpot) and MS Office, especially Excel
• Up to 50% travel

HIRING RANGE

The current full-time, annualized base pay hiring range for this role is $80,800.00-$115,500.00. In accordance with applicable state laws, we are providing the expected pay range for this position. Individual compensation will be determined by various factors, including relevant experience, qualifications, current business needs and local market factors. Most regular, full-time employees are eligible to participate in an Ascend incentive bonus or sales plan.

BENEFITS

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Company paid life Insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and parental leave
• Employee assistance program
• Other wellness programs such as Headspace and Airvet
• Charitable matching program

Fostering A Sense of Belonging

Our values-driven culture unifies our teams and inspires a mindset of action, innovation, and collaboration, with a relentless focus on customers. We seek out and celebrate all people and perspectives and cultivate an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and be authentic. Our culture is firmly rooted in the belief that by embracing our differences and drawing on diverse perspectives, we are a stronger, more innovative, and more successful organization where employees experience a sense of belonging.

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S.-based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.