General Manager/ Growth Leader - Certification

About ETS:

ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners worldwide to be future-ready. For more than 75 years, we've been advancing the science of measurement to build benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment across cultures and borders. Our worldwide impact extends through our renowned assessments including TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE and Praxis tests, serving millions of learners in more than 200 countries and territories. Through strategic acquisitions, we've expanded our global capabilities: PSI strengthens our workforce assessment solutions, while Edusoft, Kira Talent, Pipplet, Vericant, and Wheebox enhance our educational technology and assessment platforms across critical markets worldwide.

Through ETS Research Institute and ETS Solutions, we're partnering with educational institutions, governments, and organizations globally to promote skill proficiency, empower upward mobility, and unlock opportunities for everyone, everywhere. With offices and partners across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, we deliver nearly 50 million tests annually. Join us in our journey of measuring progress to power human progress worldwide.

About PSI

PSI is a global leader in workforce solutions, professional credentialing, high-stakes testing, and talent assessment. Through innovative technology, psychometric expertise, and world-class customer service, PSI helps organizations, certification bodies, and licensing agencies deliver secure, valid, and reliable credentialing programs that advance careers, protect the public, and strengthen professions worldwide.

Our Certifications & Licensure business partners with leading certification boards, professional associations, regulatory agencies, and licensing organizations to develop, deliver, and scale credentialing programs that serve millions of candidates globally.

PSI is seeking a commercially driven General Manager - Certification to lead and grow its global professional certification business. Reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer, this executive will own the business unit P&L, with a primary mandate to accelerate new-logo acquisition, protect and grow existing revenue, and deliver profitable growth.

The successful candidate will preferably bring deep, current experience in the certification market and be a strong relationship builder with certification bodies, professional associations, employers, workforce organizations, partners and industry influencers. They will understand how these organizations select partners, build programs, serve candidates and create long-term value.

The growth opportunity is significant. PSI has a strong position in the US domestic market, with further headroom in priority certification verticals and a clear opportunity to expand further internationally. The General Manager will use market, customer and competitive insight to determine where PSI should compete, how it will win and where commercial resources and investment will generate the strongest return.

This leader will integrate Business Development, Client Success/Account Management and Solutions Consulting/Sales Engineering into one client-facing commercial organization. They will build pipeline, sponsor strategic pursuits and client relationships, protect contracted revenue and expand key accounts. In partnership with Product, Technology, Operations, Psychometrics, Marketing and Finance, they will move the portfolio from bespoke solution selling toward a more productized commercial model while preserving the consultative expertise that differentiates PSI.

Commercial strategy and P&L

• Own the full Certification business unit P&L, including revenue, new-business pipeline, profitability, operating margin, forecasting, investment planning and delivery against financial commitments.
• Set and execute a multi-year strategy that translates market opportunity into clear commercial priorities, portfolio choices, investment decisions and measurable business outcomes.
• Establish a rigorous operating cadence across pipeline, revenue, retention, expansion, margin, client health and forecast accuracy.

Certification market strategy and expansion

• Analyze the market by customer segment, vertical, geography, buyer need and competitive position to identify the strongest sources of profitable growth.
• Deepen PSI's position in the US domestic market by prioritizing high-potential certification verticals and developing differentiated growth strategies.
• Build an international growth plan that identifies priority markets, routes to market, partnerships, localization needs and investment requirements.

New-logo acquisition and commercial execution

• Own the development and conversion of a healthy, appropriately covered new-logo pipeline across priority certification verticals and markets.
• Lead an integrated commercial motion across Business Development and Solutions Consulting/Sales Engineering, with clear coverage, qualification standards and pursuit discipline.
• Act as executive sponsor for strategic prospects, building senior relationships, shaping differentiated value propositions and improving win rates.
• Drive disciplined forecasting, opportunity review and CRM adoption, intervening early to address pipeline gaps, stalled pursuits and conversion risk.

Client relationships, revenue protection and growth

• Own client retention and revenue protection, with early visibility of contractual, relationship, service and competitive risk.
• Lead Client Success/Account Management to create strategic account plans, executive sponsorship and consistent business-review disciplines.
• Build systematic renewal and expansion motions that deepen client value and identify opportunities well ahead of procurement or contract events.
• Use client health, service, satisfaction, win/loss and renewal insight to resolve root causes, strengthen the proposition and improve retention and growth.

Portfolio productization and commercialization

• Lead the shift toward a more productized certification portfolio with clear propositions, modular capabilities, target segments, commercial packaging and repeatable routes to market.
• Direct Solutions Consulting/Sales Engineering so client needs are translated into differentiated solutions that are feasible, secure, scalable and commercially sound.
• Partner with Product, Marketing and Finance on positioning, packaging, pricing, business cases, launch plans and adoption strategies.
• Create a strong market-to-product feedback loop while protecting portfolio focus and reducing unnecessary customization.

Cross-functional delivery, quality and risk

• Align Product, Technology, Operations, Psychometrics, Test Security, Finance, Legal and Marketing around shared commercial priorities and client outcomes.
• Ensure commercial commitments are deliverable, appropriately governed and profitable, with effective handoffs from pursuit through implementation and ongoing client management.
• Champion an excellent end-to-end experience for certification clients and candidates, using operational and customer data to improve quality, reliability and scalability.
• Maintain appropriate oversight of contractual, regulatory, accreditation, security and reputational risk.

Team leadership and industry relationships

• Lead and develop a high-performing organization of approximately spanning Business Development, Client Success/Account Management and Solutions Consulting/Sales Engineering.
• Create clear objectives, incentives and accountability across new-logo acquisition, client retention, account expansion and solution quality.
• Build leadership depth and specialist capability through coaching, succession planning, talent development and selective recruitment of strong certification-sector talent.
• Serve as a visible senior leader in the certification community, building trusted relationships with clients, prospects, associations, partners and industry influencers.
• Foster a culture of commercial ownership, customer focus, collaboration and evidence-led decision making.
• Adhere to ethical standards and comply with the laws and regulations applicable to the role.

Keyword: Leadership, Business Growth, Commercial Excellence, P&L Leadership
Required Experience:

Required Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, Strategy, Education, Assessment or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 15+ years of progressive commercial and business leadership experience, including significant and recent leadership experience in the professional certification industry.
• Senior responsibility for a business, division or substantial portfolio with full P&L or equivalent revenue, profitability and investment accountability.
• Demonstrated success delivering profitable growth through new-logo acquisition, pipeline development, client retention, account expansion and disciplined commercial execution.
• Substantial leadership experience across multiple client-facing functions, including leadership of leaders and geographically distributed teams.
• Meaningful experience in the US certification market and the ability to lead a global business and develop international growth opportunities.

Preferred qualifications

• MBA or another relevant postgraduate business qualification.
• Experience expanding certification products or services internationally through direct, partner or channel-led models.
• Knowledge of the end-to-end certification lifecycle, including program design, psychometrics, test development, secure delivery, candidate experience and credential maintenance.
• Experience productizing a service-led or highly customized portfolio and building recurring, repeatable commercial models.
• Experience with certification-industry standards, accreditation considerations, digital credentialing, test security and emerging assessment technologies.

• Preferably deep and current knowledge of the professional certification market, including the needs and economics of certification bodies, professional associations, employers and workforce organizations.
• Senior management experience with full P&L accountability and a record of sustainable revenue growth, profitability and market-share gains.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze markets, segment opportunity and make clear choices about verticals, geographies, propositions and investment.
• Proven success building qualified new-logo pipeline and leading complex B2B sales motions from opportunity creation through solutioning, negotiation and close.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills, with the credibility to engage senior client executives, prospects, partners and industry leaders.
• Strong client-success and account-management expertise, including revenue protection, strategic account planning, executive sponsorship, renewals, risk mitigation and expansion.
• Experience leading Solutions Consulting or Sales Engineering and balancing customer needs with product strategy, delivery feasibility, scalability and commercial value.
• Ability to lead a transition from bespoke solution selling toward a productized commercial model with clearer propositions, packaging, pricing and repeatable go-to-market motions.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including forecasting, pricing, deal economics, margin management, investment cases and portfolio performance.
• Understanding of complex, high-value and long-cycle certification sales, including RFPs, multi-year contracts, renewals and strategic partnerships.
• Data-driven leadership approach using market intelligence, CRM, pipeline, client-health and financial data to make decisions and intervene early.
• Proven ability to lead leaders, influence across a global matrix and create accountability through transformation, ambiguity and competing priorities

Experience leading through business integration, portfolio transformation or significant operating-model change.

Industry Expertise

The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Professional Certification Programs
• Occupational Licensure Programs
• Credentialing & Accreditation Services
• High-Stakes Testing
• Assessment & Measurement
• Workforce Certification
• Professional Associations
• Healthcare Credentialing
• Regulatory Testing Services

Leadership Capabilities

• Strategic and enterprise mindset
• Exceptional financial acumen
• Growth-oriented leadership approach
• Strong executive presence and influence
• Data-driven decision making
• Customer-first orientation
• Ability to lead through transformation and change
• Proven success managing complex stakeholder environments

Education

• Bachelor's degree required
• MBA or other advanced business degree strongly preferred

#LI-SL1

ETS is mission driven and action oriented

• We are passionate about hiring innovative thinkers who believe in the promise of education and lifelong learning.
• We are energized by cultivating growth, innovation, and continuous transformation for the next generation of rising professionals as leaders. In support of this ETS offers multiple Business Resource Groups (BRG) for you to learn and advance your career growth!
• As a not-for-profit organization we will encourage you to lean in to your passion for volunteering. At ETS you may qualify for up to an additional 8 hours of PTO for volunteer work on causes that are important to you!
• The base salary range advertised represents the low and high end of the anticipated salary range for this position. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. The base pay is only one aspect of the Total Rewards Package that will be offered to the successful candidate.

ETS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law. We believe in creating a work environment where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.

From: ETS