Senior Account Executive - Core

About the Role

Join Newsela as a Senior Account Executive in California to drive the adoption of our core curriculum product, playing a pivotal role in scaling a high-impact business unit.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with key district-level decision-makers to introduce Newsela’s suite of products, focusing on core curriculum.
• Utilize solution-based selling techniques, solution mapping, and strong negotiation and closing skills to navigate school board approvals and state-level requirements.
• Create and maintain a robust pipeline, developing tailored account plans to move prospects through the K-12 sales cycle.
• Manage the entire sales lifecycle from lead generation and campaign design to pipeline creation, management, and final negotiations, partnering closely with cross-functional teams.
• Meet in-person with district and county leaders to present solutions and secure agreements for district-wide curriculum implementation.
• Inform and adjust sales strategy by monitoring California's K-12 demographics, state initiatives, funding shifts, and the overall K-12 education landscape.
• Contribute to shaping Newsela’s go-to-market approach for the core product with guidance from leadership and the Learning & Enablement team.
• Engage regularly with the executive leadership team to discuss deal strategies, industry trends, and district-specific initiatives.
• Exercise independent judgment in evaluating customer needs, structuring solutions, and influencing revenue outcomes.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience as an Account Executive, or similar quota-carrying role, in the K-12 EdTech space with a proven track record in selling core curriculum products.
• 2+ years of experience directly selling K-12 core curriculum in an adoption process in the state of California.
• Must be currently located in California and willing to travel up to 80% of the time within the territory.
• Deep understanding of K-12 buying processes and organizational structures.
• Proven ability to work autonomously, build a K-12 book of business from scratch, and proactively prospect and network.
• Fluent in English (written and verbal) required.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience selling K-12 core ELA/ELD curriculum highly preferred; experience selling other K-12 core subjects may be considered.
• Experience bringing a new program to market and/or has built out an entire state adoption campaign from the ground up.
• Familiarity with MEDDIPCC or similar forecasting frameworks.
• Proficiency in Spanish.