Director, Sales Operations

National Student Clearinghouse•Herndon, VA

2d•$155,000 - $190,000•Remote

About The Position

By joining the National Student Clearinghouse, you can be sure that the work you do now will help shape the future of education and the workforce in the U.S. As the trusted source for higher education data since 1993, the Clearinghouse is the leading provider of transcript and data exchange services, automated enrollment and degree verifications, learner insights and research, and compliance solutions for schools, businesses, and learners nationwide. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Clearinghouse works with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions to meet their compliance needs and with thousands of high schools and districts to provide continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics about their alumni. In addition, the Research Center publications inform policymakers and business leaders about student educational pathways. Using our unique combination of data, analytics, and software to drive our mission, security and privacy is paramount. Join us as we continue to invest in our talent and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data on behalf of all learners. About the Role: The Director of Sales Operations will lead strategic and operational initiatives to optimize the performance of the Sales and Business Development team. This highly influential role is responsible for measuring and driving sales effectiveness through the centralized oversight of sales operations, management of sales enablement tools, process optimization, and ensuring strong alignment between sales strategy and execution. The Director will partner closely with Sales, Business Development, Marketing, Finance, Product, Engineering, IT, Customer Service, and Executive Leadership to improve forecast accuracy, streamline sales processes, strategically leverage client relationships, and deliver actionable insights that support growth for our company as a Data as a Service provider. This includes designing and implementing an effective sales data management strategy, identifying opportunities for operational improvements, and championing a market-driven, analytics-based approach to decision-making across all areas of Sales and Business Development within both Education and Workforce Solutions as well as Business Solutions Insights. This role will lead, coach and develop revenue operations team. The ideal candidate brings a data-driven mindset, strong leadership and communication skills, and deep experience in sales operations best practices within a tech-enabled environment. This role requires the ability to translate complex data into strategic recommendations, influence cross-functional teams, and support scalable growth through operational excellence and continuous improvement. Currently, this is a remote-first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on-site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.

Requirements

Bachelors degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field; or equivalent relevant work or military experience. A combination of education and experience including military service will also be considered.
8 years of progressive, direct and relevant experience in sales operations, revenue operations, or commercial operations within a high-growth or tech-enabled organization.
3 years of direct experience performing in a management/supervisory role, managing others, exercising independent judgement, including the ability to lead, motivate, develop, and focus on team engagement.
Demonstrated leadership experience managing and influencing high-performing sales or commercial teams.
Demonstrated experience leading large-scale sales transformation or sales process redesign initiatives.
Demonstrated experience in sales data governance, including establishing data standards, ownership, and quality controls.
Proven analytical capability with hands-on experience using CRM and business intelligence tools to support decision making.
Strong cross-functional communication skills with a track record of collaborating effectively across departments and managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
Experience leveraging sales performance metrics and analytics to inform enablement strategies and drive commercial effectiveness.
Proven experience leading sales planning, forecasting, pipeline management, and operational reporting at scale.
Sales Enablement Expertise: Proven experience designing and executing sales enablement strategies that drive performance across diverse sales teams.
Strategic Thinking: Ability to align enablement initiatives with broader business goals and sales objectives.
Leadership & Team Management: Strong leadership skills with experience managing cross-functional teams and mentoring direct reports.
CRM & Sales Tools Proficiency: Deep familiarity with platforms such as Salesforce, SalesLoft, Gong, or similar tools.
Training & Development: Experience creating and delivering impactful training programs, onboarding processes, and continuous learning initiatives.
Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
Project Management: Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
Change Management: Experience leading change initiatives and driving adoption of new processes and tools.
Industry Knowledge: Understanding trends and best practices in sales enablement, particularly within the education, SaaS or DaaS sectors.
Must live within a commutable distance to Herndon, VA or in one of the Clearinghouse's approved States for hiring purposes. Refer to our HR Policies Page, located on our Careers site at https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/careers/human-resource-policies/ , for more details.
Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. We do not intend to sponsor external applicants for work visas, and may consider sponsorship only if no qualified candidates can be found who are authorized to work without sponsorship.
Must be at least 18 years old.

Nice To Haves

Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA), Analytics, or a related discipline.
Experience designing or implementing sales compensation frameworks, quota modeling, and performance measurement systems.
Proven success improving forecast accuracy and developing advanced forecasting methodologies.
Familiarity with revenue lifecycle planning, including territory design, capacity planning, and headcount modeling.
Experience developing executive-level reporting packages and presenting strategic recommendations to senior leadership
Expertise with advanced analytics techniques (e.g., cohort analysis, segmentation modeling, predictive insights) to support commercial strategy.
Experience influencing go-to-market strategy or supporting new product commercialization in partnership with Product and Marketing functions.
Experience in education technology, nonprofit, or mission-driven organizations is a plus.

Responsibilities

Demonstrate the Clearinghouse's core competencies: Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic.
Partner with the Chief Revenue Officer to develop, refine, and execute sales strategies aligned with organizational goals.
Lead quarterly and annual sales planning, including pipeline management, forecasting rigor, and performance analysis to drive informed decision making.
Set annual quotas in collaboration with Finance, Human Resources, and Legal teams on the design and administration of incentive compensation plans for all business development roles.
Oversee the development and ongoing improvement of sales training, onboarding, and enablement programs to ensure teams are equipped for success.
Ensure sales teams have access to the tools, content, and resources needed to maximize productivity and operational consistency.
Design, implement, and manage scalable sales processes and workflows that improve efficiency, accuracy, and repeatability across the sales lifecycle.
Identify and resolve bottlenecks in the sales cycle through ongoing operational reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
Manage CRM platforms along with other sales analytics and enablement technologies, ensuring strong data governance and usability.
Drive adoption, optimization, and best-practice usage of sales systems to support a data-driven, insight-focused sales organization.
Develop, maintain, and enhance dashboards, KPIs, and reporting frameworks that clearly measure performance and highlight risks or opportunities.
Provide leadership with actionable insights and strategic recommendations based on deep analysis of sales, market, and customer data.
Partner closely with Sales, Business Development, Marketing, Finance, Operations, Product, Engineering, IT, and Customer Service to ensure cross-functional alignment throughout the customer lifecycle.
Serve as the strategic liaison between sales and internal partners to support company-wide initiatives and commercial readiness efforts.
Lead efforts to improve forecast accuracy, streamline sales processes, and leverage client relationships to support revenue growth.
Design and execute a comprehensive sales data management strategy that strengthens data quality, reporting, and operational visibility.
Champion a market-driven, analytics-based approach to decision making across all areas of Sales and Business Development.
Translate complex data into clear strategic recommendations that influence leadership direction and operational priorities.
Drive scalable growth through operational excellence, process optimization, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Provide thought leadership, guidance, and partnership to executive leadership as a key driver of commercial performance.
Lead and manage a team, foster a team-based environment that aligns with company values.
Workforce Management: Demonstrate the management and/or senior leadership competencies: Management Competencies: Making Complex Decisions, Being Flexible and Adaptive, Build Collaborative Relationships, Focusing on Performance, and Optimizing Diverse Talent. Senior Leadership Competencies: Balances Stakeholders, Cultivates Innovation, Drives Vision and Purpose, Strategic Mindset, and Understanding the Business.
Build a team-based environment that aligns with company values, ways of working, and competencies.
Ensure employees comply with company policies, procedures and regulations, while meeting established goals.
Recruit and select the best talent to help optimize skills and experiences.
Motivate and manage staff to maximize productivity and efficiency.
Provide direction to team members, including feedback to support personal and career development and ongoing improvement.
Develop and manage career development and advancement and define and monitor training and development plans to support job and career satisfaction.
Coach, mentor, and ensure staff are adequately trained and provide guidance, as needed.
Monitor and provide feedback on performance including annual reviews, rewards, and compensation structure.
Reward employees using formal and informal methods.
Position may be required to perform other duties as required. These essential functions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Benefits

The National Student Clearinghouse provides a robust benefit program designed to help meet the needs of each employee and their family, both now and in the future.
We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life and disability insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents.
Health care, dependent care, and limited purpose flexible spending accounts, as well as a health savings account with annual employer contributions of $300 for employees and $600 for employees who are enrolled with their spouse and/or dependents, voluntary supplemental health plans for Accident and Hospital Indemnity coverage, and infertility coverage are options available for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses.
We offer a very generous 401k matching contribution program with the opportunity to defer pre-tax and Roth contributions, as well as catch-up contributions for those who are eligible!
We are proud to offer a competitive paid leave program consisting of vacation, sick, and personal time, as well as paid holidays, up to 3 weeks of paid parental leave during a 12-month period , and up to 5 days of paid military leave per calendar year .
Vacation time will accrue based on length of service, and new full-time hires can accrue up to 13 days of vacation and up to 10 days of sick time per year.
On an annual basis, new employees may use up to 32 hours of accrued sick time as personal time.
Additionally, the Clearinghouse observes at least 15 paid holidays per year, including company year-end close between Christmas and New Years Holidays.
Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA) and to request a buy back on portions of unused accrued vacation based on tenure and certain other qualifications.
Employees can further their education and professional development by using our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program, and leveraging the enterprise-wide LinkedIn Learning subscription.
There are additional employee benefits too, including but not limited to, mental health with up to eight free therapy sessions for employees and their family members and well-being reward benefits.
With the Clearinghouse being an eligible 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization, employees are eligible for service credit towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF).
To find out more, please request a copy of our Benefits at a Glance!
Additionally, we reasonably believe that the salary range for this position is between $155,000 - $190,000. Bonus eligible.