Education Territory Manager – North Central

Pioneer Square Brands•Chicago, IL

2d•Remote

About The Position

The Education Territory Manager is responsible for executing sales strategies, driving revenue growth and profitability for Gumdrop and Brenthaven in the education market, as well as leading a small inside sales team. This role requires building and executing a territory plan targeting school districts, education service districts (ESDs), resellers, and state-level buying groups. The manager will develop a healthy pipeline through outbound prospecting, responding to inbound leads, and coordinating with channel partners. Key activities include identifying refresh cycles, funding windows, and device adoption trends to prioritize accounts, and mapping out strategic approaches for key districts. The role involves leading district-facing sales efforts such as discovery calls, needs assessments, product demos, pricing discussions, and proposal delivery. Building strong relationships with District Tech Directors, CIOs, IT staff, curriculum leads, and procurement teams is crucial. The manager will also provide consultative guidance on protective cases, accessories, deployment planning, warranties, and lifecycle management. Collaboration with reseller partners to drive joint pipeline creation and close deals, including conducting partner trainings, supporting deal registrations, aligning on pricing strategy, and sharing competitive intelligence, is essential. Ensuring partners have accurate product data, samples, inventory forecasts, and promotional materials is also part of the role. The Education Territory Manager will own the full sales cycle from lead creation through close, preparing quotes, proposals, and RFP responses with accuracy and urgency. Maintaining weekly forecast accuracy and ensuring CRM data is clean, current, and complete is required. Coordination with operations on pricing, inventory, shipping timelines, and deployment requirements is necessary. Building trusted, long-lasting relationships with district leaders, reseller reps, state education groups, and key influencers is a key aspect, as is attending regional conferences, technology fairs, ESD events, and district summits to grow brand presence and generate opportunities. The role serves as the face of the company across the territory, requiring approachability, reliability, responsiveness, and a customer-obsessed attitude. Tracking competitor products, pricing changes, and channel programs, and identifying new device trends to inform product planning are also responsibilities. Feedback from the field must be reported to Product, Marketing, and Leadership to guide roadmap and demand forecasting. Partnering with Product, Marketing, and Operations to improve samples, messaging, demand planning, and customer experience, and working with the Sales Enablement person to drive cohesive campaigns, outbound sequences, and district touch points are important. Providing input to Marketing for district success stories, case studies, and content is expected. Ensuring schools have exceptional service during and after the sale, including tracking, deployment assistance, issue escalation, and warranty understanding, is vital. Proactively checking in with districts post-deployment to secure renewals, refresh opportunities, and long-term loyalty is also required. The role demands consistently hitting or exceeding quarterly and annual revenue goals for EDU, achieving KPIs such as pipeline creation, deal velocity, win rate, partner engagement, and forecast accuracy, and maintaining strong discipline around time management, territory planning, weekly activity levels, and follow-through. Additional responsibilities include assisting with special projects and supporting cross-functional teams on ad hoc assignments.

Requirements

5-10 years’ experience leading a remote inside sales team, with a strong track record of achieving and exceeding targets
At least 5 years of experience selling successfully into the education market, with deep understanding of its unique customer dynamics in K12 Hardware Technology Resellers and Distributors
Comfortability and confidence presenting to executive leaders and influencing strategic business decisions
Excellent communication and presentation skills, capable of inspiring and connecting with diverse audiences
Highly organized, skilled in territory mapping, pipeline reviews, and performance management discussions
Strong data literacy, with experience analyzing reports
Adept in different sales strategies and methodologies
Familiar with Salesforce or similar CRM tools to track sales progress and streamline processes.
Energetic road warrior, highly motivated to drive results in diverse markets
Willingness and ability to travel up to 60% to engage with customers, partners, and team members in person
A collaborative, results-driven mindset with a proven ability to meet and exceed revenue goals
Demonstrated success in sales leadership, driving team performance and business growth
Proactive execution of company priorities with strong ownership and accountability
The ability to build and nurture relationships across teams, customers, and partners, both internally and externally
Exceptional planning, analytical, and reporting skills, with a knack for turning data into actionable insights
A keen eye for detail and outstanding organizational skills that ensure accuracy and consistency in every task

Nice To Haves

Consistently meets quarterly and annual goals
Grows year-over-year revenue across assigned states
Expands footprint within top target districts
Strong CRM accuracy and predictable forecasting
Positive customer and partner feedback

Responsibilities

Build and execute a territory plan that targets school districts, education service districts (ESDs), resellers, and state-level buying groups
Develop a healthy pipeline by driving outbound prospecting, responding quickly to inbound leads, and coordinating with channel partners
Identify refresh cycles, funding windows, and device adoption trends (Chromebooks, iPads, Windows devices) to prioritize high-propensity accounts
Map out the triangle offense for each of these strategic SDs
Lead all district-facing sales efforts: discovery calls, needs assessments, product demos, pricing discussions, and proposal delivery
Build strong relationships with District Tech Directors, CIOs, IT staff, curriculum leads, and procurement teams
Provide consultative guidance on protective cases, accessories, deployment planning, warranties, and lifecycle management
Work collaboratively with reseller partners to drive joint pipeline creation and close deals
Conduct partner trainings, support deal registrations, align on pricing strategy, and share competitive intel
Ensure partners have accurate product data, samples, inventory forecasts, and promotional materials
Own the full sales cycle from lead creation through close
Prepare quotes, proposals, and RFP responses with accuracy and urgency
Maintain weekly forecast accuracy and always keep CRM data clean, current, and complete
Coordinate with operations on pricing, inventory, shipping timelines, and deployment requirements
Build trusted, long-lasting relationships with district leaders, reseller reps, state education groups, and key influencers
Attend regional conferences, technology fairs, ESD events, and district summits to grow brand presence and generate opportunities
Serve as the face of the company across the territory—approachable, reliable, responsive, and customer-obsessed
Track competitor products, pricing changes, and channel programs
Identify new device trends (touchscreen adoption, iPad rollouts, rugged case requirements) to inform product planning
Report feedback from the field to Product, Marketing, and Leadership to guide roadmap and demand forecasting
Partner with Product, Marketing, and Operations to improve samples, messaging, demand planning, and customer experience
Work alongside with the Sales Enablement person to drive cohesive campaigns, outbound sequences, and district touch points
Provide input to Marketing for district success stories, case studies, and content that will help accelerate future wins
Ensure schools have exceptional service during and after the sale: tracking, deployment assistance, issue escalation, warranty understanding
Proactively check in with districts post-deployment to secure renewals, refresh opportunities, and long-term loyalty
Represent the company’s values every step of the way
Consistently hit or exceed quarterly and annual revenue goals for EDU
Achieve KPIs: pipeline creation, deal velocity, win rate, partner engagement, and forecast accuracy
Maintain strong discipline around time management, territory planning, weekly activity levels, and follow-through
Assist with special projects as needed
Support cross-functional teams on ad hoc assignments