Segment Director, Education

Tarkett•Atlanta, GA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Overall Purpose of the Role To serve as the company’s foremost expert and growth driver for the K–12, Higher Education and Government market segments. This person owns the end-to-end strategy for how the company wins in education and government — from understanding how schools, universities and governments specify, fund, and purchase flooring; to shaping the product portfolio, segment/industry relationships, and go-to-market/selling approaches that drive segment revenue, profit and market share growth.

Requirements

10+ years in commercial flooring in a senior sales, segment, or business development role with demonstrable education and/or government segment experience.
Existing relationships within the industry segments.
Adjacent building products category experience (ceiling systems, furniture, lighting, etc.) where they led an education/government segment.
Understanding of the education and government buying cycle deeply and can transfer that expertise to flooring.
Broad expertise as an end user (facilities leadership, university projects, etc.), understanding the needs and buying cycles of new and renovation driven projects.
Strong background in designing and specifying education/government projects with experience in end-to-end project management.
10+ years total, with at least 5 years in a role with direct education and/or government segment responsibility.
Deep familiarity with public education/government procurement — cooperative purchasing vehicles, state bid schedules, and bond-funded capital projects.
Understanding of the specification process and the role of architects, interior designers, and owners’ representatives in project delivery.
Familiarity with relevant certifications and standards — FloorScore, EPD, HPD, C2C, etc.
Strategic Thinking: Can synthesize market data, competitive intelligence, and customer insight into a clear, actionable segment strategy. Thinks in multi-year horizons while staying grounded in near-term execution. Comfortable making resource allocation recommendations and defending them to senior leadership.
Commercial Acumen: Understands margin dynamics in a specification-driven, project-based business. Can build a business case, model a market opportunity, and translate it into a growth plan. Experienced working with and through a dealer/distributor channel and selling direct.
Relationship Building & Influence: Builds trust-based relationships with architects, specifiers, facilities directors, and purchasing agents. Can influence without authority — this role succeeds by rallying internal sales, marketing, and product teams around a segment agenda they don’t directly control. Comfortable presenting to C-suite internally and to senior customer stakeholders externally.
Communication & Thought Leadership: Strong presenter — equally effective at a national sales meeting, an education/government conference session, or a one-on-one with a facilities director. Can develop and deliver CEU content credibly. Writes and speaks with authority on education/government environment design, wellness, and performance.
Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Business, Marketing, Architecture, Interior Design, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree (MBA or relevant discipline) a plus, but not required if experience is strong

Responsibilities

Segment Insights & Strategy Development: Develop and maintain a comprehensive view of the education and government market — enrollment trends, facility construction and renovation cycles, funding mechanisms (state/local/federal bonds/funding), and competitive landscape. Define the company’s positioning and value proposition specifically for facilities teams and the design/specification community serving them. Define the company’s “where to play” and “how to win” strategy and execution plan. Set short and long-term segment revenue targets and growth roadmaps.
Go-to-Market Leadership: Develop the sales playbook (“How to sell”) — how to navigate the buying process across facilities directors, purchasing departments, architects/specifiers, and cooperative purchasing vehicles. Partner with national and regional sales teams to build segment expertise and pipeline. Identify and develop strategic relationships with key education-focused architecture and design firms.
Product & Portfolio: Work with product development and marketing to ensure the portfolio meets segment specific needs — durability, acoustics, indoor air quality, budget tiers, and relevant sustainability certifications. Champion education/government-relevant innovation performance properties, ease of maintenance, moisture protection, wear, etc. Provide voice-of-customer input from the segment back into the product roadmap.
Industry Leadership: Engage with relevant industry associations (A4LE, APPA, etc) to build brand presence and credibility. Partner with marketing to develop segment-specific content, case studies, sales collateral, CEU courses for architects and specifiers, and trade show presence. Position the company as a trusted advisor on flooring in learning environments — acoustics, design, safety, and wellness. Represent the company at key education/government industry events and forums.
Financial Performance & Reporting: Steward the P&L for the education/government segments. Track leading and lagging indicators. Report segment performance to senior leadership and adjust strategy accordingly.