Senior Manager/Director, US Higher-Education Sales (US - Remote)

Riipen•Washington, DC

6h•$130,000 - $180,000•Remote

About The Position

The US Partnerships team leads Riipen's enterprise sales motion across higher education and workforce partners in the United States—setting the direction for named-account strategy, shaping commercial narratives, and driving transformative new logo growth. We are looking for senior sellers with a proven track record in US higher-education to join this team and help us cultivate partnerships with post-secondary institutions that deliver work-integrated learning opportunities to students at scale. Your work will ensure that post-secondary learners are equipped to enter a rapidly changing world of work that is increasingly out of reach for new graduates and emerging talent. The Senior Partnerships Manager or Director will lead enterprise sales engagements across higher education, pursuing and securing transformative, multi-year partnerships aligned to institutional priorities. As a senior individual contributor, you will own the full lifecycle of strategic pursuits: identifying opportunities, shaping value propositions, engaging executive stakeholders, and mobilizing internal teams to win high-value agreements. You will operate with authority, commercial rigor, and executive presence, contributing meaningfully to Riipen’s enterprise growth trajectory. Your primary concentration will be acquisition of higher education partnerships. The right candidate will be an expert in academic life cycles and the intricate mechanics and layers of influence in the largest institutions. They will be able to open doors and speak with authority from the Provost’s Office to Career Service. This fluency needs to reach beyond the walls of the institution. Riipen’s value is in bridging the gap between school and work and selling it requires a deep understanding of the local, state, and national ecosystems of educational institutions, employers, policy-makers, private and public funders with a shared stake in workforce development. Location: This role is fully remote and open to candidates in the US. Travel Requirement: This role will require US travel for campus visits and higher-education conferences and events (approx. 25% annually)

Requirements

Significant experience closing complex, high-value enterprise deals in EdTech, SaaS, higher education, workforce development, or adjacent public-sector markets, with a history of securing multi-year agreements;
A proven ability to engage senior decision-makers in higher-education institutions and systems—building alignment across executive sponsors, operational stakeholders, and policy influencers;
A history of building trust with senior academic leaders quickly, including comfort navigating politics, ambiguity, and competing institutional priorities;
A disciplined, insight-driven approach to discovery, capable of uncovering institutional priorities, barriers, and drivers—and converting them into clear, compelling partnership recommendations;
Fluency in structured qualification and pursuit management, using consistent frameworks to assess opportunity strength, navigate multi-threaded buying processes, and progress deals predictably;
Understanding of the dynamics that shape educational and workforce ecosystems—including funding cycles, governance structures, institutional readiness, and employer-aligned program needs;
Experience coordinating complex pursuits across cross-functional teams, ensuring the right expertise is brought in at the right stage to shape solution fit and strengthen value propositions;
A track record of performing in evolving, fast-moving environments, bringing clarity, momentum, and commercial judgment to opportunities without waiting for perfect structure;
A confident, executive communication style, able to simplify complex concepts, influence diverse stakeholders, and foster conviction in high-stakes conversations.

Responsibilities

Lead and orchestrate enterprise sales engagements, owning the pursuit from opportunity identification through discovery, solution design, negotiation, and contract finalization;
Engage senior institutional leaders —Presidents, Provosts, VPs, system leaders—to build trust, help institutions clarify priorities, and position Riipen as a long-term strategic partner;
Run world-class discovery, translating institutional priorities, constraints, and policy drivers into compelling partnership narratives and proposal structures;
Develop and execute named-account pursuit plans, collaborating with GTM Strategy & Solutions and Revenue Marketing for ABM-aligned engagement and account penetration;
Build and advance a healthy pipeline of strategic opportunities through a mix of direct engagement, ecosystem relationships, and targeted outreach;
Collaborate with internal partners—pulling in expertise at the right moments to strengthen solution fit and accelerate deal momentum;
Drive responses to complex bids and RFPs, shaping tailored, outcome-focused proposals that reflect institutional goals and measurable impact;
Apply rigorous qualification and forecast discipline, leveraging structured frameworks to ensure predictable execution;
Represent Riipen credibly at conferences, leadership forums, and other ecosystem events, elevating Riipen’s presence in the sector;
Deliver against an individual new business quota, ensuring growth is aligned to partner readiness, impact goals, and long-term success.