Account Executive, Higher Education

Department : PartnershipsReports To : Director – Business DevelopmentLocation : Remote – Chicago, IL preferredEmployment Type : Full-timeTravel : 25–35% (conferences and on-campus visits)Compensation : Base $65K–$75K, + variable ; uncapped commission with accelerators.About SkillUp OnlineSkillUp Online is on a mission to skill 10 million people in 10 years. We deliver AI-readiness and tech workforce programs in partnership with IBM, Microsoft, and Google Cloud — embedded into degree pathways, continuing education, and workforce development channels at colleges and universities across the US and globally. We sit at the intersection of higher education, employer demand, and the certifications that move careers.About the Role We are hiring a senior Account Executive to own new business across the US higher education market. You will sell SkillUp's AI-readiness curriculum and certification partnerships into continuing education divisions, workforce development units, online learning programs, and academic colleges — institutions under pressure to launch credentialed pathways quickly without the in-house build capacity to do it alone.This is a hunter role with long-cycle, multi-stakeholder deals. You will work with deans, provosts, VPs of workforce development, CIOs, and procurement — often on the same deal — and will need to navigate academic governance, RFPs, and curriculum committees while keeping deals moving.What You'll Own New logo acquisition. Net-new business across US higher education: 4-year publics and privates, community college systems, state university systems, and consortia.Full-cycle sales. Prospecting through close, including discovery, solution design with our curriculum team, proposal and RFP response, contracting, and handoff to delivery.Pipeline generation. Outbound and conference generation.Account strategy and stakeholder mapping. Across academic affairs, workforce and continuing ed, IT, finance, and procurement.Curriculum partnership structuring. Packaging SkillUp programs into the institution's existing certificate, degree, or non-credit offerings.Conference and event presence. UPCEA, WCET, EDUCAUSE, ASU+GSV, AACC, and regional state association events.CRM discipline in HubSpot. Clean pipeline, accurate forecasting, and consistent activity logging.Cross-functional collaboration. Work with curriculum, partnerships, marketing, and admissions to bring the right offer to each opportunity.What You Bring 5–8 years selling into US higher education with a track record of net-new wins at $250K+ ACVDirect experience selling to continuing education, workforce development, online learning, or academic colleges (preferred over pure SIS or LMS administrative selling)Demonstrated ability to navigate academic governance — curriculum committees, faculty senates, procurement cycles, RFPsStrong discovery and stakeholder-mapping skills in environments with five or more decision-makersComfort presenting to deans, provosts, VPs, CIOs, and CFOsHubSpot or Salesforce fluency with clean CRM habitsBachelor's degree requiredBonus Points Existing relationships in continuing ed, workforce development, or community college networksPrior work selling or partnering with Microsoft, Google Cloud, or IBM certification ecosystemsFamiliarity with workforce funding mechanisms (WIOA, employer tuition reimbursement, state workforce grants)Experience selling OPM, bootcamp, or non-credit certificate offerings into higher edActive participation in UPCEA, WCET, AACC, or similar associationsHow We'll Evaluate Fit Walk us through a complex higher ed deal you led end-to-end — stakeholders, timeline, blockers, how you closed itShow us how you'd map and prioritize 50 target institutions in a given regionDemonstrate discovery rigor in a live mock with our teamWhat We Offer Remote-first with Chicago-area preferenceMedical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k)Variable incentive plan with accelerators on overachievementLearning discounts and access to SkillUp certificationsDirect line to senior leadership and a clear path to scale into a leadership role as the team growsReal ownership of a market segment with white space and active demand