About Niche

Niche is the leader in school search. Our mission is to make researching and enrolling in schools easy, transparent, and free. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search tools, we help millions of people find the right school for them. We also help thousands of schools recruit more best-fit students, by highlighting what makes them great and making it easier to visit and apply.

Niche is all about finding where you belong, and that mission inspires how we operate every day. We want Niche to be a place where people truly enjoy working and can thrive professionally.

We are looking for enthusiastic and driven Account Managers, committed to providing exceptional customer support to join our Sales organization. The Account Manager will be responsible for driving client retention and growing the revenue footprint within a portfolio of Higher Education customers. This position requires a unique and talented individual that excels in multiple business disciplines. You will divide your time between developing relationships, clearly communicating our impact and value to the clients on a monthly and quarterly basis and identifying upsell opportunities within those key customer accounts. This position will work closely with the Client Success and Account Executive teams to ensure our customers are well-supported.  This is primarily an inside sales position, selling via phone and email. However, some travel to client campus locations may be necessary. 

Overview:

We are seeking a highly motivated and organized individual to join our sales team as a Strategic Sales Consultant. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and executing sales strategies to drive revenue growth through expanding and renewing our partnerships with higher education institutions. You will also be supporting a team of partnership managers in cultivating relationships and identifying expansion opportunities. With a focus on active listening, you will be able to help solve problems and identify the needs of our current partners.

Key Responsibilities:

• Analyze trends and insights to identify upselling opportunities. 
• Develop and maintain relationships with key decision-makers within targeted higher education institutions
• Collaborate with internal teams to understand and clearly articulate the value proposition of our partnerships to current partners
• Deliver compelling sales presentations and proposals to current partners, utilizing active listening to identify needs and solve problems
• Close expansion, Direct Admissions and renewal deals by coordinating requirements, developing proposals, and negotiating contract terms
• Support both the team of Partnership Managers and Enrollment Success Managers in cultivating relationships and identifying expansion opportunities
• Continuously research and stay up to date on industry trends and competitors to inform sales strategy
• Analyze and present Enrollment Funnel Analysis to partners to drive expansion and to recommend adding on new/additional products

During the 1st Month:

• Begin to understand Niche’s products, services, and value proposition
• Begin to establish relationships with key internal stakeholders
• Receive training on CRM and other sales tools

Within 3 Months:

• Begin to participate in strategy development and sales planning
• Begin working with Partnership Managers on sales calls.   
• Begin to identify and pursue upsell opportunities.

Within 6 Months:

• Identify and capitalize on expansion opportunities.
• Begin to sell Niche Direct Admissions to current partners.
• Analyze data to support enrollment funnel analysis calls and improve partnership outcomes.

Within 12 Months:

• Surpass sales targets by leveraging Niche Direct Admissions, Remarketing, and maximizing partnership renewal opportunities.
• Develop and execute data-driven sales strategies to effectively target and engage higher education institutions, aligning with Niche’s mission.
• Effectively solve problems for our partners by suggesting Niche products to save them time, effort, and money.  

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field
• 3+ years of experience in sales, preferably in the higher education industry
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to analyze data and identify key trends and insights
• Proficiency in Google Suite and CRM systems like Salesforce
• Experience with educational admissions or HE sales is a plus
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and staying updated on industry trends.

Ideal Candidate:

• Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM system
• Track record of cultivating Enterprise-level partnerships
• Educational Admission and or HE Sales experience is a plus
• Working knowledge of Slate, Gong, Salesforce/Target X, and/or Ellucian Recruit 
• Familiarity with crafting narratives based on raw data

Compensation 

Our national target base salary range is $90,000, plus participation in our Annual Bonus and Stock Option Program. Base compensation will be commensurate with experience and skills. The OTE (On Target Earnings) for this role will be $195,000.

At Niche, our Total Rewards Philosophy is centered around creating a workplace environment that attracts, motivates, and retains top talent by providing a comprehensive and competitive rewards package.  This philosophy is built on the principles of performance-based compensation, best-in-class benefits and work-life balance, and employee well-being.

Why Niche?

• We are a fully flexible workforce empowering our employees to choose to work remotely, in our Pittsburgh office or whatever combination suits you
• Full time, salaried position with competitive compensation in a fast-growing company
• Best-in-class 100% paid employee health plan, including vision and dental and supplemental coverage
• Flexible Paid Time Off Policy
• Stipend that allows you to build your work from home office in a style and function that suits your personal preferences
• Ability to join our diversity committee (Niche Diversity Initiative) to shape company-wide programs and events
• Parental leave for all employees (12 weeks fully paid) in addition to short term disability for birthing parents
• Meaningful Stock options and 401(k) with employer match
• Your ideas and work will make an immediate impact on our company and millions of users
• You will join a team that cares about you, our mission, our work - and celebrates our wins together!

Niche will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future for this opening.  

We are currently hiring in states where we currently have employees: AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, DC, WV.

Candidates only.  No recruiters or agencies, please. Sorry, we do not offer relocation assistance.

Niche is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. Therefore, we provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

All interviews are being held remotely. If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.