Sales Account Executive, Custom

Company Description

Job Description

At Macmillan Learning, we're committed to driving innovation that transforms education. We seek team members who thrive on pushing boundaries, envisioning future possibilities, and building solutions that make a lasting impact. Whether you're a Pioneer shaping bold new ideas, a Builder turning possibilities into reality, or a Stabilizer optimizing for success, you'll play a vital role in advancing our mission. If you're excited by the prospect of testing new technologies, implementing transformative strategies, and thriving in a fast-paced, innovative environment, we’d love to hear from you!  

This position will be responsible for acquiring, negotiating and selling custom published adoptions and original authored custom works from Macmillan Learning Curriculum Solutions. The representative will work with Macmillan Learning sales reps and Specialists across 2- and 4-year colleges and universities, as well as career colleges, to sell and close custom business through personal on-campus sales calls, virtual meetings, in-person conferences, and phone and email interactions with prospective customers. The position requires significant travel within its geographic region. The nature of our custom publishing business presents a unique selling challenge. This position requires a sales professional that can conduct a thorough needs analysis and development of custom solutions that meet customer needs in a way that is consistent with Macmillan Learning values and business aims. This territory covers Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Candidates within Denver, CO; Salt Lake City, UT; and Seattle, WA preferred.

We know that talented candidates sometimes hesitate to apply when they don't meet every single qualification listed. We encourage you to apply if you're excited about this role and believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team, even if your background doesn't align perfectly with every requirement. We're looking for people who are passionate about our mission and can bring valuable perspectives to our work. Different experiences, skills, and approaches all have the potential to strengthen what we do. If this opportunity interests you, we'd love to hear how your unique background and abilities could contribute to our team's success. We're committed to building a workplace where everyone can do their best work and where diverse viewpoints are valued. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply - we're excited to learn about the different ways you might add value to our organization.     

Major responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Sales Activity

• Develop and execute selling techniques that effectively promote Macmillan Learning Custom Solutions by delivering sales presentations, campus visits, attending conferences and executing high impact events.
• Network with decision makers at key accounts, including Instructors, Lab Coordinators, Chairs, Deans, Procurement, Instructional Designers, Directors of Academic Programs and Digital Technology Executives.
• Bring advanced knowledge and strategic insight to help win complex, high-value adoptions.
• Create appropriate sales materials as needed, including, follow-up messages, proposals, mock-ups, and samples.
• Work collaboratively with internal partners and coordinate resources for sales and support activities.
• Coordinate handoff of newly signed customers to Project Editors.
• Facilitate completion of RFIs and RFPs.
• Meet annual sales goals.

Reporting and Financial Analysis

• Update and maintain sales data and activity in CRM system.
• Create, analyze and customize profitable pricing solutions for custom products.
• Maintain and refine sales forecasting to provide real-time visibility into sales performance and projected KPIs.

Feedback and Market Intelligence

• Maintain and develop competitive knowledge and market awareness.
• Identify market opportunities and risks by conducting deep-dive strategic analysis on CRM data and customer behavior.
• Contribute to product development across the Macmillan Learning Custom Solutions group.

Job Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree.
• Minimum 3 years of Higher Education Publishing experience.
• Ability to work well both independently and collaboratively with sales management, sales representatives, editors and marketing managers.
• Proven track record of initiating and championing strategic shifts in sales planning or customer outreach models, resulting in measurable improvements in performance or customer experience.
• Demonstrated ability to take strategic risks and drive innovative sales approaches.
• Experience strategizing on complex sales opportunities.
• Passion for emerging educational technologies and digital learning tools.
• Comfortable adapting to market changes; maintaining focus on long-term strategic outcomes.
• Presentation Skills.
• Technical Proficiency.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Higher education custom publishing experience.
• Demonstrated success launching or scaling new custom publishing projects, digital-first offerings, or hybrid solutions in competitive institutional environments.
• Demonstrated experience leveraging generative AI tools to draft customized proposals, RFP responses, pricing rationales, and follow-up communications more efficiently and strategically.
• Strong working knowledge of digital courseware platforms, LMS integrations, inclusive access models, and AI-enhanced learning tools.

Salary Range: $80,000 - $95,000/ year. 

Exemption Status: Exempt   

Physical Requirements:   

Requires periods of close concentration; must be able to multi-task; must be able to travel occasionally; work overtime - more than 40 hours a week – regularly, as needed 

This territory covers Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Candidates within Denver, CO; Salt Lake City, UT; and Seattle, WA preferred.