Account Executive: Higher Education Partnerships

About the Company

An AI-native platform expanding access to college counseling — guidance historically reserved for families who could afford it. Roughly 74% of students never receive professional counseling support, and the company is changing that. For students, it's a free AI college counselor for admissions, scholarships, and opportunities; for colleges and universities, it's a modern student recruitment and enrollment platform with reach into an engaged, high-intent audience. Traction includes 250K+ students across 190 countries, 25 institutional partners and growing, strong net revenue retention with zero logo churn, and a very low blended CAC. Venture-backed and selected for a leading AI lab's startup program.

Founded 2023 · 1–10 people · Industry: Education / EdTech / AI

The Role

Own new business acquisition across higher education, replacing the founding AE (transitioning to a Head of Partnerships role). This is a full-cycle sales role — sourcing, discovery, demo, negotiation, and close — as one of the first dedicated closers on the team, with real influence on go-to-market strategy. Two SDRs generate outbound and inbound leads; you run a first demo call and a second call focused on proposal and contract signing. The average sales cycle is under two weeks. Average contract value runs $20–25K, with recent deals reaching $36–50K.

What you'll be doing

• Own the full sales cycle for new institutional business, from first demo through proposal and signed contract
• Build and manage a pipeline of colleges and universities, targeting admissions, enrollment, and recruitment decision-makers
• Run consultative discovery that connects each institution's enrollment goals directly to the product's value
• Negotiate pricing and partnership terms, closing deals that set partners up for strong retention
• Represent the company at conferences and events (~25% travel)

Requirements

• Higher ed admissions/enrollment experience required
• Proven AE (not SDR) experience, ideally at a seed-stage startup with results
• NYC hybrid, 3 days in-office (Times Square)

Green Flags

• Direct admissions or enrollment experience at a college or university, ideally in a leadership capacity
• AE experience at a seed to Series A startup with a specific, quantifiable result (for example, grew ARR by a defined amount over a defined period)
• Genuine existing relationships across the admissions and enrollment world, since the space is small and tightly networked
• Builder's mindset: thrives in an early-stage, fast-moving environment without needing to be told what to do
• Track record of consistently hitting or exceeding quota

Red Flags

• No direct admissions or enrollment experience (teaching, research, or other higher-ed-adjacent roles do not count)
• SDR-only background without demonstrated AE-level closing experience
• Cannot point to a specific, quantifiable sales result from a prior role
• Needs to be told what to do rather than driving the process independently
• Comes from a purely follower-style sales role rather than one requiring leadership and ownership of the sales motion

Why Join

• One of the first dedicated closers on the team, with real influence over go-to-market strategy
• Fast, relationship-driven sales motion — SDR-fed pipeline, sub-two-week cycles
• Strong, mission-driven traction: 250K+ students across 190 countries, zero logo churn
• $180K OTE (50/50), uncapped commission, competitive early-stage equity, platinum health (100% coverage, no deductible), 401(k), full visa sponsorship

Details

• Location: New York City, NY (Times Square)
• Work policy: Hybrid — 3 days in-office, 2 remote
• Compensation: $90,000 base + $90,000 variable ($180K OTE) + equity
• Visa sponsorship: Available — H-1B, O-1, OPT
• Employment type: Full-time