Pearson is seeking an inspiring Head of Sales to lead our ANZ business. This role is ideal for a dynamic leader passionate about driving high performance and sustainable growth in a collaborative, customer-centric environment.
Key Responsibilities
Business Leadership
- Lead a national sales team to achieve profitable, sustainable growth and deliver exceptional customer satisfaction.
- Develop and execute sales strategies to acquire new customers and expand existing accounts.
- Collaborate with the Higher Education Leadership Team to shape and implement regional strategies.
- Build and nurture deep relationships with stakeholders, including C-suite executives, professional, and academic staff.
- Drive business transformation by accelerating digital growth, increasing market share, and innovating monetization efforts.
- Partner with senior stakeholders locally and internationally across marketing, product, finance, and customer support to ensure effective business leadership.
- Oversee key customer and partner relationships.
Commercial Excellence
- Ensure financial targets for revenue, gross margin, and contribution are met.
- Achieve quantitative success metrics, including take-aways, adoptions, pipeline growth, and digital sales proportion.
- Empower the sales team to negotiate effective commercial terms, fostering long-term partnerships.
- Champion sales effectiveness through skill development, CRM adoption, pipeline management, and accurate forecasting.
- Apply data-driven approaches to problem-solving, strategy planning, and reporting.
- Develop strategic plans to enhance commercial outcomes and customer experience.
- Undertake other duties and travel as required to support business and team coaching.
Team & Culture
- Build a high-performing team culture grounded in accountability and trust.
- Enhance organizational effectiveness through recruitment, onboarding, training, coaching, and timely performance feedback.
- Develop a robust talent pool for succession planning.
- Foster an international, contemporary, and customer-centric culture.
Ideal Experience
- Minimum 10 years’ sales experience in diverse consumer sectors, preferably within education or related industries.
- Proven expertise in sales strategy, leadership, and execution.
- Demonstrated success in driving new business growth, customer retention, and renewals.
- Experience working internationally or in multinational environments, managing matrix reporting and stakeholders.
- Entrepreneurial self-starter with a blend of results orientation and strategic capability.
- Strong team leadership skills, with a track record of developing and motivating large teams.
- Advanced stakeholder management skills, adept at navigating multicultural and matrix organizations.
- Empathetic and authentic team player, confident in advocating for their views.
Key Attributes
- Critical thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Creative and effective communicator with high personal integrity.
- Skilled at building partnerships and consulting across all levels, committed to equality and diversity.
- Commercially astute with a global perspective.
- Team-oriented, respectful of all cultures, and non-hierarchical.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Capable of navigating complex stakeholder environments and building internal consensus.
- Resilient under pressure, able to manage competing priorities.
- Credible and experienced, with sound judgment at senior organizational levels.
- Highly developed decision-making, persuasion, influencing, and negotiation skills.
Additional Leadership Team Requirements
- Actively contribute to the success of Higher Education Australia and the APJ Region.
- Drive a high-performance culture across sales and the broader Higher Education Australia business.
- Apply critical thinking to navigate complex challenges and uncertainty.
- Operate collaboratively, transparently, and prioritize sound business decisions over individual interests.
- Maintain a local focus with an international outlook.
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