Sales Account Executive, Custom

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 Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin. Candidates located within Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Kansas City, or Milwaukee are 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.

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 - $90,000/ 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 Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin. Candidates located within Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Kansas City, or Milwaukee are preferred.

Benefits

Regular full-time and qualifying part-time employees and their dependents are eligible for Macmillan benefits, effective on the employee’s date of hire. Macmillan also offers health benefits coverage to qualifying same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners (may require additional documentation) of active employees.

• Company Car Allowance
• Competitive pay and bonus plan
• Generous Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Contributions to your 401k retirement account through Fidelity
• Generous paid time off, sick time, floating holidays, and paid holidays (Spring Reset Day , Juneteenth, Indigenous People's Day, Election Day, and more!)
• Employee Assistance Program, Education Assistance Program
• 100% employer-paid life and AD&D insurance
• And much more!

Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or see us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community. Macmillan Learning is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a family-owned global media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

At Macmillan Learning, we believe diverse perspectives and backgrounds enrich our mission to improve lives through learning. We actively seek candidates who reflect a wide range of identities, experiences, and communities. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, physical ability, neurodiversity, genetic information, protected veteran status, family and economic status and background, geographical status and background, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. You can read more about our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion initiatives here.

The successful candidate for this position will be an employee of Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC d/b/a Macmillan Learning. Bedford Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC has developed an equal opportunity compliance program in compliance with the NY Department of Education’s guidance. Portions of the equal opportunity compliance program are available for review by applicants and employees by contacting Human Resources at Macmillan Learning.