{"id":3317971,"url":"https://alion.io/job/rice-university-sales-development-representative","title":"Sales Development Representative","company":{"id":180893,"name":"Rice University","domain":"rice.edu","url":"https://alion.io/company/rice-2","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Oracle","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":80,"open_postings":5,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":3,"computed_at":"2026-10-29T05:49:05Z"}},"role":"Sales","role_family":"Sales","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"posting_text","remote_working_hours":{"label":"CT","utc_offset_min":-6,"utc_offset_max":-6},"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Houston, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":["US"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":{"min":50000,"max":57000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":57000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Salesforce","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T18:39:55Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-26","last_verified_at":"2026-10-29T11:48:17Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":3,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":3},"description":"The Sales Development Representative within OpenStax at Rice University is the first point of contact for instructors, teachers, and institutions interested in OpenStax. As part of the OpenStax Sales team, this role owns lead management and qualification, including verifying and screening leads from every source, understanding each instructor’s needs, and handing qualified opportunities to Educational Resources Consultants. The Sales Development Representative also offers demos to individual instructors interested in OpenStax Assignable and maintains accurate Salesforce records. This work ensures that every interested instructor receives a fast, helpful response, helping more learners access high-quality, affordable educational resources.\nSpecial Instructions to Applicants:\nAll interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.\nAbout OpenStax:\nOpenStax (an initiative of Rice University) is the world’s largest nonprofit publisher of open educational resources (OER) and a provider of interactive, research-informed learning technologies for high school and college students. We are also the lead organization for the nation’s seminal education research infrastructure, SafeInsights.\nOur mission is to make an amazing education accessible to all. We do this by offering free access to high-quality digital resources that support the teaching and learning journey. Since 2012, OpenStax has published free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks that have been used by more than 43 million learners across 169 countries, saving students more than $3 billion in educational costs. Today, our library includes more than 80 titles used at 72% of U.S. colleges and universities, and we are expanding our impact through digital courseware, institutional partnerships, and K-12 education.\nOpenStax is entering a new phase of growth as we evolve from a widely trusted open educational resource provider into a broader learning platform that supports both teaching and student success at scale. We are mission-driven, collaborative, and deeply committed to making high-quality education accessible to all learners.\nIdeal Candidate Statement:\nYou are curious, organized, and warm in conversation, and you care about making education more affordable and accessible. You enjoy talking with instructors and teachers, listening to their needs, and matching them with the right resources. You are comfortable managing a steady flow of leads, prioritizing tasks quickly, and following a clear process while still giving each person a personalized response. You write clearly, learn new tools and products easily, and work well with teammates in Sales, Marketing, Customer Experience, and Data Intelligence. You are looking for a role where you can build skills in consultative selling and grow with a mission-driven team.\nWorkplace Requirements:\nThis is a desk-based, computer-intensive role performed in a remote home-office environment. Reliable high-speed internet access and a suitable, distraction-free workspace are required. The role involves frequent phone and video calls with instructors during regular business hours. Occasional travel may be required to support conferences, webinars, and other outreach events.\nPhysical and environmental requirements for this classification:\nMovement: Walk - Occasionally (\n\nMobility: Sitting, Standing - As Required; Repetitive Hand/Wrist/Finger Movement - Frequently\n\nWeight: 0-20 lbs.\n\nSensory: Vision, Depth Perception, Hearing, Touch, Dexterity, Speech\n\nEnvironment: Office/Indoor\n\nComputer/Visual: Close visual acuity required for viewing computer monitors, reading documents, analyzing information, and performing computer-based work.\n\nRice provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities so that they can perform the essential functions of this role.\nWorkplace Location:\nThis position is fully remote, allowing all work to be performed from any location within the United States. Working hours will remain on Central Time. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.\nThis position is not classified as Essential.\nHiring Range: Proposed annual hiring range: $50,000-$57,000.\n*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.\nMinimum Requirements:\nBachelor's degree\nIn lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience above and beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.\n\nOne or more (1+) years of experience in sales, sales development, customer service, or a related customer-facing role.\n\nSkills:\nProficiency in sales, with the ability to learn and refine skills over time.\n\nAbility to act independently in creating and executing sales plans and managing customer service issues.\n\nStrong verbal and written communication skills, including a friendly and professional manner when communicating with customers in person or over the phone.\n\nStrong customer service and relationship-management skills, with the ability to build relationships with clients who may remain customers for multiple years.\n\nAbility to maintain the confidentiality of client data.\n\nStrong work ethic and self-motivation.\n\nAbility to manage a steady volume of leads, prioritize effectively, and follow a defined process with strong attention to detail.\n\nComfort learning new software tools and products, including CRM systems.\n\nPreferences:\nExperience in an inside sales, sales development, customer support, or similar customer-facing role.\n\nExperience with Salesforce, Pardot, or another CRM and marketing automation platform.\n\nExperience in education, educational technology, or publishing, including familiarity with how K-12 schools or colleges select instructional materials.\n\nFamiliarity with open educational resources.\n\nExperience delivering product demonstrations via video conference.\n\nEssential Functions:\nBuilds and maintains relationships with new and existing clients, including instructors, teachers, and institutions interested in OpenStax.\n\nConducts sales calls and meetings, including virtual meetings via phone and video conferencing.\n\nAssesses customer needs by verifying and qualifying leads from all sources against a defined qualification checklist.\n\nRecommends appropriate products and services, matching each instructor with the OpenStax resources that best fit their course.\n\nEducates prospective and current clients on the benefits of products and services, including providing demonstrations to individual instructors interested in OpenStax Assignable.\n\nResponds promptly to new leads in accordance with the team’s response-time targets.\n\nTransfers qualified opportunities to the appropriate Educational Resources Consultant with clear documentation and returns leads that are not yet ready to Marketing for further nurturing.\n\nMaintains accurate lead and contact records, statuses, and handoffs in Salesforce.\n\nWorks with Customer Experience to verify instructor status and route questions to the appropriate team.\n\nCollaborates with Sales, Marketing, and Data Intelligence to improve lead routing, scoring, and qualification criteria, and identifies patterns in incoming leads.\n\nPerforms all other duties as assigned.\n\nAdditional Functions:\nHelps document and refine the lead qualification checklist and related standard operating procedures.\n\nReports on lead volume, response times, and handoff quality.\n\nParticipates in team meetings and training related to OpenStax educational materials and products.\n\nSupports webinars, conferences, and other outreach events as needed.\n\nRice University HR | Benefits:https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits\nRice Mission and Values:Mission and Values | Rice University\nRice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at  for support.\nIf you have any additional questions, please email us at . 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