Senior Director, Partner Development (Agency/DBAM)

At EAB , our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards .

For more information, visit our Careers page.

The Role in Brief:

Senior Director, Partner Development (Agency/DBAM)

The Senior Director will serve in a player/coach role within Partner Development, responsible for leading a small team of Partner Development Executives against new business revenue goals for EAB’s Digital Agency (Edu Optimization), Digital Brand Awareness Marketing , and Chat Agent solutions.

Following an onboarding period, the Senior Director will assume responsibility for achieving both personal and team-based revenue targets . They will drive new business development through personal prospecting and leadership of their team, leveraging their deep understanding of digital marketing and enrollment challenges facing higher education institutions.

This position may be based in Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; or remotely within the continental United States. Remote candidates with willingness to travel are welcomed and encouraged to apply.

Primary Responsibilities:

Team Management

• Product Revenue Management: Own new business development for EAB’s Digital Agency, Digital Brand Awareness Marketing, and Chat Agent products. Oversee team progress toward annual revenue goals.
• Personal Revenue Impact: Maintain personal ownership of a prospect territory and directly drive new partner acquisition and expansion. Demonstrate strong individual sales performance to establish credibility and model excellence for the team.
• People and Team Leadership: Build and manage a highly motivated Partner Development team. Recruit, coach, and retain high-performing sales talent. Provide regular feedback, support professional development, and lead by example in consultative selling.
• Strategic Sales Process Management: Define, implement, and refine a best-in-class sales process – covering territory planning, prospect engagement, proposal development, and close. Actively support team members through pipeline reviews and in-person or virtual sales meetings.
• Marketing and Revenue Strategy: Collaborate with product marketing and delivery teams to strengthen go-to-market strategies, refine messaging, and coordinate conference and campaign efforts to maximize reach and revenue.
• Revenue Reporting and Forecasting: Report regularly on projected and realized revenue. Partner with senior leadership to identify opportunities for growth and continuous improvement.

Individual Territory Ownership

• Prospect and build new business within an assigned territory of higher education institutions.
• Lead consultative sales conversations that align institutional challenges with EAB’s digital enrollment solutions, including:
• .edu Optimization (Digital Agency): Transform institutional websites into enrollment engines through SEO, UX, and content strategy.
• Digital Brand Awareness Marketing: Strengthen brand visibility and student demand through omnichannel digital marketing (paid search, paid social, CCT, etc) and AI-driven performance campaigns.
• Chat Agent and AI capabilities: Demonstrate the power of 24/7 AI-enabled engagement to convert prospects and reduce staff workload.
• Conduct live presentations, product demonstrations, and discovery consultations to diagnose needs and recommend solutions.
• Manage a personal sales pipeline to achieve annual revenue goals.
• Partner cross-functionally with other sales, marketing, and delivery teams to drive partner success and retention.
• Stay informed on competitor activity and emerging digital marketing trends in higher education.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college/university
• 8+ years of relevant full-time professional experience
• Proven track record of success exceeding personal revenue targets in business development roles
• Experience representing complex products or services to external partners in a trusted, consultative capacity
• Ability to negotiate and excellent persuasion skills
• Willingness to travel domestically at least 25-50%
• Valid driver’s license
• Professional experience in at least three of the following:
• Higher education sector
• Delivering client presentations and facilitating discussions
• Sales or Account Management
• Teaching and/or breaking down complex or abstract ideas into simpler concepts
• Partner management

Ideal Qualifications:

• 10+ years of relevant full-time professional experience
• Demonstrated success in consultative sales within digital marketing (at an agency or elsewhere), enrollment (customer or client acquisition), or technology solutions, preferably in higher education.
• Deep understanding of digital marketing concepts (SEO/UX optimization, AI-driven campaigns, omnichannel strategy) and ability to communicate value to CMOs, enrollment leaders, and marketing strategists
• Demonstrated excellence in diagnosing partner challenges and mapping tailored solutions across multiple product areas
• Proven success managing or coaching sales talent; ability to provide constructive feedback and motivate performance
• Exceptional executive presence, communication, and problem-solving skills with creativity, resilience, and adaptability in dynamic environments
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with experience managing multiple competing priorities
• Familiarity with formal and informal RFP processes and comfort selling both current and evolving product value propositions
• Commitment to embracing a continual learning environment and contributing to a dynamic and welcoming culture of fairness, authenticity, and belonging in support of EAB’s mission, values, and aspiration

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome new perspectives and learn from each other’s unique experiences. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Compensation:

The compensation package for this role includes a starting salary (base) range of $99,000 - $136,500 per year plus eligibility for uncapped variable compensation. The anticipated total earnings are $199,000 - $236,500 at target levels of performance against commercial goals in a full and typical fiscal year, with lucrative uncapped earning potential to reward overperformance. Actual salary and on-target earnings vary due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting range for their role.

Benefits:

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays
• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution
• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans
• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family
• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel
• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members
• Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program
• Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities

Benefits kick in day one, see the full details here.

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and are committed to fostering a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.