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.

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