COMPANY OVERVIEW
Ad Astra is a leading Higher Ed company dedicated to helping institutions graduate more students faster. With a strong commitment to innovation and client success, we strive to accelerate student progress and completion. As we continue to expand our presence in the market, we are seeking a dynamic and experienced Director of Sales to join our leadership team.
OUR CORE VALUES
- We recognize talent. We recognize and appreciate the unique God-given talents that our people bring to Ad Astra. Aligning these individual gifts with our work sets team members up to succeed.
- We’re unpretentious. There’s no room for ego. We admit our imperfections and have the humility to know what we don’t know.
- We’re passionate. We aren’t satisfied with the status quo. We’re on a mission together to protect the value of degree completion and to transform the higher education industry.
- We’re pioneering. We’re pioneering and aren’t afraid to fail—in fact, we celebrate it. We love it when our people boldly experiment with innovative solutions.
- We love fun. The health of our relationships is strengthened by working with people who stretch our thinking—and by enjoying the lighter side of life together. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we do take fun seriously.
- We have grit. Beyond talent and intelligence, our people have stick-to-itiveness. We push through challenges to make goals a reality.
POSITION SUMMARY
At Ad Astra we are committed to helping more students graduate faster. As the Director of Sales, you will lead and inspire our sales team to drive revenue growth and achieve ambitious sales targets. Your strategic acumen will be instrumental in developing and executing sales plans that align closely with our company's overarching goals. Reporting directly to the CRO, this role demands a proven track record in sales leadership, strategic planning, and team management. The Director of Sales plays a pivotal role in shaping the evolution of our sales organization and building upon our history of delivering client value. Collaborating closely with our regional vice presidents (RVPs), you will spearhead new business revenue generation efforts.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Own and drive revenue growth initiatives across all territory regions.
- Drive the formulation of sales strategies and tactics designed to optimize sales volume while meeting targeted profit margins.
- Establish quarterly and annual sales quotas for the sales team, collaborating closely with team members to achieve quarterly revenue objectives.
- Responsible for committing on quarterly sales forecasts to establish continuous predictability of sales.
- Conduct routine pipeline inspections with Regional Vice Presidents (RVPs) and deliver detailed summaries to leadership on attainment of quarterly targets.
- Implement and promote best practices for closing revenue within quarterly and annual structures for ARR and FYV, while ensuring continuous replenishment of the sales pipeline.
- Identify and analyze market trends, competitor activities, and client needs to formulate and execute strategies that differentiate our offerings in the marketplace.
- Develop and execute comprehensive strategic territory plans aimed at achieving sales targets and expanding new client acquisition.
- Collaborate with the VP of Marketing, Sales Development Manager, CRO, and other key stakeholders to develop and lead an effective inbound/outbound sales strategy.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with marketing, product development, and other departments to align sales strategies with overarching business objectives.
- Contribute to regular budget, sales forecasting, and planning processes.
- Regularly conduct audits of CRM pipeline data to ensure accurate and timely recording of activities, thereby enhancing predictability of current and future quarter revenue.
- Provide regular updates to the executive and leadership teams regarding quarterly revenue attainment and recommend plan adjustments.
- Prepare and deliver regular sales reports and forecasts to the executive team, highlighting sales performance, emerging trends, and growth opportunities.
- Analyze critical performance metrics, including top-of-funnel metrics (calls, emails, meetings, sales qualified leads, conversion rates, and pipeline growth) and bottom-of-funnel metrics (ARR, FYV, cycle time, pipeline coverage, conversion rate, etc.) to identify areas of continuous improvement.
- Contribute to the development and enhancement of sales department processes, reinforcing successful tactics and iterating on areas identified for improvement.
- Lead, mentor, and motivate a high-performing sales team, fostering a culture of success, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Institute frameworks and processes that support a winning culture, including enhancing stakeholder accountability, cultivating competitive mindsets, and fostering a commitment to team and client success.
- Foster a collaborative and positive team culture that promotes accountability to individual and team metrics, a continuous pursuit of knowledge, and a commitment to excellence.
- Develop standardized training systems that reinforce value-based solution selling methodologies.
- Institute a data-driven culture and approach to optimize individual and team performance outcomes.
- Lead and oversee sales team members across the entire sales pipeline, encompassing sales development (inbound and outbound) through to deal closure.
- Monitor sales team performance closely, offering regular performance evaluations, feedback, and coaching to ensure optimal results.
- Create and manage dashboards and reports to facilitate effective oversight of individual and team performance.
- Provide coaching, mentorship, and inspiration to enable the team to exceed their targets, collaborating closely with other sales leaders to drive overall revenue growth.
- Develop and oversee commission tracking frameworks and reports in coordination with accounting to ensure optimal performance and timely commission payouts.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS
- Business Acumen: Strong business acumen with a proven track record of managing sales teams to achieve or exceed revenue goals.
- Data-Driven: Obsession with leveraging data to inform strategy, optimize tactics, and drive results.
- Leadership Experience: Demonstrated success in building, developing, and leading high-performing sales teams, acting as a player/coach.
- Coaching. Excellent coaching and sales management skills including skill development, goal setting, and continuous feedback to drive results.
- Team Management: Experience managing and developing distributed sales teams.
- Results-Oriented: Proven ability to predictably meet and exceed revenue objectives.
- Sales Management: Experience managing prospecting efforts, sales process, pipeline, and contracts.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Experience working closely with product and marketing teams to successfully take new products to market.
- Technology Proficiency: Experienced power-user of Salesforce, sales engagement platforms (SEPs), and other systems to drive effective processes.
- Communication Skills: Ability to effectively communicate across all levels of an organization, both face-to-face and remotely.
ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES
- Bachelor’s degree in business, sales, or equivalent training in Sales management.
- 5+ years of sales experience leading and managing sales organizations that consistently achieve quotas and sales targets.
- A team player who is collaborative, coachable, and approachable.
- High emotional intelligence, including curiosity, empathy, self-awareness, and integrity.
- Strong prioritization skills with the ability to be proactive and dependable in their work.
- Excellent attention to detail and a commitment to both accuracy and quality.
- Desire to improve processes and work through ambiguity.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and in a team environment.
- Experience in Higher-Ed preferred.
- Knowledgeable user of key systems:
- Salesforce CRM
- Salesloft SEP
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Marketo / Marketo Sales Insights
- Microsoft Power BI
- Office 365
- Learns new systems quickly
This position is in Overland Park, KS. Ad Astra does not pay relocation expenses.
Ad Astra Information Systems, LLC. is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business need.
