Director, Account Management, Higher Ed

About Niche

Niche is the leader in school search. Our mission is to make researching and enrolling in schools easy, transparent, and free. With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search tools, we help millions of people find the right school for them. We also help thousands of schools recruit more best-fit students, by highlighting what makes them great and making it easier to visit and apply.

Niche is all about finding where you belong, and that mission inspires how we operate every day. We want Niche to be a place where people truly enjoy working and can thrive professionally.

About The Role

We are looking for a proven sales leader to run one of the most critical teams in our business: Higher Ed Account Management. This role will lead a team of AMs, under the Senior Director of Existing Business, responsible for expanding existing relationships across a ~$55M+ book of business. It requires someone who can drive results, develop talent, bring clarity to complexity, and lead from the front.

If you’ve built or led expansion-focused sales teams, created scalable playbooks, and know how to motivate and hold reps accountable—we want to talk.

What You Will Do

• Hire, coach, and manage a team of Account Managers.
  
• Provide ongoing feedback and direction through 1:1s, Gong reviews, and deal-level support.
  
• Create a high-performance, competitive culture grounded in accountability and development.
  
• Set and hold team members accountable to clear expectations, recognize wins, and course-correct as needed.
  
• Design scalable role definitions, promotion paths, and succession planning.
  

• Define pipeline generation and progression standards; audit consistently.
  
• Support reps in account planning, segmentation, and prioritization.
  
• Ensure your team builds and maintains sufficient pipeline to hit quarterly targets.
  
• Hold AMs accountable to goals with rigor and support.
  

• Stay close to deals—support reps at key points, help unblock challenges, and model strong sales execution.
  
• Act as executive sponsor with strategic clients when needed.
  
• Collaborate with CSMs to drive expansion through aligned account strategies.
  
• Partner with Product, Marketing, Data, RevOps, and Finance to support GTM goals.
  

• Build and continuously improve account management playbooks.
  
• Lead outbound and expansion motions across key segments.
  
• Analyze performance and pipeline data to inform coaching and strategic pivots.
  
• Understand the full product suite (DA, DMS, Engage, etc.) and support reps in positioning across the portfolio.
  
• Track market trends, customer feedback, and competitor positioning to guide strategy.

What We Are Looking For

• Experience: 5–10+ years in B2B SaaS sales; at least 2+ years directly managing Account Managers or Expansion Reps. Experience in vertical SaaS or Higher Ed is a bonus but not required.
  
• Playbook builder: Has created and iterated on pipeline management, outbound expansion, and account growth frameworks.
  
• Sales coach: Knows how to get the most out of each team member, with a proven playbook for coaching up and addressing performance gaps.
  
• Disciplined operator: Obsessed with pipeline health, forecasting rigor, and holding teams to high standards.
  
• Cross-functional collaborator: Has worked closely with Customer Success, Product, Data, Finance, and RevOps to align strategy and execution.
  
• Strong communicator: Brings clarity up to leadership and down to the team; comfortable navigating wins, blockers, and change.
• Owner mindset: Brings proactive solutions, makes data-driven decisions, and treats the business like their own.

Compensation 

Our national target base salary range is $150,000 - $190,000, plus uncapped commission and participation in our Stock Option Program. The OTE (On Target Earnings) for this role will be $300,000+.

At Niche, our Total Rewards Philosophy is centered around creating a workplace environment that attracts, motivates, and retains top talent by providing a comprehensive and competitive rewards package.  This philosophy is built on the principles of performance-based compensation, best-in-class benefits and work-life balance, and employee well-being.

Interview Process

Candidate experience is a top priority for our talent and hiring teams.  We believe in providing a transparent, authentic and comprehensive interview process where you have the opportunity to learn about us while we get to know you and your experience.  The interview process is outlined here:

• Phone Screen with Talent Acquisition Partner - 30 Minutes

• Video Interview with Sr. Director - 45 Minutes

• Video Interview with VP, Account Management & Customer Success - 45 Minutes 

• Video Interview with CMO- 45 Minutes

Why Niche?

• We are a fully flexible workforce empowering our employees to choose to work remotely, in our Pittsburgh office or whatever combination suits you
• Full time, salaried position with competitive compensation in a fast-growing company
• Best-in-class 100% paid employee health plan, including vision and dental and supplemental coverage
• Flexible Paid Time Off Policy
• Stipend that allows you to build your work from home office in a style and function that suits your personal preferences
• Parental leave for all employees (12 weeks fully paid) in addition to short term disability for birthing parents
• Meaningful 401(k) with employer match
• Your ideas and work will make an immediate impact on our company and millions of users
• You will join a team that cares about you, our mission, our work - and celebrates our wins together!

Niche will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future for this opening.  

We are currently hiring in states where we currently have employees: AZ, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, DC, WV.

Candidates only.  No recruiters or agencies, please. Sorry, we do not offer relocation assistance.

Niche is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. Therefore, we provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

All interviews are being held remotely. If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.