General Manager - Certification

Location: Flexible, US Remote

Reports To: Chief Commercial Officer, PSI

Team Size: Approximately 30 Employees

Business Responsibility: Full P&L Ownership

About PSI

PSI is a global leader in workforce solutions, professional credentialing, high-stakes testing, and talent assessment. Through innovative technology, psychometric expertise, and world-class customer service, PSI helps organizations, certification bodies, and licensing agencies deliver secure, valid, and reliable credentialing programs that advance careers, protect the public, and strengthen professions worldwide. Our Certifications & Licensure business partners with leading certification boards, professional associations, regulatory agencies, and licensing organizations to develop, deliver, and scale credentialing programs that serve millions of candidates globally.

About The Role

PSI is seeking a commercially driven General Manager - Certification to lead and grow its global professional certification business. The successful candidate will preferably bring deep, current experience in the certification market and be a strong relationship builder with certification bodies, professional associations, employers, workforce organizations, partners, and industry influencers. They will understand how these organizations select partners, build programs, serve candidates, and create long-term value.

The growth opportunity is significant. PSI has a strong position in the US domestic market, with further headroom in priority certification verticals and a clear opportunity to expand further internationally. The General Manager will use market, customer, and competitive insight to determine where PSI should compete, how it will win, and where commercial resources and investment will generate the strongest return. This leader will integrate Business Development, Client Success/Account Management, and Solutions Consulting/Sales Engineering into one client-facing commercial organization.

Responsibilities

• Own the full Certification business unit P&L, including revenue, new-business pipeline, profitability, operating margin, forecasting, investment planning, and delivery against financial commitments.
• Set and execute a multi-year strategy that translates market opportunity into clear commercial priorities, portfolio choices, investment decisions, and measurable business outcomes.
• Establish a rigorous operating cadence across pipeline, revenue, retention, expansion, margin, client health, and forecast accuracy.
• Analyze the market by customer segment, vertical, geography, buyer need, and competitive position to identify the strongest sources of profitable growth.
• Deepen PSI's position in the US domestic market by prioritizing high-potential certification verticals and developing differentiated growth strategies.
• Build an international growth plan that identifies priority markets, routes to market, partnerships, localization needs, and investment requirements.
• Own the development and conversion of a healthy, appropriately covered new-logo pipeline across priority certification verticals and markets.
• Lead an integrated commercial motion across Business Development and Solutions Consulting/Sales Engineering, with clear coverage, qualification standards, and pursuit discipline.
• Act as executive sponsor for strategic prospects, building senior relationships, shaping differentiated value propositions, and improving win rates.
• Drive disciplined forecasting, opportunity review, and CRM adoption, intervening early to address pipeline gaps, stalled pursuits, and conversion risk.
• Own client retention and revenue protection, with early visibility of contractual, relationship, service, and competitive risk.
• Lead Client Success/Account Management to create strategic account plans, executive sponsorship, and consistent business-review disciplines.
• Build systematic renewal and expansion motions that deepen client value and identify opportunities well ahead of procurement or contract events.
• Use client health, service, satisfaction, win/loss, and renewal insight to resolve root causes, strengthen the proposition, and improve retention and growth.
• Lead the shift toward a more productized certification portfolio with clear propositions, modular capabilities, target segments, commercial packaging, and repeatable routes to market.
• Direct Solutions Consulting/Sales Engineering so client needs are translated into differentiated solutions that are feasible, secure, scalable, and commercially sound.
• Partner with Product, Marketing, and Finance on positioning, packaging, pricing, business cases, launch plans, and adoption strategies.
• Create a strong market-to-product feedback loop while protecting portfolio focus and reducing unnecessary customization.
• Align Product, Technology, Operations, Psychometrics, Test Security, Finance, Legal, and Marketing around shared commercial priorities and client outcomes.
• Ensure commercial commitments are deliverable, appropriately governed, and profitable, with effective handoffs from pursuit through implementation and ongoing client management.
• Champion an excellent end-to-end experience for certification clients and candidates, using operational and customer data to improve quality, reliability, and scalability.
• Maintain appropriate oversight of contractual, regulatory, accreditation, security, and reputational risk.
• Lead and develop a high-performing organization spanning Business Development, Client Success/Account Management, and Solutions Consulting/Sales Engineering.
• Create clear objectives, incentives, and accountability across new-logo acquisition, client retention, account expansion, and solution quality.
• Build leadership depth and specialist capability through coaching, succession planning, talent development, and selective recruitment of strong certification-sector talent.
• Serve as a visible senior leader in the certification community, building trusted relationships with clients, prospects, associations, partners, and industry influencers.
• Foster a culture of commercial ownership, customer focus, collaboration, and evidence-led decision making.
• Adhere to ethical standards and comply with the laws and regulations applicable to the role.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, Strategy, Education, Assessment, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 15+ years of progressive commercial and business leadership experience, including significant and recent leadership experience in the professional certification industry.
• Senior responsibility for a business, division, or substantial portfolio with full P&L or equivalent revenue, profitability, and investment accountability.
• Demonstrated success delivering profitable growth through new-logo acquisition, pipeline development, client retention, account expansion, and disciplined commercial execution.
• Substantial leadership experience across multiple client-facing functions, including leadership of leaders and geographically distributed teams.
• Meaningful experience in the US certification market and the ability to lead a global business and develop international growth opportunities.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or another relevant postgraduate business qualification.
• Experience expanding certification products or services internationally through direct, partner, or channel-led models.
• Knowledge of the end-to-end certification lifecycle, including program design, psychometrics, test development, secure delivery, candidate experience, and credential maintenance.
• Experience productizing a service-led or highly customized portfolio and building recurring, repeatable commercial models.
• Experience with certification-industry standards, accreditation considerations, digital credentialing, test security, and emerging assessment technologies.
• Experience leading through business integration, portfolio transformation, or significant operating-model change.

Skills

• Preferably deep and current knowledge of the professional certification market, including the needs and economics of certification bodies, professional associations, employers, and workforce organizations.
• Senior management experience with full P&L accountability and a record of sustainable revenue growth, profitability, and market-share gains.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze markets, segment opportunity, and make clear choices about verticals, geographies, propositions, and investment.
• Proven success building qualified new-logo pipeline and leading complex B2B sales motions from opportunity creation through solutioning, negotiation, and close.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills, with the credibility to engage senior client executives, prospects, partners, and industry leaders.
• Strong client-success and account-management expertise, including revenue protection, strategic account planning, executive sponsorship, renewals, risk mitigation, and expansion.
• Experience leading Solutions Consulting or Sales Engineering and balancing customer needs with product strategy, delivery feasibility, scalability, and commercial value.
• Ability to lead a transition from bespoke solution selling toward a productized commercial model with clearer propositions, packaging, pricing, and repeatable go-to-market motions.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including forecasting, pricing, deal economics, margin management, investment cases, and portfolio performance.
• Understanding of complex, high-value, and long-cycle certification sales, including RFPs, multi-year contracts, renewals, and strategic partnerships.
• Data-driven leadership approach using market intelligence, CRM, pipeline, client-health, and financial data to make decisions and intervene early.
• Proven ability to lead leaders, influence across a global matrix, and create accountability through transformation, ambiguity, and competing priorities.

Benefits

• Competitive salary benchmarked against the local market.
• 401k/Pension/Retirement Plan with country-specific employer contribution.
• Enhanced PTO/Annual Leave.
• Medical insurance (country-specific).
• Dental, Vision, Life, and Short Term Disability for US employees.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for US employees.
• Medical Cashback plan covering vision, dental, and income protection for UK employees.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Commitment to work/life balance.
• Dedicated DE&I group driving core people initiatives.
• Culture embracing wellness, including regular global initiatives.