Manager, Societies Partnerships

About the role

CACTUS is redefining the future of scholarly publishing by connecting every stage of the publishing lifecycle into a seamless ecosystem that helps publishers operate with greater efficiency, credibility, and impact. In this role, you will partner with scholarly societies, academic publishers, and university presses across the U.S., building trusted relationships and positioning CACTUS as a strategic partner.

Responsibilities

• Identify, engage, and win new clients across a defined U.S. territory — from first conversation to signed agreement.
• Build and manage a healthy pipeline while consistently meeting and exceeding revenue goals.
• Introduce research integrity offerings to journals navigating increasing scrutiny around quality and misconduct, helping them build more trustworthy publishing processes.
• Help societies grow the reach and impact of their research through digital communication services, including video abstracts, infographics, and targeted promotion.
• Partner with publishers to improve operational efficiency by bringing editorial, peer review, and workflow solutions to teams looking to reduce friction and scale effectively.
• Represent CACTUS at leading industry forums such as SSP, CSE, and ALPSP, and leverage its visibility through initiatives like WCRI.
• Play a key role in strengthening CACTUS's presence across the scholarly publishing ecosystem.
• Lead with curiosity, build trust naturally, and thrive in consultative, relationship-driven business development.

Qualifications And Prerequisites

• 5–7 years of B2B sales experience with a proven ability to open new accounts and build pipeline from scratch.
• Background in academic publishing, university presses, libraries, or scholarly societies; familiarity with editorial workflows or research integrity is a strong plus.
• Comfortable navigating complex buying groups involving Publishing Directors, Executive Directors, CTOs, and Procurement teams.
• Structured and skilled at managing long sales cycles with multiple stakeholders.
• Self-directed and productive in a remote, high-autonomy environment.
• Disciplined in pipeline management, forecasting, and CRM hygiene; experience with Dynamics or similar CRM tools preferred.
• Comfortable adopting AI-powered tools that enhance prospecting and client engagement.
• Willingness to travel at least 30% for client meetings and industry events.