Strategic Account Manager - Great Lakes Region

Ascend Learning, a leading healthcare and learning technology company, connects a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data-driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning. From testing to certification, our products are used by physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals, and insurance brokers.

Headquartered in Burlington, MA, with additional office locations and hybrid and remote workers across the U.S., Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America’s 2025 Greatest Workplaces as well as America’s Best Places to Work for Mental Well-Being for 2025.

Ascend Learning's Nursing Category supports the full learning journey of future nurses through evidence-based solutions designed to develop practice-ready nurses prepared for board certification and clinical practice. Our nursing brands—ATI, APEA, and NursingCE—provide data analytics and engaging learning tools to help nursing students master core content while offering best-in-class support and expertise to educators and administrators. With nearly two decades of data, including over 12 million proctored assessments, we help educators understand student comprehension and performance, ensuring confident program outcomes.

About the role

As a Strategic Account Manager, you’ll maintain and expand relationships with strategically important large customers. Assigned to the highest-value clients, you’ll build a deep understanding of their business processes, goals, and strategies to align our offerings and drive mutual growth and success. This role supports clients in the IA and NE territories and requires up to 50% travel.

Where you’ll work

This is a remote position in the Great Lakes territory, with preference for candidates located in Iowa or Nebraska.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead point of contact for strategic account matters, building and maintaining strong, long-lasting client relationships.
• Develop trusted advisor relationships with key accounts, customer stakeholders, and executive sponsors.
• Identify and understand the roles of clients’ stakeholders, including champions, users, technical teams, and economic buyers.
• Manage relationships with existing clients to ensure retention, loyalty, and conduct annual account reviews and reporting.
• Manage and nurture the sales pipeline, ensuring timely follow-ups and progress tracking.
• Uncover clients' objectives and pain points, build strategic roadmaps, and provide solutions to meet their needs.
• Develop account growth strategies, collaborate with category leadership, and leverage market knowledge and client insights.
• Prepare compelling sales strategies, messaging, and presentations; negotiate and close deals.
• Ensure timely and successful delivery of Ascend’s solutions according to customer needs and objectives.
• Prepare and present regular reports on account opportunities, sales forecasts, tailwinds, and headwinds to management.
• Maintain CRM records, including prospective client headcount or other category suitability.
• Stay up to date with industry trends, competitors, and market conditions to identify new business opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 6+ years of relevant sales work experience.
• Prior track record of influencing stakeholders up to the executive level, with proven negotiation skills for securing advantageous agreements.
• Skilled in delivering tailored solutions to clients and managing multiple projects with precision.
• Proficient in written communication for creating sales documents (proposals, contracts).
• Ability to build trust and proactively engage in upselling and cross-selling.
• Strong analytical abilities for sales data interpretation and strategy formulation.
• Proven track record of delivering results in a quota-based sales environment with multi-year, multimillion-dollar contracts.
• Nursing education industry knowledge or background in healthcare or higher education preferred.
• Proficient in CRM software (e.g., Salesforce, Zoho CRM, HubSpot) and MS Office, especially Excel.
• Up to 50% travel required.

Pay

The current full-time, annualized base pay hiring range for this role is $80,800.00–$115,500.00. Individual compensation will be determined by relevant experience, qualifications, current business needs, and local market factors. Most regular, full-time employees are eligible to participate in an Ascend incentive bonus or sales plan.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Company-paid life insurance.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Paid time off and parental leave.
• Employee assistance program.
• Wellness programs such as Headspace and Airvet.
• Charitable matching program.

Culture

Our values-driven culture unifies our teams and inspires action, innovation, and collaboration with a relentless focus on customers. We celebrate all people and perspectives, cultivating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and be authentic. Our culture is rooted in the belief that embracing differences and drawing on diverse perspectives makes us stronger, more innovative, and more successful.