Advanced Specialist, Sales Excellence

Pearson Career Ready
At Pearson, we are committed to a world that is always learning and to the people who make that possible. From foundational learning through career advancement, we help learners build the skills and confidence they need to thrive in a rapidly changing economy. We are reimagining how education and workforce readiness come together—creating innovative solutions that help institutions expand access, improve outcomes, and better serve learners across every stage of life.
About the Role
This role aligns with industry title: State Adoption Advanced Specialist
Pearson's Career Ready portfolio helps state systems, institutions, and employers access workforce-aligned learning and certification programs. As state adoption activity for Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum continues to grow, we're adding a State Adoption Advanced Specialist to own the strategy, expertise, and post-adoption execution planning behind our CTE state adoption bids.
This role is the institutional expert on how and what to submit: which titles to put forward, how to interpret nuanced state-specific requirements, and how to position our portfolio competitively within a given state's adoption cycle. You'll partner closely with our RFP/Bid Management team, who handle the mechanics of submission (forms, compliance, documentation, coordination across departments) — this role sets the strategy and requirements interpretation that makes those submissions successful and then carries that expertise forward into how we execute after a win.
Your role is to dig into each state's enrollment data, competitive landscape, and detailed submission paperwork, and to clearly relay back to Product and Content teams exactly what's needed for our courseware to clear a given state's review hurdles — capturing and communicating that nuance. In addition, you will coordinate closely with Sales to support execution of sell-in related to state adoption materials, informing strategy and guiding execution, and advising on guardrails and considerations specific to this process.
You will also serve as a key point of contact for individual districts throughout a state's adoption review process — managing district-specific communication requirements, such as the "cone of silence" protocols common to certain adoption states like Texas.
Experience with Texas is especially valuable in this role, given its significance as one of our most critical adoption states.
What You Will Do
Adoption Strategy & Expertise
Serve as the internal subject matter expert on CTE state adoption processes, requirements, and timelines
Research state enrollment data and the competitive landscape for a given state adoption, informing (not determining) title/product decisions that Product ultimately owns
Interpret nuanced, state-specific submission requirements and translate them into clear guidance for the teams executing the bid
Dig into state submission paperwork and requirements, and relay back to Product exactly what's needed in our courseware to clear a given state's review hurdle — capturing the nuance and requirements rather than defining the resulting edits
Monitor state adoption calendars, legislative activity, and regulatory changes affecting CTE curriculum adoption
Partnership with RFP/Bid Management
Provide strategic context, requirements interpretation, and subject-matter guidance to the RFP/Bid Management team as they prepare and submit bids
Ensure submission strategy reflects accurate understanding of each state's adoption process — while partnering with the Bid Management to support deliver on the submission mechanics themselves (forms, compliance tracking, documentation)
Continuously monitor state purchasing contracts and vendor agreements to ensure our standing remains current and up to date
Track and maintain a centralized, up-to-date understanding of active state and district purchasing contracts, available RFPs, and cooperative purchasing agreements (co-ops) — serving as the go-to resource who coordinates with the appropriate internal teams on actual responses, even where this role isn't the one responding directly
Serve as a customer-facing point of contact for individual districts throughout a state's adoption review process
Manage official presentation and review dates and events with individual districts
Coordinate submission processes for district-level review
Navigate individual district communication rules, including "cone of silence" requirements common to certain adoption states like Texas
District & Customer-Facing Communication
Post-Adoption Execution Strategy
Develop execution strategy following a successful adoption, including how to structure roadshows and state/district engagement
Advise on considerations and requirements for partnering with districts during sell-in following an adoption win
Build relationships and maintain lines of communication with relevant state agencies to stay ahead of adoption cycle changes
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with Curriculum and Product teams — relaying the state-specific nuance and requirements uncovered during adoption research — while Product retains ownership of product fit, requirements, and edits
Document and share adoption process knowledge to build durable institutional expertise across the organization
Qualifications
3+ years of experience in K-12 state adoptions, curriculum procurement, or CTE program strategy in educational technology or a related field
Experience with the Texas state adoption process is especially helpful, given Texas's role as one of our most critical adoption states
Demonstrated expertise navigating the complexities of state adoption bid processes — knowing not just how to comply, but how to strategically position for success
Strong cross-functional collaborator, able to work closely with a Bid Management/RFP team without duplicating their function
Self-starter with strong research and analytical skills; comfortable building expertise independently
Excellent communicator, able to translate complex, state-specific requirements into clear, actionable guidance for internal teams
Detail-oriented and comfortable managing towards nuanced, high-stakes requirements
Bachelor's degree and 3+ years of experience in the K-12 or CTE education market
Experience serving as a customer- or district-facing point of contact during a formal review, procurement, or compliance process is a plus
Other Considerations
US-based remote position
Located in core state adoption states like Texas and Florida is helpful but not required
Competitive salary and participation in company bonus plan (bonus not guaranteed)
Medical benefits
Standard company holiday and vacation policy
Employee Recognition Program
Ready to Join Us?
If you're ready to make an impact in education, we're eager to hear from you. Let's embark on this journey together!
Compensation at Pearson is influenced by factors including skill set, experience, and location.
The full-time salary range for this role is $70,000 - $90,000 .
Applications will be accepted through 11/16/2026. This window may be extended depending on business needs.
At Pearson, we offer a flexible work environment that values work-life balance. We believe that the freedom to work from anywhere, anytime is crucial to our culture and employee satisfaction. In return, we expect employees to have the necessary means to work remotely, adhering to our work-at-home policies regarding home office setup, including but not limited to privacy of records, technology standards, equipment standards, and expectations. Join us in shaping the future of education!
If you are an individual with a disability and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career site as a result of your disability, you may request reasonable accommodations by emailing TalentExperienceGlobalTeam@grp.pearson.com.
Note that the information you provide will stay confidential and will be stored securely. It will not be seen by those involved in making decisions as part of the recruitment process.
About Us
Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabil

Work arrangement
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