Why You'll Love This Role
Newsela is looking for an Account Executive based in California to support the growth of our California core curriculum product. This role involves up to 40-50% travel, as you will be meeting with district leaders across your region to drive adoption. Reporting to the Sales Manager leading this initiative, you will have direct access to seasoned leadership to mentor your career growth while you help scale a high-impact business unit from the ground up.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Build and maintain relationships with key district-level decision-makers to introduce Newsela’s suite of products, with a primary focus on our core curriculum.
- Utilize solution-based selling techniques, solution mapping, and bring your strong negotiation and closing skills to navigate the complexities of school board approvals and state-level requirements.
- Create and maintain a robust pipeline, developing tailored account plans to move prospects through the specialized K-12 sales cycle.
- Manage the entire lifecycle from lead generation and campaign design, pipeline creation and management, to final negotiations while also partnering closely with cross-functional teams.
- Meet in-person with numerous district and county leaders to present solutions and secure agreements that implement Newsela's curriculum district-wide
- Inform and adjust your sales strategy by monitoring California's K-12 demographics, state initiatives, shifts in funding, and the overall K-12 education landscape.
- With guidance from leadership and our Learning & Enablement team, you will contribute to shaping Newsela’s go-to-market approach for the core product.
- Engage regularly with our executive leadership team to discuss deal strategies, industry trends, and district-specific initiatives.
- Exercise independent judgment in evaluating customer needs, structuring solutions, and influencing revenue outcomes in a fast-growing national sales organization.
About You
- 2+ years of experience as an Account Executive, or similar quota-carrying role, in the K-12 EdTech space with a proven track record successfully selling K-12 core curriculum required.
- Experience selling K-12 core ELA/ELD curriculum highly preferred; Experience selling other K-12 core subjects may be considered.
- Must be currently located in California and remain there for the duration of this position.
- Experience supporting a multi-year core curriculum state adoption campaign, and/or building a sales territory from the ground up with a new K-12 program.
- Strong sales acumen and demonstrated executive presence with the ability to execute high-stakes sales activities independently.
- Experience selling in the California K-12 territory with an understanding of its unique funding, state initiatives, demographics, and education landscape.
- Ability and willingness to travel 40-50% of the time within the territory. Travel requirements will vary based on the demands of the sales cycle.
- Deep understanding of K-12 buying processes and organizational structures. Familiarity with MEDDIPCC or similar forecasting frameworks is a plus.
- Proven ability to work autonomously, build a K-12 book of business from scratch, and proactively prospect and network.
- Fluent in English (written and verbal) required; proficiency in Spanish is a strong plus.
- Legally authorized to work in the US.
All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check as part of our pre-employment process.
Why You’ll Love Working At Newsela
- Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical benefits with employer contribution to premiums and to HSA accounts. Additional benefits such as gym reimbursement, pet insurance, free access to the Calm app, Rocket Lawyer and more to help you stay healthy: mind, body, and soul.
- Work From Home: We are a fully remote company. We provide a monthly tech stipend to support your WFH needs!
- Supporting ALL Families: Inclusive benefits to support you and your family, including parental leave, fertility support, adoption, and more!
- Financial Wellbeing: Invest in your future with our 401(k) plan, which includes a employer match to help you build long-term financial security.
- Time Off: Flexible PTO, paid sick time off, company holidays plus winter break (Dec 24th - Jan 1st).
- Professional Development: Newsela offers an annual learning and development allowance to employees to attend external training sessions, classes, workshops, conferences, and educational materials to foster professional growth within their current role and career aspirations at Newsela.
- Make A Difference: No matter your role or department, the work you do each day helps share the future of education and improves the lives of students and teachers.
About Newsela
Newsela is a leading education technology company dedicated to meaningful classroom learning for every student. We deliver integrated, AI-powered solutions designed to unlock student engagement, empower teachers, and drive meaningful learning outcomes. Our suite of products supports knowledge and skill development, writing practice, daily instruction, assessment, and data-informed decision-making across K–12 classrooms. Grounded in learning science research, Newsela’s solutions integrate content, assessment, and analytics to help educators track progress, understand student outcomes, and deliver high-impact instruction that supports every learner.
Compensation Breakdown
- Base salary: $75,000 - $85,000 (depending on experience)
- Variable (On-Target Commission): $50,000 - $60,000 (variable compensation based on strategic milestones & performance targets)
- On-Target Earnings: $125,000 - $145,000
Final compensation will be determined based on the candidate’s individual skills, qualifications, and experience. Total compensation for this role also includes incentive stock options and benefits. This role will also will also be eligible for variable compensation.
On-Target Earnings (OTE) Range
$125,000—$145,000 USD