Principal, Sales

About the RolePearson School Assessment is seeking a Principal, Sales to drive growth and revenue-focused business development to build and scale a Business-to-Business (B2B) revenue engine that expands Pearson’s reach through strategic partnerships, white-label platform solutions, and embedded assessment capabilities. This role is responsible for originating, advancing, and closing deals with our partners and on developing high-value B2B relationships across the education and EdTech ecosystem—structuring licensing, white-label, reseller, and co-development agreements that integrate Pearson’s assessment infrastructure into partner solutions. The Principal, Sales will actively engage in day-to-day business development—developing relationships, leading product discussions, delivering demos, structuring deals, and driving consistent weekly pipeline progression. Over time, this role may also oversee a small district-facing sales team aligned to partner-enabled growth strategies.The role focuses on integrating Pearson’s assessment platforms, content, AI scoring, psychometric services, and reporting capabilities into partner solutions through licensing, OEM, white-label, and co-development agreements. In addition, this role will provide strategic input into acquisition scouting and corporate development efforts—identifying companies and capabilities that accelerate Pearson’s growth and competitive positioning.What You’ll Do1. Drive Business Development & Revenue GrowthOwn and deliver against revenue targets with clear weekly, monthly, and quarterly pipeline progression.Identify, originate, and close new partner deals across the education assessment ecosystem.Lead all aspects of the sales cycle, including:Prospecting and relationship developmentDiscovery and needs alignmentProduct positioning and solution designContract structuring and negotiationDevelop and maintain a high-quality pipeline with disciplined forecasting and deal tracking.2. Architect Pearson’s B2B Growth StrategyDevelop and execute a national B2B partnership strategy aligned to School Assessment’s multi-year expansion plan. Identify, prioritize, and secure strategic partnerships across:EdTech providersCurriculum and content publishersAI and analytics companiesAssessment innovatorsData and reporting platformsBuild a structured B2B pipeline with disciplined forecasting and revenue targets.Establish scalable partnership framework that drives recurring revenue.3. Expand White-Label & Platform Licensing RevenueDrive adoption of Pearson’s platforms (assessment delivery, authoring and content management, scoring, psychometric services, and reporting) as embedded infrastructure within partner products.Structure multi-year licensing and revenue-sharing agreements.Collaborate with Product, Technology, and Delivery & Transformation to define scalable integration models.Ensure commercial agreements align to pricing strategy, risk tolerance, and long-term margin objectives.4. Build and Lead Emerging B2B & District Team CapabilityOver time, recruit and develop a small team focused on partner-enabled district sales and expansion.Establish clear revenue targets, SIP alignment, and performance discipline.Coach team members in complex deal structuring and long-cycle capture strategies.Build scalable operating rhythms, dashboards, and partnership governance structures.5. Partner Relationship DevelopmentEstablish and maintain relationships across partner organizations.Represent Pearson at industry conferences, investor forums, and strategic policy gatherings.Serve as a trusted advisor to external executives exploring assessment integration models.6. Revenue Accountability & Forecasting DisciplineOwn B2B revenue targets and SIP-aligned performance goals.Deliver accurate pipeline forecasting and risk assessment.Structure long-term contracts that improve revenue predictability.Partner with Finance and Legal to manage pricing, risk, and deal governance.What You’ll BringEducationBachelor’s degree required.MBA or advanced degree preferred.Experience10+ years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, B2B sales, alliance management, or corporate development.Demonstrated success generating multi-million-dollar recurring revenue streams.Experience structuring OEM, licensing, white-label, embedded platform, or revenue-share agreements.Experience working within the K–12 education, assessment, EdTech, or government procurement ecosystem.Experience participating in state or district RFP environments (prime or subcontractor preferred).Experience leading or building teams in a growth-oriented environment.Core CompetenciesExecutive presence and sophisticated negotiation skills.Strategic thinking balanced with operational execution discipline.Financial acumen (deal modeling, pricing strategy, revenue forecasting).Ability to translate complex assessment capabilities into compelling partnership value propositions.Cross-functional leadership across Product, Technolo