Sales Development Representative (Remote, US)

Summary

Newsela is an education technology company providing AI-powered solutions for K–12 classroom learning, assessment, and analytics. The Sales Development Representative will generate qualified sales pipeline by researching school districts, conducting personalized outreach, qualifying district needs, and partnering with Account Executives to book introductory meetings and manage opportunities through handoff.

Responsibilities

• Drive high-volume outbound prospecting through strategic email cadences and targeted daily phone outreach to key school decision-makers, including administrators and instructional coaches
• Uncover and qualify district needs through consultative conversations, transitioning high-potential leads into qualified opportunities for the Strategic Sales team
• Partner with a dedicated Account Executive (AE) to align on territory strategy, coordinate outreach, and book introductory meetings
• Collaborate within the Sales organization to inform strategy and processes that enhance overall sales performance
• Contribute to a highly supportive team environment, backed by robust sales training, enablement, marketing, and operations
• As the initial point of contact with prospects, represent the future of education by empowering districts to supplement their curriculum with differentiated instruction
• Review calls with the SDR team, share best practices, and iterate on outreach strategies, including crafting customized talk tracks and hyper personalized email outreach
• Utilizes data insights and maintains meticulous CRM data hygiene to track cadences, prioritize active leads, and ensure efficient pipeline management

Skills

• 3+ years in K-12 education (as a teacher, administrator, leader, or similar role) **OR** 1+ year of inside sales experience (K-12 EdTech inside sales experience highly preferred), with a proven track record of engaging prospects to secure qualified meetings
• Ability to be a strategic thought partner to Account Executives (AEs), continuously researching and staying up-to-date on your region as a territory expert, tracking account activity, and managing hundreds of school accounts across designated states
• Demonstrate intellectual curiosity and adaptability by actively seeking feedback, mastering Newsela's full product suite, and refining your approach daily
• Demonstrate a high intrinsic drive, excellent time management and organization, and a proactive approach to managing your daily responsibilities
• Familiar with sales platforms such as Salesforce, Salesloft, and/or Gong
• A strong communicator who can empathize with the unique challenges of our K-12 buyers, translating those insights into compelling value propositions
• Thrive in a fast-paced environment and use creativity when partnering with team members to ensure flawless execution
• Experiencing using AI tools to drive greater efficiency and productivity
• Legally authorized to work in the US

Qualifications

Must Haves

• 3+ years in K-12 education (as a teacher, administrator, leader, or similar role) **OR** 1+ year of inside sales experience (K-12 EdTech inside sales experience highly preferred), with a proven track record of engaging prospects to secure qualified meetings
• Ability to be a strategic thought partner to Account Executives (AEs), continuously researching and staying up-to-date on your region as a territory expert, tracking account activity, and managing hundreds of school accounts across designated states
• Demonstrate intellectual curiosity and adaptability by actively seeking feedback, mastering Newsela's full product suite, and refining your approach daily
• Demonstrate a high intrinsic drive, excellent time management and organization, and a proactive approach to managing your daily responsibilities
• Familiar with sales platforms such as Salesforce, Salesloft, and/or Gong
• A strong communicator who can empathize with the unique challenges of our K-12 buyers, translating those insights into compelling value propositions
• Thrive in a fast-paced environment and use creativity when partnering with team members to ensure flawless execution
• Experiencing using AI tools to drive greater efficiency and productivity
• Legally authorized to work in the US

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical benefits with employer contribution to premiums and to HSA accounts
• Gym reimbursement
• Pet insurance
• Free access to the Calm app
• Free access to Rocket Lawyer
• Fully remote company
• Monthly tech stipend to support your WFH needs
• Parental leave
• Fertility support
• Adoption support
• 401(k) plan with an employer match
• Flexible PTO
• Paid sick time off
• Company holidays plus winter break (Dec 24th - Jan 1st)
• Annual learning and development allowance for external training sessions, classes, workshops, conferences, and educational materials
• Robust sales training, enablement, marketing, and operations support