Sales Operations Manager at Ascend Learning, Inc. in Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Job Description:

Ascend Learning is a national leader in data driven, online educational solutions for learners, educators and employers in high-growth, licensure-driven professions spanning healthcare, fitness and wellness, skilled trades, insurance and financial services. We are passionate about accelerating learning while impacting job readiness, employment success and employee retention with the belief that our work changes lives.

Our culture is intentionally results-driven and selfless, with a relentless focus on our customers. We believe in trust, transparency, freedom, and responsibility with a commitment to meritocracy, inclusion, and diversity of thought. Continual investment in our over 1400 employees is also a core principle realized through ongoing professional development and providing opportunities to grow, develop and lead. Ascend Learning is headquartered in Burlington, MA, with additional office locations and remote workers in cities across the U.S. and in the U.K..  

At Ascend Learning, the Safety & Security segment is a leading provider of online training in a range of high growth professions and academic areas, including public safety, workplace safety, insurance and securities licensure, and cybersecurity. We combine authoritative content with innovative educational technology to help educators teach more effectively and students learn more efficiently. Our comprehensive suite of print and digital education solutions is designed to enrich the educational experience and deliver results for secondary, post-secondary, and professional education markets. The company is seeking a talented analytical individual to manage our Sales Operations team.  

We're looking for a collaborative and results-driven Sales Operations Manager, with experience leading a team and supporting a wide variety of sales-related responsibilities. The Senior Analyst will perform budgeting, planning, and analysis activities for sales operations. The candidate will review and analyze pipeline, bookings, revenue forecasting, sales productivity, and goal attainment. The ideal candidate has strong strategic and analytical thinking combined with leadership skills to drive change and results. Most importantly, the candidate will have experience building strong relationships, fostering excellent communication, and creating alignment with cross-functional stakeholders. 

Responsibilities: 

• Manage the Sales Operations Analysts listening to different members recommendations and taking actions to maximize the efficacy of the team 


• Act as a trusted advisor – partner with sales management to develop sales strategy and business models, develop and improve sales coverage and organization strategy, have objective insight into sales productivity, and recommend strategic improvement in support of meeting annual goals.  


• Identify and analyze areas of poor performance in the business and underlying dynamics in the market to make recommendations for strategic improvement 


• Support and roll out territory and account planning, with supporting management cadence in partnership with other sales ops peers and sales team leaders. 

• Provide input to the sales incentive planning. Ensure that quarterly commissions are accurate and submitted on time to Finance for approval and distribution. 


• Create monthly KPI reports, identifying areas in need of improvement and making recommendations 


• Maintain and enhance sales dashboards to provide reps and managers with actionable insights 


• Develop sales pipeline analysis by monitoring deal-flow across stages and conduct performance reporting, and sales team efficiency by tracking critical metrics including pacing, close rate, pipeline growth, upsell, cross-sell, churn rate, win rates, etc.  


• Build and own a data governance model around CRM management to ensure ongoing completeness and accuracy.  


• When implementing change, work closely with the Enablement team to design and lead training programs to establish baseline understanding and ensure sales team retention and adoption 


• Own monthly demand reviews for assigned brands and actively participate in the S&OP process:  


• Understand inputs and explain variances between multiple demand scenarios  


• Summarize key changes in volume projections for executives 


• Participate in regular S&OP meetings  


• Monitor and reconcile variances against forecasts:  


• Identify products performing outside of expected trends and conduct additional analyses to help identify reason(s) for variance  


• Work cross-functionally to gather insights from brand and sales teams to further explain variances and identify assumptions to include in updated forecasts  


• Create and manage comparison reports to track forecast performance over time  


• Provide additional ad hoc analysis upon request   

Qualifications 

• 5+ years of relevant experience including team management 


• Strong analytics and dashboard building skills (preferably with Microsoft products)  


• Advanced Excel skills  


• Experience with CRM reporting 


• Superior analytical skills; high level of attention to detail with strong business acumen  


• Ability to get up to speed quickly, take initiative and critically analyze data, processes, and procedures in a push toward continuous improvement 


• Ability to create good working relationships with all constituents across multiple business functions 


• Strong presentation and communication skills  


• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment, juggling multiple deliverables simultaneously, meet strict deadlines, and work under pressure  


• Bachelor's Degree required. Master’s Degree preferred 

 

This position requires that the employee be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless an exemption has been granted by Ascend Learning for a religious, health-related or other legally mandated reason, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable law.  Ascend will accept all COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved or authorized for Emergency Use Authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or COVID-19 vaccines recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Individuals are considered “fully vaccinated” (1) two weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series (such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines); or (2) two weeks after a single-dose vaccine (such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine). Ascend Learning’s current policy also requires that individuals visiting our offices be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  

In line with our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our employees, if we choose to interview you and you are fully vaccinated, we may invite you to interview in our office. If you are not fully vaccinated and we choose to interview you, we will arrange for a virtual interview.  

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S. based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.

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