Sales Representative, SMB (Remote, US)

Why You'll Love This Role: 

As a Sales Representative, SMB you will be part of a regional sales team and the overall face of Newsela in the small-medium business market. You’ll be responsible for building relationships with key decision makers at the school district level in addition to selling Newsela’s suite of products to bring engaging reading content to districts. In your day to day, you will do everything from pipeline management and forecasting, to designing lead generation campaigns and managing sales through the entire lifecycle. You will also become well-versed in your territory’s funding, state initiatives, demographics, and K-12 education landscape, which will help inform your overall sales strategy.

What You'll Be Doing:

• As an individual contributor who is part of a regional sales team, you will have the opportunity to own your territory, manage the entire lifecycle of a sale, and build new business relationships that bring Newsela’s solutions to classrooms. 
• Take ownership of developing territory business plans, evaluating funding landscapes, and tailoring sales strategies to align with district initiatives.
• In addition to achieving your own revenue targets, you will get to work with an enthusiastic, cross-functional team to catapult Newsela’s growth as we scale our national sales organization.
• Meet virtually with school and district leaders, presenting solutions, negotiating terms, and securing agreements that bring Newsela into classrooms.
• Have a direct impact on the expansion and adoption of Newsela products, which will ultimately scale Newsela’s ability to bring engaging, culturally responsive learning content to K-12 classrooms nationwide.
• Thrive in a role that requires significant autonomy, representing the company in the market, making recommendations that impact strategy and results, and managing priorities independently.
• Exercise discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance, including evaluating customer needs, structuring tailored solutions, negotiating within established guidelines, and influencing revenue and business outcomes.

About You:

• 2+ years of full-cycle (prospecting through closing) K-12 EdTech sales experience, with a track record of hitting or exceeding large sales quotas, required.
• Prior experience as an ELA or Social Studies teacher/instructional coach (or a strong grasp of K-12 pedagogy) preferred to truly help connect classroom challenges to the solutions Newsela is building.
• Demonstrated experience as a strategic territory manager with the executive presence to lead consultative district conversations, navigating multiple stakeholders, and engineering the right solution for each customer.
• Experience with high-volume district sales, with proven experience building a book of business from scratch.
• A self-starter with a proven ability to drive sales quickly to a close and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Highly organized, adaptable to change, a fast learner who hits the ground running, maintains high service standards, and meets established sales goals in an agile environment.
• Excited by opportunities to connect face-to-face to meet with customers and prospects. Travel is estimated to be around 25%, depending on business and customer needs.
• Open to working flexible hours to meet customer and business needs; Majority of accounts in Eastern and Central time zones. 
• Experiencing using AI tools to drive greater efficiency and productivity.
• Legally authorized to work in the US.

This role is classified is an exempt salaried role and is not eligible for overtime.

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.

#LI-Remote

Compensation Breakdown:

• Base salary: $70,000 - $75,000, depending on prior experience 
• On-target commission (OTC): $70,000 - $75,000, depending on prior experience 
• On-target earnings (OTE): $140,000 - $150,000

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$140,000—$150,000 USD