Sales Representative, SMB - Newsela

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

• Own your territory, manage the entire lifecycle of a sale, and build new business relationships that bring Newsela’s solutions to classrooms as an individual contributor on a regional sales team.
• Take ownership of developing territory business plans, evaluating funding landscapes, and tailoring sales strategies to align with district initiatives.
• Work with an enthusiastic, cross-functional team to catapult Newsela’s growth as we scale our national sales organization while achieving your revenue targets.
• 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 to scale engaging, culturally responsive learning content to K-12 classrooms nationwide.
• Thrive in a role requiring 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 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 connect classroom challenges to Newsela's solutions.
• Demonstrated experience as a strategic territory manager with executive presence to lead consultative district conversations, navigate multiple stakeholders, and engineer solutions.
• Experience with high-volume district sales and proven ability to build a book of business from scratch.
• Self-starter with proven ability to drive sales quickly to a close and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Highly organized, adaptable, fast learner who maintains high service standards and meets sales goals in an agile environment.
• Open to connecting face-to-face with customers and prospects. Travel is estimated at around 25% based on business needs.
• Open to working flexible hours to meet customer needs; majority of accounts are in Eastern and Central time zones.
• Experience using AI tools to drive greater efficiency and productivity.
• 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.

Compensation Breakdown

• Base Salary: $70,000 - $75,000
• On-Target Commission (OTC): $70,000 - $75,000
• On-Target Earnings (OTE): $140,000 - $150,000

Total compensation also includes incentive stock options, variable compensation, and benefits.

Benefits at Newsela

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical benefits with employer contributions to premiums and HSA accounts, gym reimbursement, pet insurance, free access to the Calm app, Rocket Lawyer, and more.
• Work From Home: Fully remote company culture with a monthly tech stipend to support home office needs.
• Family Support: Inclusive benefits including parental leave, fertility support, and adoption assistance.
• Financial Wellbeing: 401(k) plan with employer match.
• Time Off: Flexible PTO, paid sick time, company holidays, plus winter break (Dec 24th - Jan 1st).
• Professional Development: Annual learning and development allowance for external training, conferences, workshops, and educational materials.

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. Grounded in learning science research, Newsela’s solutions integrate content, assessment, and analytics across K–12 classrooms.