Director, Industry Practice Lead - Higher Education

Position Summary

As Director, Industry Practice Lead – Higher Education, you will serve as Panopto’s trusted domain authority and top-of-funnel growth engine across the global higher education sector. Operating as a senior individual contributor (P5) reporting directly to the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), you will bridge academic practice, campus technology strategy, and product capability. You will serve as a sought-after expert in academic technology, building peer-level trust with Provosts, CIOs, and Vice Provosts of Academic Technology to open new pipeline and articulate how video-based knowledge management elevates teaching, learning, and student outcomes.

How You’ll Contribute

• Top-of-Funnel Pipeline Creation & Industry Authority: Represent Panopto as a leading voice at major academic gatherings (e.g., EDUCAUSE, OLC, POD Network), executive roundtables, and campus panels. Activate your network of higher education leaders to build brand trust, generate new institutional prospects, and expand the top-of-funnel pipeline.
• Strategic Subject Matter Expertise in Deals: Partner with Account Executives on high-profile institutional opportunities as an academic peer and product expert. Seamlessly discuss pedagogical trends, campus IT vision, accessibility mandates, and Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) to build trust without carrying direct deal-closing responsibility.
• Campus Value & Adoption Advisory: Conduct strategic health and usage reviews with existing institutional accounts to evaluate platform adoption, understand academic goals, and prescribe tailored solution strategies that improve usage across departments and uncover expansion potential.
• Domain Frameworks & Product Voice: Develop practitioner-focused domain playbooks, usage frameworks, and industry point-of-view content centered on campus pain points. Synthesize field signals regarding accessibility standards (WCAG/ADA), lecture capture infrastructure, LMS workflows, and AI in pedagogy to guide internal Product and Product Marketing teams.

What Success Looks Like

• Within 3 Months: Complete a baseline assessment of higher education buying priorities, establish an operational rhythm with Sales and Product Marketing, and participate in select high-profile institutional sales discussions.
• Within 6 Months: Publish initial industry point-of-view content on higher ed video trends, represent Panopto at key academic conferences to build top-of-funnel pipeline, and deliver solution adoption recommendations for major campus accounts.
• Within 1 Year: Drive measurable growth in influenced campus pipeline, brand authority, and institutional expansion across top-tier colleges and university systems.
• Your Legacy: Build a scalable, repeatable higher education practice model that positions Panopto as the undeniable standard for academic video technology.

The Foundation for Success

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Educational Technology, Higher Education Administration, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Experience: 8+ years of total experience combining higher education leadership (e.g., Academic Technology, Distance Education, Campus IT) with 3+ years of commercial GTM experience at an ed-tech provider.
• Technical & Product Proficiency: Deep expertise in Learning Management Systems (Canvas, Blackboard, D2L Brightspace, Moodle), video infrastructure (Panopto, Kaltura, Echo360, YuJa), and campus IT architecture.
• Communication & Influence: Proven track record as a keynote speaker, conference presenter, or published writer skilled at engaging academic, technical, and executive audiences.
• Domain Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of higher-ed procurement cycles, WCAG/ADA accessibility standards, AI in pedagogy, and academic governance.
• Travel Commitment: Willingness to travel 25% – 40% for customer engagements, industry conferences, and key field events.