Unlock Learning For All
Here at Ellucian, we are motivated by a mission - power education so institutions can empower student success. We are the global market leader in EdTech for higher education, serving more than 2,900 customers and reaching over 22 million students in 50 countries. We are dedicated to helping higher education unlock learning for all by providing solutions that support the entire student lifecycle and deliver insights needed now and into the future.
We embrace the power to
lead, the courage to
innovate, and the determination to
grow. At our core, we believe in
humanizing our approach, recognizing that our people are our greatest strength. With a shared vision of
transformation, we endeavor to shape a brighter future for higher education.
About The Opportunity
Our North America Professional Services organization is looking for
Senior Strategic Services Architect to support Ellucian’s fast revenue growth trajectory. This position will support the North America Professional Services Solution Team, reporting to the Director of Professional Service, Global Services Solutions. The Global Services Solutions team is comprised of seasoned experts in Ellucian products with in-depth expertise on how to implement our market-leader solutions in the Higher Education sector. This is a high-impact role as it is a critical link between the Sales organization and the Professional Services team responsible for delivery of services included in proposals (SOWs). This individual must bring a can-do attitude to work and be able to prioritize among multiple initiatives. The Senior Strategic Services Architect is responsible for providing end-to-end pricing for all technical proposals and managing the Professional Services business development operation function in North America.
The Strategic Services Architect will partner with the Sales and Professional Services teams in North America to validate customer requirements, allowing the Solution team to create consistent and profitable SOWs. He or she must add value and help the Sales teams strategize and execute a software deal's professional services components, helping drive profitability, minimize risks, and achieve customers’ objectives through compelling, best-of-class SOWs.
The ideal candidate must have experience in the sales cycle in enterprise/SaaS software companies. This includes the establishment of a winning strategy, ongoing qualification, identification of required technical resources, prioritization of tasks, management of the proposal development, and support for the Sales teams in negotiations and closing activities as required.
We are looking for an individual that is highly organized with an analytical mind and a passion for business development.
Where you will make an impact
- Work closely with customers during presales to understand business requirements and map outcomes to Ellucian product capabilities
- Work with executives, business stakeholders, and technical teams to translate business needs into solution proposals
- Work with cross functional Ellucian teams to define technical architectures and system architectures for future state solutions
- Scope and estimate implementation roadmaps as inputs into SOWs
- Manage the end-to-end process of developing technical proposals (SOWs) setting realistic expectations with stakeholders
- Manage responses for RFI/RFP/ Qualified opportunities, with end-to-end ownership to drive the overall proposal (requirements, scope, deliverables, timelines, effort, risk management, terms and conditions, and price among others)
- Coordinates, reviews, and builds solutions/proposals based on inputs from the customer and stakeholders involved in the sales process
- Define the financial aspects of the proposal based on efforts and risk mitigation, working closely with the Finance and Legal teams as needed
- Identify risks and reflect the respective mitigation actions in each proposal/SoW
- Identify critical elements required for successful deal pursuits
- Ensure that bid responses are created to the highest quality and submitted on time
- Own and manage proposal reviews, including obtaining appropriate functional sign-off and ensuring quality and consistency review before final release to the Sales organization
- Manage learning reviews held for appropriate bids to promote growth and development of the Solution’s Team
- Maintain a Bid Plan detailing the key steps and milestones involved in complex bids and ensure complete buy-in from the Sales organization to the Bid Plan
- Transition of the negotiated contract into the Project Delivery team in North America
What You Will Bring
- A minimum of 10 years, technical professional experience in areas including but not limited to application development, systems architecture, cloud technologies (AWS, Google, Azure, etc.); Preferred - higher education or information technology; > 1 year of presales or deal construction experience
- Functional experience in Student Information Systems, ERP (HR, Finance)
- Experience architecting, designing, and implementing Banner or Colleague solutions
- Experience leading large scale software implementations (Banner or Colleague preferred, other SaaS packages considered e.g. SFDC, SAP, Oracle, Dynamics 365)
- Experience in writing SOWs for fixed-price and T&M projects
- Proven capacity to effectively manage complex proposal development processes
- Teamwork attitude and experience working cross-functional: Sales, Legal, Product, Project Delivery, Operations, Finance, Deal Desk, Cloud Operations, and R&D
- An excellent understanding of all areas involved in bid/proposal / SoW creation: technical, operations, commercial, legal, etc.
- Willingness to take part in negotiations of contract terms & conditions alongside Legal and Account Management
- Experience in managing multiple stakeholders and setting expectations with the Sales organization
- Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment - internally and with clients
- Relevant professional experience in project management, including project management of solution implementation is a plus
- Ability to work under pressure and complete work according to deadlines
- Commercially aware with solid business development and financial management skills
- Confident, ambitious, and energetic with a persuasive manner and the ability to use your initiative to drive continuous improvements
- Excellent English language fluency (oral and written)
- Good communication and interaction with key stakeholders involved in the preparation of SOWs
- An excellent working understanding of technical/software implementation services
- Commercial acumen and negotiation skills with an understanding of deal structures and risk management for technical projects
- Willingness to learn and adapt to changing needs of the organization, able to multitask and work under pressure and tight timelines
- Must mirror working hours for the supported Sales teams
- Must be flexible with work hours according to business needs
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally
What makes #Ellucianlife
- Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
- Flexible time off
- Thrive Flex Lifestyle Account (LSA) that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
- 401k w/ match & BrightPlan - to help you save for the future
- Parental Leave
- 5 charitable days to support the community that supports us
- Telemedicine
- Wellness
- Headspace Care (mental health)
- Wellbeats (virtual fitness classes)
- RethinkCare & Wellthy- caregiver support
- Diversity and inclusion programs which provide access to internal employee resource groups
- Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team
- We Foster a learning culture with:
- Education Assistance Program
- Professional development opportunities
