Principal, Sales

Who we are:
At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. We are the world's lifelong learning company. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. 

To learn more: https://plc.pearson.com

Our team: Our commercial team partners with in-country sales teams to accelerate strategic growth, unlock complex opportunities, and deliver customer-centric solutions across diverse markets. We work at the intersection of sales strategy, solution design, and deal execution to help close high-value opportunities that create long-term impact.

About the Role:

We are looking for a strategic, commercially minded professional to lead and support large, complex opportunities. In this role, you will shape high-value deals, build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, and guide opportunities through the full sales lifecycle—from qualification and strategy development to negotiation and close. You will partner closely with in-country teams, often working across a region, and lead priority opportunities focused primarily on institutional, enterprise, government, and education customers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and support the pursuit of large, complex deals, ensuring a strong strategy from opportunity identification through to close.

• Proactively identify, qualify, and originate high-value opportunities across target markets and customer segments.

• Partner with in-country, regional, and central, sales, account, and technical teams to shape compelling solutions that address complex customer requirements.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior decision-makers and key stakeholders throughout the deal lifecycle.

• Act as a trusted strategic and technical advisor on deal strategy, customer solution design, and specialty product positioning, removing obstacles and accelerating progress.

• Independently originate and own strategic opportunities, while partnering with in-country teams to advance priority deals and expand market reach.

• Lead negotiations and coordinate cross-functional input to secure competitive, customer-focused outcomes.

• Share best practices, improve sales processes, and raise execution standards across teams to strengthen collaboration and performance.

• Drive measurable commercial impact by improving win rates, accelerating complex deal closure, strengthening collaboration, and contributing to revenue growth.

Required skills and experience:

• Strong alignment with Pearson’s culture, values, and leadership behaviours: Customer Centricity, Raising the Performance Bar, Exceptional Collaboration for Value, and Our Leaders Inspire.

• Proven track record of identifying, developing, and closing large, complex deals in competitive environments.

• Experience working across cross-functional teams, including account, technical, and commercial stakeholders, to deliver tailored customer solutions.

• Strong business acumen and strategic thinking, with the ability to assess opportunities, define winning approaches, and drive revenue growth.

• Excellent communication, influencing, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, with confidence engaging senior stakeholders.

• Demonstrated strength in account management, outbound sales, strategic planning, and customer relationship management.

• High adaptability, a proactive and driven mindset, and the ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.

• Sales intelligence capability, with the ability to use market and opportunity insights to identify growth potential, improve forecasting, and inform strategic commercial decisions.

• Comfort working with data, sales intelligence, and evolving technologies—including artificial intelligence—to improve decision-making and commercial outcomes.