Solve Education! is seeking a Head of Sales who is commercially sharp, mission-aligned, and skilled at building relationships that translate into long-term, high-value commitments. This is a senio role spanning both Solve Education! and Solve Employment, with a global mandate to grow our funder base, secure institutional partnerships, and open new revenue streams.
You’ll be the primary driver of external growth : identifying the right opportunities, building compelling cases, and closing deals that sustain and scale our impact. This is not a role for someone who waits for inbound leads or needs a fully built playbook to operate. You’ll build the pipeline, shape the pitch, and lead the process from first contact to signed agreement.
If you understand both the language of impact and the logic of business, and you know how to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments with confidence and credibility, we want to hear from you.
What You’ll Be Responsible For
You’ll own the full business development and partnership function across both entities, with accountability for pipeline growth, deal closure, and relationship management at a global level.
Funder & Partnership Acquisition: Identify, pursue, and close strategic partnerships with corporates, foundations, government bodies, bilateral and multilateral agencies, and impact investors aligned with Solve Education! and Solve Employment’s mission and commercial goals.
Pipeline Development: Build and manage a robust, diversified global pipeline of funder and partnership opportunities. Maintain visibility across all stages — from prospecting through to close.
Proposal & Pitch Development: Lead the development of compelling proposals, concept notes, pitch decks, and grant applications tailored to diverse funder and partner profiles.
Revenue Strategy: Define and execute a global sales and partnerships strategy that balances grant-based funding, earned revenue, and commercial contracts across both entities.
Stakeholder Engagement: Represent Solve Education! and Solve Employment at global forums, conferences, and networking events. Build and maintain a strong external network of decision-makers and influencers.
Account Management: Nurture and grow existing funder and partner relationships, ensuring high satisfaction, renewals, and expansion opportunities.
Cross-entity Collaboration: Work closely with the CEO, COO, program leads, and operational teams across Solve Education! and Solve Employment to align partnership opportunities with delivery capacity and organizational priorities.
Market Intelligence: Track funding trends, competitive landscapes, and emerging opportunities in global EdTech, workforce development, and employment services sectors.
Team Leadership: Build, manage, and mentor a small but high-performing sales and partnerships team as the function scales.
Reporting & Forecasting: Maintain accurate pipeline data, produce regular reports on targets and progress, and provide strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
What We Expect
This role demands a rare combination of strategic vision, commercial acumen, and genuine passion for impact. You’ll need to operate at the senior level externally while staying hands-on internally.
Language: Exceptional written and verbal communication in English. Additional languages are a strong advantage given the global scope.
Experience: 7+ years in business development, fundraising, sales, or partnerships, with a demonstrated track record of closing high-value deals with institutional funders, corporates, or government partners at a global level.
Sector Knowledge: Deep familiarity with the international development, EdTech, or workforce development funding landscape, including key players, funding cycles, and decision-making processes.
Commercial Acumen: Able to structure, negotiate, and close complex deals — including grants, contracts, licensing agreements, and EOR/talent service arrangements.
Strategic Thinking: Able to zoom out and set direction while also zooming in to execute when needed. Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building from scratch.
Communication & Influence: Exceptional presenter and storyteller. Able to adapt messaging for foundations, corporate CSR teams, government agencies, and commercial clients alike.
Relationship Management: Natural relationship builder who invests in long-term trust, not just transactional outcomes.
Tools: Proficiency in CRM tools (e.g., HubSpot, Salesforce, or equivalent) and Google Workspace. Comfortable with data-driven pipeline management.