Global Academic Market Manager

About the Role

Centr is seeking an experienced and commercially driven Global Academic Market Manager to lead the growth of the Centr fitness brand across the global education market. This role will be responsible for developing sales within K–12 schools, colleges, universities, campus recreation departments, athletic programs, academic fitness centers, and related educational institutions.

The Global Academic Market Manager will work through a combination of direct sales, dealer partnerships and distributors for Centr’s presence within academic facilities worldwide. The successful candidate will develop a clear global channel strategy, build relationships with key education decision-makers, support complex project opportunities, and provide dealer partners with the tools and expertise needed to successfully position Centr products and solutions.

What You'll Do

Global Academic Market Strategy

• Develop and execute a comprehensive global sales strategy for the K–12 and higher education markets.
• Establish market priorities, revenue targets, account segmentation, and growth plans by region.
• Identify high-potential institutions, school systems, universities, athletic departments, campus recreation programs, and educational networks.
• Build a repeatable sales model that can be executed directly and through Centr’s global dealer and distributor network.
• Position Centr as a preferred fitness equipment and training solutions provider within the academic market.

Direct Sales and Key Account Development

• Build and manage relationships with key decision-makers, including:
• • Athletic directors
  • Strength and conditioning coaches
  • Campus recreation leaders
  • Physical education departments
  • Facilities and procurement teams
  • School administrators
  • University wellness leaders
  • Architects, designers, and fitness consultants
• Lead direct sales efforts for strategic academic accounts and large-scale projects.
• Develop multi-year relationships with school districts, university systems, athletic conferences, and institutional purchasing organizations.
• Conduct presentations, needs assessments, product demonstrations, and facility planning discussions.
• Manage opportunities from initial qualification through proposal, negotiation, purchase order, installation, and post-sale follow-up.

Dealer and Distributor Partnership

• Work closely with Centr’s dealer and distributor partners to identify, pursue, and close academic market opportunities.
• Train dealer sales teams on the academic market, Centr’s value proposition, product portfolio, and institutional selling strategies.
• Support dealers with account planning, presentations, product selection, facility layouts, bids, proposals, and project specifications.
• Establish clear rules of engagement for direct, dealer-supported, and distributor-led academic opportunities.
• Evaluate dealer capabilities by market and identify geographic areas requiring additional coverage or support.
• Conduct regular pipeline reviews with regional sales teams, dealers, and distributors.

Business Development and Market Expansion

• Develop new business across K–12 schools, private schools, colleges, universities, community colleges, vocational institutions, and campus recreation facilities.
• Identify opportunities within:
• • Physical education programs
  • Student recreation centers
  • Collegiate athletics
  • Strength and conditioning facilities
  • Sports performance centers
  • Faculty and staff wellness facilities
  • Student housing and residential fitness
  • Medical wellness and kinesiology programs
  • Research and human performance laboratories
• Build relationships with academic associations, athletic organizations, purchasing cooperatives, and industry groups.
• Identify bid opportunities, capital projects, new construction, renovations, and replacement cycles.
• Develop strategies for gaining inclusion in institutional specifications, approved vendor programs, and purchasing contracts.

Product and Solution Positioning

• Position Centr’s strength, cardio, functional fitness, performance training, and Centr x HYROX product offerings according to the needs of each institution.
• Partner with customers to develop equipment packages based on facility size, user population, programming goals, budget, and training requirements.
• Promote integrated solutions that may include equipment, education, programming, digital content, and training support.
• Provide product and market feedback to internal teams to support future product development for academic customers.
• Ensure Centr’s products are presented consistently and professionally across direct and dealer-led sales opportunities.

Training and Education

• Develop and deliver sales training for dealer partners, distributors, internal sales teams, and academic customers.
• Assist in creating market-specific sales tools, presentations, case studies, proposal templates, and educational materials.
• Educate partners and customers on product features, benefits, applications, and competitive differentiation.
• Support product launches and the introduction of new Centr solutions into the academic market.
• Conduct webinars, regional training sessions, customer demonstrations, and in-person educational events.

Project and Pipeline Management

• Build and maintain a global academic sales pipeline with clear visibility into project value, timing, probability, and next steps within Salesforce.
• Maintain accurate account, opportunity, and activity information within Salesforce.
• Develop forecasts and provide regular updates on revenue, pipeline health, dealer engagement, and major project opportunities.
• Coordinate with internal teams to support pricing, product availability, freight, installation, service, and project execution.
• Ensure major projects are properly registered, qualified, and managed throughout the sales process.
• Track project outcomes and identify lessons that can improve future sales effectiveness.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Global Sales, Product, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Customer Service, Logistics, and Service teams.
• Work with Marketing to develop academic market campaigns, content, case studies, digital assets, and lead-generation initiatives.
• Coordinate with Product teams to communicate institutional requirements, product gaps, and emerging market needs.
• Partner with Operations and Logistics to support complex global projects, delivery requirements, and installation timelines.
• Work with regional leaders to align academic market priorities with broader commercial sales strategies.

Market Intelligence and Reporting

• Monitor academic fitness trends, institutional spending, procurement practices, facility design trends, and competitor activity.
• Track major construction projects, campus expansions, athletic facility investments, and government education funding programs.
• Provide regular reports to senior leadership outlining:
• • Sales performance
  • Pipeline development
  • Key account activity
  • Dealer performance
  • Market trends
  • Competitive insights
  • Risks and opportunities
• Recommend actions to improve Centr’s competitiveness and market penetration.

Brand Representation

• Represent Centr at education, fitness, athletic, recreation, and facilities industry events.
• Attend trade shows, conferences, association meetings, dealer events, and customer presentations.
• Serve as Centr’s subject-matter expert and primary commercial representative for the global academic market.
• Maintain a professional brand presence and ensure Centr’s standards are consistently represented.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business, sales, sports management, exercise science, education, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5–7 years of experience in commercial fitness equipment, institutional sales, education sales, dealer management, or a related industry.
• Demonstrated experience selling into K–12 schools, colleges, universities, athletic departments, or campus recreation facilities.
• Proven ability to manage direct sales and dealer-supported sales channels.
• Experience with complex, project-based, and capital equipment sales.
• Strong understanding of institutional procurement, bid processes, budgeting cycles, and purchasing requirements.
• Demonstrated success developing strategic accounts and building long-term customer relationships.
• Experience working across multiple countries or regions is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of fitness equipment, strength and conditioning, campus recreation, athletics, or physical education is highly desirable.
• Proficiency with Salesforce platforms, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, presentation software, and sales reporting tools.
• Fluency in English required; additional languages are beneficial.
• Valid passport and ability to travel internationally.

Travel Requirements

This role requires frequent domestic and international travel to visit customers, dealers, distributors, educational institutions, trade shows, and industry events. Travel may represent approximately 40%–60% of the position, depending on market needs.