Lead Specialist, Sales

Job Title: Lead Specialist, Sales

Location: Australia based – servicing APAC

Pearson Global Enterprise Sales Team

Job Summary: The Lead Specialist, Sales is responsible for shaping and accelerating Pearson's enterprise growth and strategic partnership agenda across APAC. Operating at the intersection of strategy, sales, partnerships, solutioning, product and market development, the role identifies future growth opportunities, architects strategic partner ecosystems, develops joint propositions, and shapes complex customer engagements that drive revenue, market position and long-term competitive advantage. Rather than owning individual opportunities alone, the role builds the networks, frameworks and growth mechanisms that can be repeatedly deployed across markets, customers and partners – and builds a visible market presence with a compelling Pearson point of view. This role is not primarily accountable for selling individual products; it is accountable for creating the strategic conditions that enable Pearson to win larger opportunities, building stronger partnerships and develop more valuable propositions across APAC, acting as the grease in the GTM wheels between our Partners and sales team.  

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Growth & Opportunity Architecture: Lead the identification, evaluation and development of strategic growth opportunities across enterprise, government and institutional markets, defining where Pearson should play with our strategic partners and how it should win in emerging opportunity spaces.
• Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Leadership: Design and lead Pearson's APAC strategic-partner growth model, developing and activating relationships with Tier 1 Consulting and Tech Professional Services organisations, and building joint propositions, go-to-market models and partner operating frameworks.
• Enterprise Proposition & Solution Innovation: Act as strategic proposition architect for complex enterprise challenges, combining multiple Pearson capabilities into coherent, client-ready business solutions and repeatable solution architectures.
• Major Deal Strategy & Executive Solutioning: Act as senior advisor on major bids, strategic pursuits and complex customer opportunities, leading executive narratives, win themes and customer co-design workshops in collaboration with APAC sales and solutions teams.
• Thought Leadership & Market Development: Build market presence and future demand by developing strategic insights and market-facing intellectual property, and representing Pearson in executive forums, industry networks and partner communities.
• Capability Building & Organisational Influence: Architect strategic sales playbooks, engagement models and growth methodologies; mentor Client Partners, Solution Leads and Sales Directors on opportunity shaping and strategic selling in-region.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Influence sales, product, solutioning, delivery, strategy and partner organisations without direct line management authority, relying on expertise, credibility and collaborative leadership to drive outcomes.
• Reporting & Governance: Track and report progress against strategic partnership and growth OKRs, ensuring visibility of pipeline, partner-generated opportunities and market development activity to APAC sales leadership.

Required Skills

• Strategic & Commercial Acumen: Able to translate market trends and complex business challenges into practical commercial opportunities and growth strategies, balancing strategic, financial and stakeholder considerations.
• Partnership & Ecosystem Development: Demonstrated ability to build, activate and govern strategic partnerships with major consultancies and ecosystem players, creating joint propositions and scalable partner playbooks.
• Executive Presence & Influence: Comfortable operating with senior enterprise and government decision-makers, market experts and Pearson senior leaders; able to influence without direct authority.
• Proposition & Solution Architecture: Skilled at combining multiple products and capabilities into coherent, differentiated propositions and repeatable solution frameworks.
• Major Bid & Pursuit Leadership: Experienced in shaping complex opportunities ahead of formal procurement, developing win themes and leading executive-level narrative and positioning.
• Thought Leadership: Able to create and share market-facing intellectual property, insights and points of view that build Pearson's advisory credibility and market visibility.
• Coaching & Capability Building: Track record of mentoring Client Partners, Solution Leads and Sales Directors, and embedding reusable frameworks that raise pursuit quality across a region.
• Judgement in Ambiguity: Comfortable operating in high-impact, ambiguous environments with no predefined solution, exercising sound judgement and pragmatic decision-making.
• Others: Learning to Learn (Advanced), Adaptability (Advanced), Artificial Intelligence (Capable), Analytical Skills (Experienced), Communication Skills (Advanced), Problem Solving (Experienced), Driven Personality (Effective), Customer Service (Intermediate), Outbound Sales Skills (Intermediate), Sales Intelligence (Intermediate)

Relevant Experience:

• Enterprise Growth Leadership: Significant experience in a senior strategy, partnerships or enterprise sales leadership role, with a track record of driving growth through complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Strategic Partnerships: Direct experience developing and managing relationships with major consultancies or ecosystem partners (e.g. Deloitte, IBM, Cognizant, HCL or equivalent), including joint proposition and go-to-market development.
• Market Knowledge: Strong understanding of the APAC enterprise and government HR and L&D markets, and the skills, workforce and learning challenges they face.
• Consulting Experience / Knowledge: Understanding of working in or with large consultancies and technology professional services organisations.
• Bid & Pursuit Experience: Experience supporting or leading major bids, RFP responses and complex enterprise pursuits at an early, strategic stage.
• Language: Fluent in English.
• Travel: Ability to travel across the APAC region as required to support partner engagement and major client pursuits.