Adoption Strategy Director, K12 (Remote)

At Cengage Group, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Cengage Group’s portfolio of businesses supports student choice by providing a range of pathways that help learners achieve their goals and lead a choice-filled life.

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The Adoption Strategy Director, K-12, is a senior leader responsible for crafting and accomplishing strategies that secure successful state adoption approvals and expand market presence. This role employs data-driven insights and cross-functional collaboration to inform strategic decisions, optimize prioritization, and ensure flawless delivery. The Director combines outstanding project management and communication skills to lead complex adoption submissions and maintain compliance with state requirements. In addition to managing adoption cycles, the position drives scalable growth strategies for open territories and integrates digital curriculum solutions as a key differentiator. Success in this role depends on influencing shared decision-making across Sales, Marketing, Product, and Operations to deliver measurable results and accelerate organizational growth.

State Adoption Strategy & Project Management

• Lead planning and execution of state adoption initiatives, ensuring compliance with all regulations and timelines.
• Use data analytics and market intelligence to inform adoption strategies, prioritize opportunities, and allocate resources effectively.
• Work together with cross-functional groups (Sales, Marketing, Product, Operations) to provide adoption submissions and campaigns that fulfill state requirements.
• Maintain proactive communication with state education agencies and adoption committees to anticipate changes and requirements.

• Collect and analyze adoption-related data, including historical performance, competitor positioning, and state-specific requirements.
• Apply dashboards and reporting tools to monitor adoption progress and guide strategic decisions.
• Transform insights into effective plans that boost adoption success rates and hasten market penetration.
• Leverage AI strategically for decision making, content mapping, and rubric evaluations.

• Coordinate allocation of resources and manage budgets to improve return on investment on adoption campaigns.
• Ensure efficient use of financial and operational resources across state and open-territory initiatives.
• Maintain full P&L accountability for adoption-related initiatives, ensuring financial performance aligns with organizational goals.

• Identify high-potential districts in non-adoption states using data-driven segmentation and prioritization.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Sales Enablement, and Customer Success on scalable strategies and campaigns to increase engagement and adoption in open territories.

• Integrate digital curriculum solutions into adoption and open-territory strategies as a key differentiator.
• Leverage digital platforms to customize content to align with state-specific standards.
• Provide input on positioning and messaging for digital offerings to support customer needs and compliance standards.
• Monitor market trends related to digital learning to inform future strategies.

• Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, Product, and Operations teams to ensure alignment on priorities, messaging, and prioritization.
• Facilitate cross-functional planning sessions to integrate customer insights and adoption requirements into product development and marketing initiatives.
• Serve as a strategic liaison between adoption requirements and internal execution teams.

• Define and track important metrics such as adoption success rates, market share growth, and revenue performance.
• Provide regular reporting and recommendations for continuous improvement based on data insights.

• Experience: 5+ years in K-12 education or equivalent experience, educational publishing, or EdTech, with proven success in managing adoption processes.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; master’s degree or equivalent experience in Education, Business, or related field preferred.
• Budget Management: Experience managing budgets and optimizing prioritization for central initiatives.
• Data Analytics: Strong ability to interpret data, build insights, and apply them to strategic decisions.
• Collaboration: Demonstrated success in leading cross-functional initiatives and building consensus among diverse teams.
• Project Management: Outstanding organizational skills with experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects under strict deadlines.
• Critical Thinking: Ability to develop scalable strategies for diverse markets and evolving customer needs.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to influence and build consensus among internal and external collaborators.
• Travel: Ability to travel and be in-market for extended periods during adoption campaigns.

Cengage Group is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of any classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at [email protected].

Cengage Group, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location.  Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.