Sales development representative

The Sales Development Representative within OpenStax at Rice University is the first point of contact for instructors, teachers, and institutions interested in OpenStax. As part of the OpenStax Sales team, this role owns lead management and qualification, including verifying and screening leads from every source, understanding each instructor’s needs, and handing qualified opportunities to Educational Resources Consultants. The Sales Development Representative also offers demos to individual instructors interested in OpenStax Assignable and maintains accurate Salesforce records. This work ensures that every interested instructor receives a fast, helpful response, helping more learners access high-quality, affordable educational resources.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About OpenStax:

OpenStax (an initiative of Rice University) is the world’s largest nonprofit publisher of open educational resources (OER) and a provider of interactive, research-informed learning technologies for high school and college students. We are also the lead organization for the nation’s seminal education research infrastructure, SafeInsights.

Our mission is to make an amazing education accessible to all. We do this by offering free access to high-quality digital resources that support the teaching and learning journey. Since 2012, OpenStax has published free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks that have been used by more than 43 million learners across 169 countries, saving students more than $3 billion in educational costs. Today, our library includes more than 80 titles used at 72% of U.S. colleges and universities, and we are expanding our impact through digital courseware, institutional partnerships, and K–12 education.

OpenStax is entering a new phase of growth as we evolve from a widely trusted open educational resource provider into a broader learning platform that supports both teaching and student success at scale. We are mission-driven, collaborative, and deeply committed to making high-quality education accessible to all learners.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

You are curious, organized, and warm in conversation, and you care about making education more affordable and accessible. You enjoy talking with instructors and teachers, listening to their needs, and matching them with the right resources. You are comfortable managing a steady flow of leads, prioritizing tasks quickly, and following a clear process while still giving each person a personalized response. You write clearly, learn new tools and products easily, and work well with teammates in Sales, Marketing, Customer Experience, and Data Intelligence. You are looking for a role where you can build skills in consultative selling and grow with a mission-driven team.

Workplace Requirements:

This is a desk-based, computer-intensive role performed in a remote home-office environment. Reliable high-speed internet access and a suitable, distraction-free workspace are required. The role involves frequent phone and video calls with instructors during regular business hours. Occasional travel may be required to support conferences, webinars, and other outreach events.

Physical and environmental requirements for this classification:

• Movement: Walk – Occasionally (<33%); Climb Stairs, Ladders, Inclines, Objects/Equipment, Step Ladders – Rarely/As Required
• Mobility: Sitting, Standing – As Required; Repetitive Hand/Wrist/Finger Movement – Frequently
• Weight: 0–20 lbs.
• Sensory: Vision, Depth Perception, Hearing, Touch, Dexterity, Speech
• Environment: Office/Indoor
• Computer/Visual: Close visual acuity required for viewing computer monitors, reading documents, analyzing information, and performing computer-based work.

Rice provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities so that they can perform the essential functions of this role.

Workplace Location:

This position is fully remote, allowing all work to be performed from any location within the United States. Working hours will remain on Central Time. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

This position is not classified as Essential.

Hiring Range:

Proposed annual hiring range: $50,000–$57,000.

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree
• In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience above and beyond what is required may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
• One or more (1+) years of experience in sales, sales development, customer service, or a related customer-facing role.

Skills:

• Proficiency in sales, with the ability to learn and refine skills over time.
• Ability to act independently in creating and executing sales plans and managing customer service issues.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including a friendly and professional manner when communicating with customers in person or over the phone.
• Strong customer service and relationship-management skills, with the ability to build relationships with clients who may remain customers for multiple years.
• Ability to maintain the confidentiality of client data.
• Strong work ethic and self-motivation.
• Ability to manage a steady volume of leads, prioritize effectively, and follow a defined process with strong attention to detail.
• Comfort learning new software tools and products, including CRM systems.

Preferences:

• Experience in an inside sales, sales development, customer support, or similar customer-facing role.
• Experience with Salesforce, Pardot, or another CRM and marketing automation platform.
• Experience in education, educational technology, or publishing, including familiarity with how K–12 schools or colleges select instructional materials.
• Familiarity with open educational resources.
• Experience delivering product demonstrations via video conference.

Essential Functions:

• Builds and maintains relationships with new and existing clients, including instructors, teachers, and institutions interested in OpenStax.
• Conducts sales calls and meetings, including virtual meetings via phone and video conferencing.
• Assesses customer needs by verifying and qualifying leads from all sources against a defined qualification checklist.
• Recommends appropriate products and services, matching each instructor with the OpenStax resources that best fit their course.
• Educates prospective and current clients on the benefits of products and services, including providing demonstrations to individual instructors interested in OpenStax Assignable.
• Responds promptly to new leads in accordance with the team’s response-time targets.
• Transfers qualified opportunities to the appropriate Educational Resources Consultant with clear documentation and returns leads that are not yet ready to Marketing for further nurturing.
• Maintains accurate lead and contact records, statuses, and handoffs in Salesforce.
• Works with Customer Experience to verify instructor status and route questions to the appropriate team.
• Collaborates with Sales, Marketing, and Data Intelligence to improve lead routing, scoring, and qualification criteria, and identifies patterns in incoming leads.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Additional Functions:

• Helps document and refine the lead qualification checklist and related standard operating procedures.
• Reports on lead volume, response times, and handoff quality.
• Participates in team meetings and training related to OpenStax educational materials and products.
• Supports webinars, conferences, and other outreach events as needed.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.