Principal Business Analyst, Sales Operations

Pearson’s Higher Education North America Sales Operations team is seeking a Principal Business Analyst that is a stand-out leader with a proven track record of innovative analysis, deep experience in making connections across data, and presenting findings and recommendations to executive leadership. We are looking for a true partner who can help accelerate the transformation towards better, more data-driven business decisions both for key programs and everyday action.

The Principal Business Analyst will be expected to work closely with members of the Sales Operations team including the Sr. Director and VP to drive critical business objectives. You will have or develop a thorough understanding of the business and markets to play a lead role in supporting forecasts, understanding and employing Pearson and third-party data, monitoring/analyzing sales programs and partnering with other functional team members to turn business insights into action and drive revenue growth nationally.

This position will report into the Sr. Director, Sales Operations. This is a remote/home-based position.

Primary role responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Owner of the forecasting process and all data around forecasting, including examining trends and guiding improvements to process and data visualization

Monitor KPIs and identify patterns, trends, outliers, and opportunities in the data, providing updates to the CRO, VP-Sales Operations, Finance, and other senior stakeholders

Be a thought leader and strategic thinker – always looking for ways to improve the reporting data to provide valuable insight into the productivity of the sales organization, finding improvements Relentlessly seek out root cause problems and address them to evolve and improve business processes

Establish strong relationships with senior leaders, data teams, and Regional Business Partners within and beyond Sales Operations and Data Center of Expertise (DCoE)

Represent Sales Operations on corporate projects that impact the productivity and efficiency of the sales organization – in some cases lead and manage some or all aspects of these projects, ensuring timely completion

Thrive on curiosity around data--explore data trends in depth, and be able to summarize findings recommendations succinctly to audiences across the business

Be the established point person to collaborate with colleagues in the DCoE to drive new insights including accountability for providing requirements for new tools and dashboards

Update and ensure accuracy for all regular executive presentation / readout packages around forecasting, pipeline, and sales performance

Work closely with the Sr. Director, Sales Operations, product management, finance, etc. to prioritize and recommend strategic actions to take based on the data

Make connections across disparate data sets (e.g. internal sales data, opportunity information, and third-party info) to further bolster critical information to the business

Provide analysis that can be more ad-hoc or more sustained, depending on the need

Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the technology and tools leveraged by the sales organization to manage the business (Salesforce, Tableau)

Accountabilities

Achieving or exceeding set targets for performance

Point person for Forecasting data and process

Point person for DCoE connection

Collaborating with various stakeholders to drive effective recommendations across the business

Detail leadership on key trends and equip them for moving insights into actions

Support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives

Capabilities

Initiative-taking; self-directed

Problem solver

Trust-worthy and dependable- a trusted advisor

Proactive- address things before they become issues

Agility to be able to pivot quickly

See into the future with data

Determination and desire to achieve results- takes everything one step further

Optimistic and positive

Responsive and helpful

Accountable, strategic leader

Curious and scientific thinking approach

Consistent track record for excelling in a fast-paced business environment

Strong written, oral, and presentational communication skills

Resilience and the ability to overcome challenges to achieve outcomes

Highly organized with ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines

Collaboration skills while working towards a common goal

Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and successful work experiences (graduate degree preferred)

8-10 years experience in data analysis, especially in sales, operations, and/or finance

Strong financial acumen

Ability to work with all cross-functional teams, build relationships and manage-up

Excel mastery

Experience with Salesforce a plus

Experience with Tableau a plus

Ability to work with all cross-functional teams, build relationships and influence broadly

Experience / interest in education a plus, but not required

Must be able to travel at least 10%

Pearson provides a flexible work environment for its employees. We believe that the ability to work from anywhere, anytime in work/life balance is a critical part of our culture and employee satisfaction. In exchange, we require that employees have the appropriate means to work remotely, including adherence to our work at home policies regarding home office setup, including but not limited to privacy of records, technology standards, equipment standards and expectations.

Pearson is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and a member of E-Verify. All qualified applicants, including minorities, women, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

What to expect from Pearson

Did you know Pearson is one of the 10 most innovative education companies of 2022?

At Pearson, we add life to a lifetime of learning so everyone can realize the life they imagine. We do this by creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are on a journey to be 100 percent digital to meet the changing needs of the global population by developing a new strategy with ambitious targets. To deliver on our strategic vision, we have five business divisions that are the foundation for the long-term growth of the company: Assessment Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills and Higher Education. Alongside these, we have our corporate divisions: Digital Technology, Finance, Global Corporate Marketing Communications, Human Resources, Legal, Strategy and Direct to Consumer. Learn more at We are Pearson.

We value the power of an inclusive culture and also a strong sense of belonging. We promote a culture where differences are embraced, opportunities are accessible, consideration and respect are the norm and all individuals are supported in reaching their full potential. Through our talent, we believe that diversity, equity and inclusion make us a more innovative and vibrant place to work. People are at the center, and we are committed to building a workplace where talent can learn, grow and thrive.

Pearson is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. We want a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We strive for a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities.

To learn more about Pearson’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive workforce, navigate to: Diversity, Equity Inclusion at Pearson.

If you are an individual with a disability and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career site as a result of your disability, you may request reasonable accommodations by emailing [email protected].

Note that the information you provide will stay confidential and will be stored securely. It will not be seen by those involved in making decisions as part of the recruitment process.

Job: SALES

Organization: Higher Education

Schedule: FULL_TIME

Req ID: 15306

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