Business Development Representative

Location: Chicago US (Hybrid currently 4 days/week in office)
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: USD $65000$85000 OTE dependent on experience equity

Were looking for someone who is excited to start or accelerate a career in sales and wants to make a real impact in education. As a Growth Representative youll be on the front lines of our growth in the US market helping schools discover a better way to find the educators and support staff their students need.

This is an ideal opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment enjoys building relationships and is motivated by learning and development. Youll work closely with sales operations and technology teams while developing core commercial skills that can accelerate your career.

As we continue to grow rapidly across North America this role offers significant opportunities for progression ownership and impact.

Zen Educate is a technology company transforming how schools find teachers and support staff. Our mission is to change the world of education recruitment by reducing the billions spent annually on agency fees and ensuring more money stays where it belongs: supporting students and educators.

Schools across North America and the UK face significant staffing shortages making it harder for students to access the education and support they deserve. Traditional staffing agencies often charge high markups that strain school budgets and reduce educator earnings.

By leveraging technology weve built a platform that gives schools direct access to fully vetted educators while helping schools save money and educators earn more.

Since launching in 2017 weve saved schools over $30 million globally allowing those funds to be reinvested directly into education. We recently raised a $37 million Series B round the largest European EdTech funding round of its year and were continuing to expand rapidly across the UK and US.

This is your opportunity to join a mission-driven company at an exciting stage of growth where your work will have a tangible impact on schools educators and students every day.

• Prospecting and calling school leaders across the United States to introduce Zen Educates offering

• Owning the full funnel sales process from cold outreach and pipeline building to closing new school and district partners

• Supporting the onboarding of new schools onto the Zen platform

• Making 40 outbound calls per day and consistently building pipeline

• Collaborating closely with Sales Operations and Technology teams to improve the customer experience

• Contributing ideas and feedback to improve sales processes and efficiency as we scale

• Representing Zen at conferences events and school meetings across the US when opportunities arise

• Developing your presentation and commercial skills with opportunities to lead demos over time

• Embracing the dynamic nature of startup life where adaptability initiative and problem-solving are essential

• A strong desire to build a career in sales within the education technology sector

• Excellent communication skills and confidence speaking with new people

• Enthusiasm curiosity and a willingness to learn

• A growth mindset and commitment to continuous improvement

• A collaborative approach and ability to work effectively within a team

• Resilience and motivation to succeed in a target-driven environment

• Experience working in education either as an educator or within the K12 sector

• Experience selling into schools or education organizations

• Previous customer-facing sales fundraising or business development experience

Most importantly were looking for people who are passionate about our mission and excited to make a meaningful impact in education.

This role is designed as a launchpad for a successful commercial career.

Youll receive structured training coaching and support from experienced sales leaders while gaining exposure to multiple areas of the business. As Zen continues to grow youll have opportunities to:

• Develop core sales and business development skills

• Take on greater ownership and responsibility

• Progress into more senior sales roles

• Lead product demonstrations and customer conversations

• Build expertise within education technology and the K12 market

• Contribute to the development of processes and strategies as the company scales

Were a collaborative mission-driven team that cares deeply about improving education.

At Zen youll work alongside people from diverse professional backgrounds including former teachers engineers marketers fundraisers lawyers pilots and entrepreneurs. We value curiosity ownership teamwork and a willingness to roll up your sleeves to solve problems.

Were growing quickly which means there is plenty of opportunity to make your mark contribute ideas and help shape how we operate.

Most importantly youll be working on a problem that mattershelping schools access the staff they need so students can thrive.

• Competitive salary with uncapped earning potential

• Equity ownership in the company

• Health insurance

• 18 days PTO (15 flexible days 3 days over the Christmas period)

• Regular team socials and events

• Opportunities for travel within the United States

• Comprehensive training and professional development

• A fun supportive and high-performing team environment

• The opportunity to work on a mission that genuinely makes a difference

• Introductory call with Talent (15 minutes)

• Role Play Interview with 2 leadership members (1 hour)

• Final values and team-fit conversation (1 hour)

We aim to move quickly and keep candidates informed throughout the process.

If youve read this far and youre excited about helping schools building your sales career and joining a fast-growing technology company wed love to hear from you.

We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds experiences and perspectivesjust like the educators and schools we support every day. We believe in hiring the best people from the widest possible pool and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the interview process please let us know.

Due to the high volume of applications we regret that we are unable to provide individual feedback on initial submissions.