Senior Account Manager (UK/ROW)

About Us

We’ve grown at an incredibly fast pace since our launch in 2017. We’re the trusted student-recruitment partner to 600 higher ed institutions in 35 countries worldwide, including the University of Cambridge, King’s College London, Boston University, the University of Southern California, NYU Global Services, HEC Paris, and Erasmus.

We’ve raised over $33M from top-tier investors, and we’re on course to achieve our mission of empowering 10 million students to make the right choices in their higher ed journey.

Leading KPIs:

• Retention/Renewal rate
• % overall revenue uplift / growth rate
• Own relationships with Decision Maker and Executive Sponsor
  
  

The Senior Account Manager leads on the commercial relationship with clients in their portfolio, taking personal responsibility for driving client retention and renewal rates, client growth, and revenue generation from existing clients, where applicable.

Key activities include:

• Retain and grow market share:
• Develop and maintain relationships with a portfolio of key clients, understanding their unique needs and business objectives.
• Drive contract value retention as well as growth through contract expansion and multi-year deals.
• Strategic Partnership:
• Act as a strategic partner with senior executives across the clients in the portfolio.
• Build an outstanding client experience in collaboration with the Customer Success team, to position Unibuddy as their trusted advisor.
• Support CS in the delivery of strategic quarterly business reviews, or as regularly as appropriate/agreed with clients.
• Account growth:
• Identify and develop new business opportunities with existing accounts (e.g. different departments / schools within existing establishments.)
• Negotiation:
• Lead the full sales conversation and negotiation and ongoing account management of each and every client in the portfolio.
• Ensure the contractual terms are mutually beneficial to Unibuddy and to clients, using our contract playbook.
• Insight Development:
• Anticipate any changes in the opportunities, market, and client needs and requirements that could impact the overall revenue target.
• Deliver accurate business metrics, monthly forecasts, weekly commits and pipeline development reports.
• Other commercial activities:
• Take on projects that support the improvement, streamlining, and efficiency of the above.
• Define, redefine processes that support Unibuddy’s commercial growth agenda.
• Act as a coach building commercially minded, trusted partnership relationships with clients to ensure both CS and AM is equipped and aligned to deliver growth.
  

Person Specification

Essential experience + qualifications

• Proven success (5+ years) in a B2B account management or commercial sales role, ideally within SaaS, higher education, or a consultative sales environment.
• Demonstrated track record of retaining and growing high-value client accounts, including leading contract negotiations.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders, including C-suite and Director-level clients.
• Strong understanding of commercial levers and KPIs; comfortable with forecasting, pipeline management, and using CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce).
• Evidence of cross-functional collaboration to deliver client value, particularly with Customer Success, Product, and Marketing teams.
  
  

Personal Capabilities

• Commercial Acumen: Ability to understand business drivers and identify value opportunities for both client and company.
• Relationship Management: Builds trust-based, long-term partnerships; credible and influential with senior client stakeholders.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to anticipate client needs, navigate complex accounts, and align Unibuddy’s offering to evolving market conditions.
• Negotiation & Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills; confident negotiator who can navigate challenging conversations constructively, and secure a clear win.
• Analytical Thinking: Confident using data to inform decisions, identify growth opportunities, and report accurately on commercial performance.
• Project Management: Organised, proactive, and able to manage multiple client projects and initiatives concurrently.
• Coaching & Influence: Skilled in supporting colleagues and elevating team capability through commercial mindset coaching and peer support.
  
  

Personal Attributes

• Results-driven, ambitious, and comfortable owning a commercial target.
• Curious, adaptable, and responsive to change and feedback.
• Collaborative and team-oriented with a low-ego, high-integrity approach.
• Passionate about the mission of widening access to education and supporting student success.
  
  

Desirable

• Familiarity with the UK and international higher education sector.
• Experience working in or with early-stage/growth tech companies.
• Exposure to contract legal terms and frameworks within the UK context.
  
  

What's On Offer

• Competitive Salary + Commission
• Hybrid working (currently 3 days remote and 2 days (Tuesday & Thursday) in the London office)
• Private healthcare provided by Bupa
• Mental health support is provided by Spill
• Life insurance
• Pension matched up to 6%
• 25 days of annual leave plus national holidays and additional days at the end of the year for a company-wide shutdown!
  
  

If you don’t meet all the requirements but think you might still be right for the role, please apply anyway. We’re always keen to speak to people who connect with our mission and values.