Director Of Sales And Marketing

Pioneer Valley Books is seeking a results-driven, experienced, and creative sales and marketing leader for the position of Director of Sales and Marketing. In this role, you will steer the strategic direction of sales and marketing operations in an effort to grow sales and expand market reach across the Pioneer Valley Books family of brands. You will lead the Sales/Support and Marketing departments and report to the Senior Vice President.

Pioneer Valley Books is a leading publisher of award-winning literacy resources. We are committed to providing quality books for children learning to read and resources that support teachers in their work. Our customers passionately love our products, and our company continues to grow.

We are in search of an experienced Marketing and Sales expert to develop and execute the strategic direction of marketing and sales for the organization with a focus on growth opportunities. The role will be pivotal in the company’s efforts to diversify product offerings, expand market reach, maximize impact, and take the company to the next level. The Director of Sales and Marketing will lead the Sales/Support and Marketing departments, overseeing all aspects of sales, support, advertising, inbound and outbound marketing, and publicity. The ideal candidate brings strategic leadership experience in the marketing and sales of products targeted toward literacy learners and educators.

The Director will be a key member of the senior leadership team and will be responsible for guiding the sales and marketing plans for the organization. This role collaborates with and reports to the Senior Vice President and works with multiple teams across the business.

Key Duties

• Develop and monitor sales goals across different brands within the organization.
• Identify growth opportunities and create and execute strategic sales and marketing plans to strengthen the organization’s efforts to define and meet sales targets, expand market reach, and develop and cultivate relationships with clients.
• Maintain deep, up-to-date understanding of literacy educational trends and landscape.
• Guide the focus and rollout of marketing campaigns, including, but not limited to, market definition and segmentation and inbound and outbound efforts, both print media and digital.
• Gather, investigate, and summarize market data and trends and make recommendations to Executive Leadership.
• Develop, foster, and maintain solid relationships with school leaders and other decision makers.
• Research competitive products and brands to provide strategic insight to Executive Leadership regarding marketing and sales strategies and product development.
• Diversify and strengthen sales strategies, including direct selling, access to state and district curriculum lists, and overseeing our RFP reply processes.
• Coordinate information regarding new products, working closely with department managers to develop support processes, marketing campaigns, and internal information sharing.

Qualifications/Experience

Our ideal candidate will possess the following qualities:

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with deep experience working effectively and collaboratively across teams.
• A bachelor's degree in a related field or relevant comprehensive experience is required, a MBA or similar post-secondary degree is preferred.
• A proven track record in successful marketing and sales campaigns that drive revenue and expand market visibility and reach.
• Strong decision-making skills, with the ability to find creative business-oriented solutions to problems.
• Experience evaluating operational inefficiencies and collaborating to create comprehensive solutions.
• A minimum of 5–8 years managing high-performing sales and marketing teams. Experience in the literacy educational market is a plus.
• Experience leading and mentoring managers.
• Knowledge and application of a wide range of marketing and sales techniques and concepts and a proficiency in leveraging SEO, social media, and other digital tools.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, manage time efficiently, and motivate teams to stay focused on deadlines.

Experience with any of the following will be considered an additional asset: elementary or literacy education, educational publishing in grades K–12, or educational technology.

This position is full-time remote, with an occasional need to travel, either to our Northampton, MA, office or to trade shows that the organization attends.

Our company office is located in Northampton, MA. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package and a small, welcoming, pet-friendly office environment. If this sounds like your kind of job, we’d like to know! Please respond with a letter of interest and résumé. No phone calls please.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome, valued, and respected. We believe that diversity of thought, experience, and background is essential to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected status.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply. We believe that diversity makes our team stronger and our company more successful.

Here are some specific examples of how we promote diversity and inclusion in our workplace:

• We offer multiple DEI training opportunities to all employees.
• We partake in regular pay analysis initiatives to ensure all our team members are compensated properly.
• We have a Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging Committee that works to create a more inclusive workplace.
• We have employee affinity groups that increase opportunities for connection and belonging.

We are always looking for ways to improve our diversity and inclusion efforts. If you have any suggestions, please let us know.

We hope that you will consider joining our team and helping us build a more diverse and inclusive workplace.