WHO WE ARE:

AwardSpring is an established and fast-growing Software as a Service (SaaS) start-up that partners with colleges and foundations to help them award scholarships and grants. We want to make it as easy as possible for students to apply for and receive scholarship money, and as easy as possible for institutions to deliver that money and raise more money for future students.

OUR VALUES:

• Bias for Action: We are a small team that is in full growth mode at the moment. We all wear a lot of hats (figuratively) and we have a deep appreciation for showing ownership and accountability to our peers and customers (literally).
• Find A Way: We have found that there is not always an easy answer to every question or issue that arises. Yet, we strive to be creative and find a way to simplify things every day. Together, we find a way to remove every roadblock.
• Be Human: After all, we are all people (robots—please do not apply). We like to have a human voice and show empathy and friendliness to everyone we interact with.
• Keep Improving: We accept that we are not perfect, but we strive to get a little bit better every day. Hopefully you do too.

WHO YOU ARE: 

• You are just a few years removed from the world of college and scholarships and understand the critical need for a simplified and streamlined scholarship application and award process. You have a bachelor’s degree and a passion for higher education, and are willing to work in our Chicago office.
• You see your role in sales as an opportunity to help people.
• You are full of enthusiasm. You have the key to help students from all walks of life in their pursuit of post-secondary education by making scholarship dollars easily obtainable, and you are excited to communicate this to our potential customers.
• You have grit: You approach achievement as a marathon. You have the grit and stamina to continue when the going gets tough and you face rejection. You understand that your work is helping your customers solve for pain in their daily lives and that is something you are passionate about.
• You have an abundance of natural curiosity: You want to understand our potential customers current situation by asking the important questions. And when you think you have everything understood, you still ask more questions.
• You have strong interpersonal skills: Though you were probably taught not to talk to strangers, you have found that conversing with strangers comes easy to you. You have the ability drive conversations toward a designed end.
• You possess a high level of emotional intelligence: You have mastered the ability to check your ego and you are able to display empathy in your conversations with others.
• You are results driven and well organized: You can align yourself with a specific goal and design each workday around achieving certain metrics to reach that goal. You understand that time management and organization will play a big role in your success.
• You have 1-3 years of software sales experience: Extra credit for background in or knowledge of the scholarship and grant awarding process within higher education and/or non-profit foundation space.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

As an Account Executive, you will help cultivate new clients for AwardSpring as we continue to grow our market share in the college, university, and foundation verticals. You will leverage your SaaS sales experience to drive growth through new client acquisition. By collaborating with our SDR team, you will work to qualify new opportunities and carry those opportunities from initial discovery call to close. You will quarterback your own book of business through our sales process by:

• Conducting need discovery calls to determine a prospect’s current scholarship process and how AwardSpring may be able to help improve their situation
• Providing web demonstrations of the AwardSpring platform that showcases how we can elevate their current situation to a more desirable end state
• Navigating multiple departments within colleges and universities to include all pertinent stakeholders in your discussions 
• Communicating a deep understanding of a prospect’s pain points and the solution AwardSpring can offer through storytelling
• Driving prospects to close in a predictable manner by displaying competency and confidence in our sales process

WHY YOU SHOULD WORK AT AWARDSPRING:

We pride ourselves on having an environment that cares deeply about each employee and the customers we serve. Besides creating an open, friendly and flexible working environment, we also offer a number of benefits, including (but not limited to):

• Health, dental, & vision insurance
• 401(k) with matching
• Participation Plan (Equity) after one year's service
• 15 days of vacation, in addition to sick leave & 10+ holidays 
• Flexible schedules
• Summer hours
• 3pm happy hour on Fridays
• Free snacks & drinks at Chicago HQ

AwardSpring is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for every person who walks through our door. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. AwardSpring embraces and celebrates diversity.