By joining the National Student Clearinghouse, you can be sure that the work you do now will help shape the future of education and the workforce in the U.S. As the trusted source for higher education data since 1993, the Clearinghouse is the leading provider of transcript and data exchange services, automated enrollment and degree verifications, learner insights and research, and compliance solutions for schools, businesses, and learners nationwide. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Clearinghouse works with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions to meet their compliance needs and with thousands of high schools and districts to provide continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics about their alumni. In addition, the Research Center publications inform policymakers and business leaders about student educational pathways. Using our unique combination of data, analytics, and software to drive our mission, security and privacy is paramount. Join us as we continue to invest in our talent and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data on behalf of all learners.
About the Role:
The Sales Engineer serves as the technical and consultative partner to Sales, Product, Research, and customers across the full sales lifecycle. In this role, you will design and communicate data-driven and research-backed solutions, conduct technical discovery, build demonstrations and POCs, architect custom research workflows, and ensure adoption and value realization. You will work closely with researchers, business solutions, K-12, higher education, workforce, and EdTech clients to translate research objectives and data challenges into actionable, scalable solutions.
As a subject matter expert in education data and research-driven solutioning, you will act as a primary link between business development, analyst, and customers. You will help design, deliver, and optimize custom research initiatives; architect technical and data-integration solutions; and coordinate project delivery from scoping through implementation. Throughout the sales lifecycle, you will guide customer relationships, deliver compelling technical demonstrations, support proposal development, and contribute to process delivery. This role requires a blend of technical depth, data expertise, analytical skills, and consultative storytelling to empower clients and drive measurable outcomes.
Currently, this is a remote-first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on-site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.
How You Contribute:
Demonstrate the Clearinghouse's core competencies:Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic.
Manage customer relationships pre and post sale, supporting the sales team through proposal creation, assessments, technical solutioning, and ongoing adoption support.
Help establish and measure annual market penetration targets and new revenue goals.
Serve as a technical expert throughout the research and sales lifecycle, maximizing client value realization and supporting long term success.
Serve as a trusted advisor, translating complex requirements into actionable, scalable solutions for diverse clients, including education focused organizations.
Create and update formulaic pricing models to standardize and replicate program pricing across opportunities.
Update and maintain contract management tools to ensure compliance and accuracy.
Stay current on internal data assets, including structure, operations, and use cases, to advise customers and guide solution design.
Design and architect custom research workflows leveraging modern data integration, data modeling, and analytics approaches.
Derive business needs from customer and industry leader discussions; capture and document detailed requirements to ensure full satisfaction throughout the sales process.
Contribute to process improvements, workflow enhancements, and technical collateral to support sales, research, and solution delivery initiatives.
Lead collaboration between custom research sales, analysts, and technical teams to design solutions aligned with market and customer needs.
Collaborate with legal and research teams to track deliverables, ensure alignment across functions, and maintain contractual and operational accuracy.
Thrive in conversations with stakeholders at all levels technical experts, operational staff, and senior leaders adjusting communication style as needed.
Facilitate custom research presentations and deliver compelling, technically grounded solution demonstrations for both technical and non technical audiences.
Present research findings, data narratives, and analytic insights to help stakeholders understand solution impact and value.
Participate in business strategy and planning sessions; proactively identify challenges, propose solutions, and take ownership in driving them to resolution.
Build trust with internal and external stakeholders by demonstrating reliability, transparency, and consistency between words and actions.
Contribute to internal knowledge sharing by documenting solution patterns, best practices, and reusable workflows for cross functional teams.
Position may be required to perform other duties as required. These essential functions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
What You Bring to the Table:
Bachelors degree in Business, Information Technology, Computer Science, Data Science, Education Research, Public Policy, Statistics, or related field. A combination of education and experience including military service will also be considered.
4 years direct and relevant experience in customer interaction, technical support, and representing complex products and services, especially in large-scale data and research projects.
Ability to translate complex technical, data, or research concepts into clear, business aligned solutions.
Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to present technical content to diverse audiences and @context shift across subjects.
Demonstrated collaboration skills with a proven record of aligning legal, research, sales, product, data, and external stakeholder needs effectively.
Ability to design, document, and support end to end data and research workflows, including integration, modeling, and analytics.
Strong analytical skills for identifying customer problems, assessing requirements, and generating actionable, data driven recommendations.
Excellent problem solving ability with creativity, customer centric thinking, and an understanding of complex systems, architectures, and industry processes.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast paced environment while delivering high quality technical content and proposal support.
High degree of authenticity, integrity, and relationship building ability, fostering trust with internal and external stakeholders.
Proficiency in progr
