Director, Certification Prep

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Job Description

For more than 80 years, Kaplan has been a trailblazer in education and professional advancement. We are a global company at the intersection of education and technology, focused on collaboration, innovation, and creativity to deliver a best-in-class educational experience and make Kaplan a great place to work.

The future of education is here and we are eager to work alongside those who want to make a positive impact and inspire change in the world around them.

This role seeks an entrepreneurial and results-driven leader to spearhead the "Kaplan CertPrep" initiative. This initiative aims to disrupt the test preparation market by leveraging advanced AI to create high-quality, cost-effective materials for niche and underserved markets. The Director will be responsible for defining and executing the strategic roadmap for market entry, customer acquisition, and revenue growth. The position requires a leader with a strong digital marketing background and an understanding of market dynamics to capitalize on untapped markets, with the goal of achieving at least $1 million in revenue within three years.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead Strategic Direction: The Director will lead and execute the strategic vision and roadmap for CertPrep, with a focus on market penetration, customer acquisition, and revenue acceleration. This includes leading the go-to-market strategy from market validation to scaling digital sales channels.

• Drive AI Marketing & Sales: A primary responsibility is to lead the strategy, implementation, and optimization of all AI-powered digital marketing and sales initiatives. The goal is to achieve a significant reduction in customer acquisition costs for key segments vs. benchmarks. 

• Own Product Strategy: The Director will lead the product strategy, ensuring that the development of AI-powered test prep products is aligned with digital market demand and commercial objectives. This includes directly contributing to product development that expresses the strategy.

• Identify Growth Opportunities: The role involves identifying and penetrating new, untapped niche markets through targeted digital campaigns to expand the brand's footprint and generate new revenue streams. The Director will also build and optimize direct-to-consumer (B2C) digital sales funnels and explore business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-institution (B2I) revenue opportunities.

• Ensure Operational Excellence: The Director will establish scalable processes for digital marketing automation, sales operations, and content production, using AI and technology to drive efficiency. This includes managing key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure optimal investment costs per product and meeting the three-year revenue target of $1 million.

• Lead High-Performing Team: The role involves leading and mentoring a high-performing team focused on digital marketing and sales execution. The Director will also foster a culture of innovation, agility, and commercial drive.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors or equivalent experience

• 5+ Years of experience with successfully launching and scaling digital products or ventures, particularly those targeting niche markets, with a strong focus on market adoption.

• 2+ years of collaborating with digital marketing, growth marketing, content marketing, or e-commerce teams.

• 1+ years of formal, on-the-job experience with AI-driven product creation and marketing.

• Success in driving revenue growth and understanding of optimizing customer acquisition costs.

• Excellent communication skills.

• Demonstrated analytical, and project management skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with AI-driven product development and leading businesses that leverage AI as a core differentiator is highly valued.

• Familiarity with leveraging AI and emerging technologies for digital marketing, lead generation, and sales optimization is a plus.

• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented technology company, especially within the EdTech or AI-driven software-as-a-service (SaaS) sector, is highly desirable.

• Prior experience with a digital startup incubation arm at a consulting firm or associated with venture capital (e.g., Y Combinator) is also helpful.

• MBA or an advanced degree in a relevant field such as Marketing, Business, or Digital Communications

Beyond base salary, our comprehensive total rewards package includes:

- Remote work provides a flexible work/life balance
- Comprehensive Retirement Package automatically enrolled in The Company Contribution Plan (8-10% annual company contribution based on tenure)
- Our Gift of Knowledge Program provides tuition assistance and substantial discounts for our employees and close family members
- Comprehensive health benefits new hire eligibility starts on day 1 of employment
- Generous Paid Time Off includes paid holidays, vacation, personal, sick paid time-off, plus one (1) volunteer day and one (1) diversity and inclusion day to participate and give back to our local communities

We are committed to providing a supportive and rewarding work environment where every employee can thrive. You can learn more about our full benefits package and total rewards philosophy here.
 

At Kaplan, we believe in attracting, rewarding, and retaining exceptional talent. Our compensation philosophy is designed to be competitive within the market, reflecting the value we place on the skills, experience, and contributions of our employees, while taking into account labor market trends and total rewards.

For full-time positions, Kaplan has two Salary Grades. This position is Salary Grade B: $64,000 - $202,600. The specific compensation offered will be determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, education, skills, and market data. We are an equal opportunity employer and comply with all applicable federal and state wage laws.

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Diversity & Inclusion Statement:

Kaplan is committed to cultivating an inclusive workplace that values diversity, promotes equity, and integrates inclusivity into all aspects of our operations. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, nationality, or sex. We believe that diversity strengthens our organization, fuels innovation, and improves our ability to serve our students, customers, and communities. Learn more about our culture here.

Kaplan considers qualified applicants for employment even if applicants have an arrest or conviction in their background check records. Kaplan complies with related background check regulations, including but not limited to, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.  There are various positions where certain convictions may disqualify applicants, such as those positions requiring interaction with minors, financial records, or other sensitive and/or confidential information.