Director, Commercial Response, International Higher Education 
Location: Flexible/Remote | Full-Time 

At Pearson, our mission is to help people realize the life they imagine through learning.  As Director, Commercial Response for International Higher Education. you will play a critical, commercially driven role in identifying, pursuing, and winning large-scale business opportunities that help us deliver our products and services to governments, academic institutions, and corporate clients globally. 

This role blends strategic bid leadership with a commercial growth mindset—ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of sales, solutioning, and execution. You won’t just manage proposals—you’ll help shape the pipeline, standardize our pursuit methodology, and secure high-value partnerships that transform education at scale. 

 

Key Responsibilities 

Lead and secure high-value commercial opportunities to drive Pearson’s strategic growth and business transformation. 

Define and roll out a company-wide pursuit methodology to ensure consistency, quality, and success across bids. 

Lead significant strategic projects that strengthen our commercial capabilities and competitiveness across markets. 

Proactively identify and qualify new commercial opportunities in collaboration with regional Sales, Marketing, and Product teams. 

Manage end-to-end bid responses, coordinating inputs from multiple stakeholders across Pearson’s global matrix organization. 

Lead the development of high-quality, tailored proposals that proactively address the specific needs and priorities of key customer personas. 

Own and drive the proposal process, from initial capture planning and win strategy development to final submission. 

Conduct quality reviews of strategic proposals to ensure alignment with client needs and Pearson’s business objectives. 

Break down complex bids into actionable tasks, assign responsibilities, and manage contributors to meet deadlines. 

Maintain and enhance proposal templates, boilerplate content, and assets within Pearson’s bid management system  

Build collaborative relationships with Account Managers, ensuring effective engagement throughout the pursuit lifecycle. 

Implement bid process improvements to increase efficiency, scalability, and win rate. 

Analyze bid outcomes and pipeline health to inform continuous improvement and strategy refinement. 

 

What You Bring 

10+ years of experience in bid management, commercial pursuits, or strategic proposal leadership, preferably within EdTech, professional services, or B2B sales environments. 

Proven success delivering winning proposals for deals valued in the tens to hundreds of millions. 

Experience defining and embedding pursuit methodologies or sales enablement processes at a global or enterprise level. 

Commercial acumen with a strong ability to identify opportunities, shape value propositions, and position complex solutions. 

Strong project management, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills. 

Comfort navigating a matrixed environment with global cross-functional teams. 

Familiarity with public sector procurement (e.g., RFPs, RFIs, government frameworks) is highly desirable. 

 

Why Pearson?
Pearson is transforming the way the world learns. As a Director, Commercial Response, you’ll play a key role in that mission by helping secure transformative partnerships around the globe. Bring your strategy, your voice, and your vision—we’ll bring the platform and purpose.