VP, Business Development

At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to make learning limitless– and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class higher education  the parent company of edX, a leading online learning platform, 2U powers thousands of higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with our college, university, and corporate partners, we are helping accelerate careers and transform lives.

Higher education is at an inflection point. Universities are rethinking how they deliver value to students, how they grow sustainably, and how they compete in an increasingly digital world. They need partners who understand those stakes—not vendors reading a pitch deck.

We are looking for a senior Business Development individual contributor who will own the full sales cycle from first conversation to signed contract. This is not a support role. You will be the primary relationship holder with Presidents, Provosts, and Deans, acting as a strategic thought partner who helps them connect 2U's capabilities to their most pressing institutional priorities. Internally, you will operate as the "quarterback" of every deal—pulling together teams across Finance, Legal, Product, Marketing, and Learning Design to build and deliver compelling, tailored partnership proposals.

If you get energy from complex multi-stakeholder deals, and want to do work that genuinely shapes the future of education, this role was built for you.

Own the Full Sales Lifecycle

• Drive new university partnerships from prospecting and discovery through negotiation and close.
• Develop and execute a territory strategy targeting high-value institutional prospects.
• Lead complex contract negotiations involving multi-year, multi-stakeholder agreements and nuanced financial structures (e.g., revenue share, fee-for-service).
• Maintain disciplined pipeline management and accurate forecasting within Salesforce.
• Act as the internal "general manager" for each deal, coordinating across Product, Finance, Legal, Marketing, and Learning Design to assemble the right solution and move it through internal approvals.
• Proactively surface and resolve roadblocks, competing priorities, and process gaps. Influence without authority to keep deals on track.
• Serve as the voice of the partner internally, ensuring proposals reflect both market reality and institutional need.

Build & Accelerate Pipeline Through Technology

• Leverage modern sales technology and intelligence tools (e.g., Salesforce, Linked In Sales Navigator, Zoom Info, Outreach, AI-enabled research tools) to identify prospects, map decision‑making structures, and scale outreach.
• Use data to prioritize targets, personalize engagement, and continuously improve conversion at every stage of the funnel.

Serve as a Strategic Thought Partner to University Leaders

• Engage directly with Presidents, Provosts, Deans, and other senior academic leaders to deeply understand their strategic vision, enrollment challenges, and digital transformation goals.
• Translate institutional priorities into tailored partnership concepts that align 2U's portfolio—degree programs, executive education, and professional certificates—with the university's strengths and market opportunities.
• Bring market intelligence, competitive insight, and a point of view to every conversation. You are not an order‑taker; you help partners see what is possible.

• 10+ years of enterprise sales or strategic business development experience with a consistent track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets in a complex, consultative selling environment.
• Proven C‑suite selling experience. You have personally built relationships with and sold to CEOs, CFOs, COOs, or equivalent senior executives. You are credible and composed in high‑stakes executive conversations.
• Experience managing long, complex sales cycles (6–18+ months) with multiple stakeholders, competing interests, and sophisticated deal structures.
• Sales technology fluency. You actively use modern tools to build pipeline, manage deals, and work more efficiently. You are eager to adopt new technology that…