Strategic Solution Director

Overview

At PowerSchool, we are a dedicated team of innovators guided by our shared purpose of powering personalized education for students around the world. From the central office to the classroom to the home, PowerSchool supports the entire educational ecosystem as the global leader of cloud-based software for K-12 education. Our employees make it all possible, and a career with us means you’re joining a successful team committed to engaging, empowering, and improving the K-12 education experience everywhere.

Team Overview

The Solution Consulting team turns customer challenges into clear solution paths. Working side by side with Sales, we lead discovery, craft compelling POVs, and validate value through demos and pilots, raising win rates, expanding suites, and strengthening long-term relationships across K-12 so districts can deliver better results for every student.

Responsibilities

Description

The Strategic Solution Director is a highly skilled domain and product expert who plays a strategic role in complex sales cycles by shaping solution strategy, mentoring peers, and contributing to scalable sales processes. Beyond delivering technical validation, this role shapes PowerSchool’s sales strategy, mentors Solution Consulting teams across segments, and aligns technical content with enablement programs. The Strategic Solution Director drives organizational excellence by improving product/market alignment, strengthening content programs, and aligning technical storytelling to buyer priorities. They help position PowerSchool as the premier provider of K–12 software solutions within their product domain.

Your day-to-day job will consist of:

• Build deep expertise in a defined product group and associated buyer personas; act as the primary subject matter expert (SME) for active sales opportunities and representing their product domain in multi-product pursuits.
• Partner with SDRs and AEs in early discovery to qualify opportunities and assess alignment of systems, data flows, integration points, and non-functional requirements (e.g., security, scalability, accessibility) to support pursuit strategy.
• Translate functional requirements into scalable solution design and configuration options; lead product proofs of concept (POCs) to validate solution fit and convert pipeline.
• Document MEDDPICC-aligned insights, particularly Metrics and Decision Criteria, in CRM or pursuit documentation.
• Provide accurate, comprehensive responses to RFPs and RFIs that address the needs of functional buyers.
• Serve as the SKU configuration SME to validate quotes against the proposed solution and customer technical landscape.
• Design and deliver persona-specific demos, workshops, and proofs of concept that align product capabilities with buyer outcomes and Decision Criteria.
• Maintain demo environments with up-to-date data, reusable scripts, scenario assets, and runbooks that support Sales progression.
• Prepare detailed post-sale handoff materials to ensure seamless transitions to Services and Customer Success.
• Provide structured feedback to Product and Enablement teams on product capabilities, market gaps, objections, and content needed based on real-world sales cycles to enhance team effectiveness and performance.
• Support enablement by developing onboarding content, certification programs, and demo practice cards.
• Travel extensively (60–75%), with weekly customer visits common. Travel supports high-impact activities such as advancing strategic deals, conducting onsite demos, and leading executive workshops.

Success Indicators

• Improved win rates and sales velocity on pursuits with Principal SC involvement.
• Readiness of demo environments and run-of-shows finalized before demo meetings.
• SDR-sourced opportunities with SC involvement show a high conversion rate vs. SDR baseline.
• Quote accuracy (percent with no re-quotes due to configuration/SKU issues).
• Recognized contributions to strategic GTM initiatives, demo programs, or sales transformation efforts.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Deep understanding of one K–12 technical domain (Student Information Systems and analytics, learning and engagement, or ERP and talent) and relevant K–12 buyer personas.
• Proven ability to lead complex demos and validate solutions with senior-level K–12 buyers (e.g., CIO, CFO, CAO).
• Able to build reusable demo assets, runbooks, or checklists that improved team demo quality and consistency.
• Experience contributing to RFPs, RFIs, or security questionnaires in the public sector.
• Familiar with integrations, data flows, and EdTech standards, including APIs, rostering, SFTP, authentication, basic security controls, and identity models such as Ed-Fi, OneRoste