Solutions & Services Executive – Higher Education Focus
Lenovo is seeking a highly experienced Solutions & Services Executive (SSE) to drive strategic growth across the Higher Education segment, with a focus on North East markets. In this client-facing role, you will own and expand the end-to-end SSG relationship across the full lifecycle of complex engagements, delivering solutions aligned to the evolving needs of universities, research institutions, and academic organizations.
As a trusted advisor, you will bring a deep understanding of Higher Education environments including decentralized decision-making structures, research-driven IT requirements, funding models (grants, endowments, and departmental budgets), and campus-wide digital transformation initiatives. You will position Lenovo’s full portfolio across Services, Hardware, Software, Security, ISVs, and partner-led solutions to address institutional goals such as student success, hybrid learning, research enablement, and operational efficiency.
This role requires a proven acquisition mindset, strong consultative selling capabilities, and the ability to navigate complex academic ecosystems while building long-term, strategic relationships.
This role will provide dedicated support across our higher education efforts, spanning from Virginia to Maine. While the position is fully remote, we are seeking candidates located within this geographic region to ensure strong alignment with regional hiring needs, time zones, and stakeholder collaboration. Candidates should be comfortable working remotely while partnering closely with cross-functional teams across the Northeast corridor.
Key Responsibilities
Sales Leadership & Execution
- Lead all aspects of the services sales lifecycle across complex Higher Education opportunities, from opportunity identification through closure and long-term expansion
- Orchestrate cross-functional teams across sales, finance, service delivery, and partners to deliver innovative, scalable solutions for academic institutions
- Develop territory strategy and pipeline forecasting using Microsoft Dynamics and enterprise tools, ensuring consistent attainment of growth objectives
- Drive net-new business acquisition while expanding existing campus relationships through multi-year managed services and strategic engagements
Higher Education Account Engagement
- Partner closely with Client Managers, Service & Solution Domain Specialists (SSDS), and extended account teams to execute integrated account strategies
- Build and maintain relationships across university stakeholders, including CIOs, CTOs, Provosts, Research Leaders, IT Directors, and Procurement teams
- Navigate complex, decentralized buying environments across campuses, departments, and affiliated research entities
- Serve as a trusted consultant, aligning Lenovo capabilities to institutional priorities such as digital learning environments, hybrid campuses, and research computing
Industry & Domain Expertise – Higher Education
- Demonstrate deep understanding of Higher Education trends, including hybrid learning models, research computing needs, AI/analytics adoption, and student device strategies
- Align solutions to key initiatives such as student success programs, faculty enablement, secure research environments, and campus IT modernization
- Leverage experience with RFPs, RFQs, consortium contracts (e.g., E&I, OMNIA, Sourcewell), and higher ed procurement frameworks
- Support institutions in optimizing funding sources including grants, capital budgets, and operational spend
Portfolio & Solution Acumen
- Exhibit strong expertise across Lenovo’s end-to-end portfolio, including Digital Workplace Solutions (DWS), Device as a Service (DaaS), Infrastructure Solutions (ISG), HPC solutions, and advanced services
- Translate complex academic and research requirements into scalable, outcome-driven solutions
- Confidently position integrated offerings across services, software, and hardware in multi-vendor and open research environments
- Support high-performance computing (HPC), AI/ML, and data-intensive workloads common in research institutions
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience
- 5+ years of successful experience in IT solutions and services sales
Preferred Qualifications
- Proven track record selling multi-year managed services and complex IT solutions
- Strong knowledge of Digital Workplace Solutions, DaaS, and lifecycle services
- Experience navigating complex organizations with multiple stakeholders and decision-makers
- Exceptional communication, executive presence, and negotiation skills
- Self-motivated, results-oriented, with strong pipeline and forecasting discipline
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, competitive environment
- Willingness to travel across assigned North East territory as needed
- Experience selling into Higher Education institutions, particularly across East Coast universities and research organizations
- Familiarity with campus IT environments, research computing, and academic procurement processes
- Proven ability to develop and grow strategic engagements through MSAs, SOWs, and long-term service agreements
- Experience with cooperative purchasing vehicles and Higher Ed consortiums (NASPO, E&I, OMNIA, etc.)
- Background supporting research, HPC, or AI-driven academic initiatives
The base salary budgeted range for this position is 140K - 170K. Individuals may also be considered for bonus and/or commission. Lenovo’s various benefits can be found on www.lenovobenefits.com.
In compliance with Colorado's EPEWA, the expected application deadline for this position is August 1, 2026. This applies to both external and internal candidates. 
