Today, 67% of students and 82% of low-income students can’t read at grade level by the end of third grade. That’s when students are supposed to go from learning to read to reading to learn. It’s America’s number one education crisis and we know how to fix it.
Ignite Reading delivers one-to-one virtual tutoring that teaches every student the foundational skills they need to become a confident, fluent reader. We pair students who need extra support with expert reading tutors who provide daily, 15-minute, Science of Reading-based instruction that rapidly closes their decoding gaps. We focus on the foundational reading skills—phonics, phonemic awareness, and sight words—kids need to master so they can decode a sentence. Students in Ignite Reading’s program achieve over 2 weeks of reading skills growth per week of instruction, and notably all students achieve the same outstanding results including students with IEPs, multilingual learners, students of color and those receiving free or reduced-price lunch.
Ignite Reading is a mission-driven public benefit corporation. We believe we can do well for our team members and shareholders while we solve one of the nation’s biggest challenges. We believe we will be more successful with a diverse team and are seeking candidates who have lived experience related to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Your Role
The Sales Development Representative (SDR) will play a critical role in driving the success of our sales efforts by conducting rapid follow up with leads from the marketing team, qualifying leads, and setting appointments for the sales team. Using a mix of email, phone calls, and social media, this position will own the key performance metric of booking meetings for the sales team with district and school leaders who show inbound interest in Ignite Reading’s services. In addition, this individual will be a key contributor in crafting Ignite Reading’s lead follow up strategy through the insights they gather from their work. The ideal candidate should have a passion for engaging prospects, be a strong writer, communicator, and listener, and have experience as a SDR previously and/or selling into the K-12 education market. A member of the revenue team (marketing and sales), this position will report to the VP of Marketing and have a strong dotted line to sales.
Core Responsibilities
- Qualify inbound leads through outbound calls, emails, and social media, and determine their fit and readiness for our sales process.
- Schedule meetings for Ignite Reading’s partnerships team with inbound leads you qualify.
- Support the creation of messaging, email cadences and campaigns to directly engage leads using Ignite Reading’s value proposition and positioning.
- Collaborate with the sales and marketing teams to evaluate lead quality and optimize lead follow up campaigns.
- Participate in marketing strategy meetings, providing strategic insights on how to improve lead follow up tactics and messaging.
- CRM Management: Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all sales activities, leads, meetings booked, and interactions in HubSpot, Ignite Reading’s CRM system.
- Report regularly on key performance metrics including leads contacted, engagement, and meetings booked (among others).
- Perform research on districts as a component of lead qualification activities utilizing tools like GovSpend, MDR, and internet research.
Competencies
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Experience selling to K-12 districts and/or working as a SDR previously
- Results oriented and goal focused
- Experience setting and maintaining a rapid lead follow up pace
- Strong team player
- Experience tracking and reporting on sales activities within a CRM such as HubSpot or Salesforce. Ignite Reading uses HubSpot.
At Ignite Reading, we’ve decided to embrace a transparent compensation structure for a few reasons:
To promote fairness and equity: This approach supports fairness within our structure. When everyone knows how compensation decisions are made, it reduces the likelihood of pay discrimination based on factors like gender, race, relationships, or negotiation skills.
To provide accountability for our approach: The same role receives the same compensation, with no negotiation.
To build trust within the organization: When employees understand how their compensation is determined, they are more likely to trust organizational structures and decisions, which can lead to overall better culture.
To support legal considerations: Many states are moving to requiring compensation listed on job descriptions and we want to follow these rules.
Salary: $80,000 + Commission (commission is equal to 10% of the base salary, this is a full-time, non-exempt role)
We also ensure you have the tools you need to thrive both in and out of work.
- Employee Stock Options
- Medical, Dental, and Vision (80% employee coverage, 70% dependent coverage)
- 401K + matching
- Short-term disability (100% employer paid)
- Technology Stipend
- Unlimited PTO + 12 paid holidays
- Professional Development Stipend
- Wellness Reimbursement
- Internet Stipend
- 12 Weeks of Parental Leave
- Yearly Staff Retreat
- Voluntary Life Insurance
We believe in building and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer where all applicants are considered for employment without attention to color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. Research shows that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often don't apply for roles if they don't meet all the criteria – unlike majority candidates meeting significantly fewer requirements. We strongly encourage you to apply if you’re interested!
We are seeking candidates who have lived experience related to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are a virtual organization with headquarters in the California Bay Area.
What We Do
When kids learn to read on time their opportunities in school and life improve profoundly. If a child cannot read by the time they are in third grade, they are four times less likely to graduate high school.* In 2022, only 33% of U.S. fourth graders and 31% of eighth graders were reading at grade level (National Assessment of Educational Progress reading assessment scores). Ignite Reading is on a mission to fix this.
Ignite Reading delivers one-to-one virtual tutoring that teaches K-8th graders the foundational skills they need to become confident, independent readers. We pair developing readers with expert reading tutors who provide daily, 15-minute, Science of Reading-based instruction that rapidly closes decoding gaps. Students across all demographics achieve the same outstanding results–an average of 2.4 weeks of reading skills growth per week of instruction–including students with IEPs, multilingual learners, students of color and those receiving free or reduced-price lunch. By ensuring all students master the foundational skills to fluently read any word, Ignite Reading empowers them to move forward and unlock everything school and life have to offer.
"Ignite Reading is one of the most, if not the most, successful interventions we have implemented in our district. The student results and program design are indisputable."
- Claudia Salvestrin, Assistant Superintendent, Red Bluff Union Elementary School District, CA
