Sales Manager (Academic)

Reporting to Regional Business Head

About Packt

Packt's mission is to help the world put software to work in new ways, through the delivery of effective learning and information services to IT professionals. We are a global technical publisher and learning provider with over 400 staff across India, the UK, and beyond. With a multimedia portfolio of 7,000+ books, e-books, audiobooks, and video courses, our products empower IT professionals, educators, and students worldwide.

The Partnerships team is at the heart of our growth strategy, building strategic collaborations to expand our reach and enhance content distribution. We prioritize meaningful, long-term relationships that drive innovation and mutual value within the tech publishing and education ecosystem.

No. of vacancies: 2

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced and well-connected Senior Manager of Academic Partnerships to spearhead Packt’s growth in the academic market. This is a senior, high-impact role for a professional who already has strong networks within universities, consortia, and technical institutions, and who understands the complexities of the academic sales and procurement process.

Reporting to the Regional Business Head, you will take ownership of Packt’s academic strategy in India, leveraging existing relationships and building new ones to drive institutional adoption of Packt’s content and platforms. You will be expected to hit the ground running, leading high-value engagements, securing long-term contracts, and shaping Packt’s presence across academia.

What You Will Do

• Own and grow Packt’s academic business across India.

• Leverage existing networks to accelerate partnerships with leading universities, technical institutes (IITs, NITs, central/state universities), libraries, and consortia.

• Lead high-level engagements with deans, directors, librarians, and procurement officers to secure multi-year institutional licenses.

• Negotiate and close complex deals, including tenders, consortia agreements, and enterprise-wide digital content licenses.

• Deliver compelling presentations and demonstrations to academic committees and decision-making bodies.

• Shape strategy, identifying new opportunities for growth and informing product development through customer insights.

• Mentor and support junior team members, fostering knowledge sharing and sales best practices.

• Contribute to Packt’s thought leadership by staying at the forefront of academic publishing, STM trends, and digital learning adoption.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with marketing, product, and customer success to ensure smooth onboarding and retention.

Who You Are

• 3 years+ proven experience in academic publishing or STM sales, with demonstrable success in driving institutional sales.

• Existing relationships with key academic stakeholders (librarians, faculty, deans, consortia leaders, procurement officers).

• Deep knowledge of the academic sales process, including library procurement cycles, licensing models, subscription workflows, and tender-based selling.

• Hands-on experience with CRM tools, academic databases, and digital platforms for lead generation and pipeline management.

• Proven track record of negotiating and closing large institutional deals.

• Excellent communicator and influencer, confident in presenting to senior academic committees.

• Graduate or postgraduate (Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline preferred).

• Highly driven and entrepreneurial, with the ability to work autonomously and deliver results in a performance-driven environment.
• Willingness to travel extensively across India.

Why Work at Packt

We are a global and remote-first business with most of our team based in India and the UK. We recognize how important our people are and acknowledge and support the things that are important to them. Our culture is open and informal and based around learning. We love sharing ideas and we want everyone to feel that they have an input into how the business works. We are a fun place to work but with a focus on performance and personal development providing opportunities for personal growth and career progression.

We try to achieve this by:

• Ensuring a positive working environment for all team members, supportive of flexible and remote work.
• Supporting individual development through growth opportunities and internal mobility.
• Encouraging social collaboration within teams and communities and knowledge-sharing.
• Fostering a culture that supports a healthy work-life balance.

We focus on the full employee experience. We seek to achieve this by: 

• Providing a broad range of benefits and initiatives. 
• Advocating a healthy lifestyle where wellbeing is seen as an essential responsibility. 
• Celebrating success stories and encouraging peer-to-peer recognition. 
• Fostering a culture of self-development. 
• Providing a work environment where the best idea wins, and challenges are encouraged. 

Benefits: 
You will also have access to a range of flexible benefits that are designed to help you make the most of your time with us.

• Bonus scheme 
• 5 day working week
• 25 days annual holiday (plus bank holidays)
• Flexible hours: choose how, when, and where you work within India
• Training programs and Certification

Salary Range - INR 80K-150K fixed pay per month (skills and/or experience dependent)

Disclaimer: Packt does not authorize any third-party consultancies, influencers, or agencies to offer employment opportunities on our behalf. We are not involved in any financial transactions with these parties. Our hiring process is managed internally, and all applications should be made through the official procedures outlined in our job listings.