ETCH Jobs of the Week 11/19/24
The mile high edition
ETCH Jobs of the Week (JOTW) is a collaboration between ETCH (now The EdSheet at Whiteboard Advisors), your home for EdTech news and information; and my recruiting practice, Tenzing, which helps orgs positively impacting education efficiently attract, source, vet and hire mission-aligned talent.
Hi friends,
I’m groggily tapping this out on the plane ride back east from the Edweek Market Brief Summit in Denver. Since Edweek plans to host this event in Denver again next year, I hope this serves as both a helpful recap of this year’s summit and a primer for anyone considering attending next year.
I flew out before the Summit began to spend time with some friends and family - starting the week in Denver’s LoDo District, home to Union Station and a fantastic selection of restaurants, bars, breweries, and boutique hotels. If you take the RTD airport line to Union Station, don’t miss the eclectic book collection at the Tattered Cover - an experience that taught me more about myself than I expected…
After picking up the pieces of my ego, I went for a quick hike at Red Rocks Park, just a 30-minute drive from downtown. The Trading Post Trail loop is the perfect way to explore the park and treat yourself to beautiful views of Denver and the surrounding area.
Closer to the city center, I highly recommend visiting Ball Arena (a half-mile walk from Union Station) to catch an Avalanche (NHL) game if they are in town. Standing-room-only tickets in the 100-level section are a great way to experience the action up close without breaking the bank.
For those craving culture after watching grown men (who still have their egos intact) crash into each other on skates, then be sure to visit the Denver Art Museum (a short walk from the Sheraton Downtown).
And then it was time for the Summit.
The Summit opened with Maurice Bakley (publisher, photographer extraordinaire, and polyglot) sharing insights from a recent Edweek Market Brief survey. Despite a softening labor market, education company executives reported challenges in finding talent for sales, business development, and product roles. I suspect qualified candidates are getting lost in the mix; Recruiters and hiring managers report being overwhelmed by talent pipelines with more than 1,000 applicants per job opening. Ghost jobs aren’t helping!
Next, Collin Earnest and Alyson Deutsch of the Ed-tech Leadership Collective led an engaging session on leadership talent development. Their framework for categorizing KSAs (knowledge, skills & abilities) by functional, domain, and managerial competencies was particularly insightful. The workshop highlighted how organizations often promote employees based on functional expertise while neglecting to effectively develop the managerial skills needed to thrive in leadership roles.
On day two, James Marciano, founder of Tuck Advisors, shared his perspective on mergers and acquisitions in an interactive session. The three-word takeaway was:
TIME
KILLS
DEALS
But there was a lot more to the workshop, including James’ outlook for 2025: very optimistic regarding M&A activity, though less so for fundraising.
James then shared The M&A Matrix™, his proprietary deal assessment framework as well as the custom GPT they trained on the framework.
I wrapped up day two hosting Tenzing’s EdTech Happy Hour at the West Saloon & Kitchen in the historic Kittredge Building.
Over 30 people joined us - including some unexpected guests donning pink cowboy hats! It was a great opportunity to connect with some amazing EdTech professionals, like Christina Opalka and Kevin Schroeder, pictured above, both of whom recently made big career moves.
Looking Ahead
Denver and the Market Brief Summit did not disappoint. For those familiar with ASU+GSV, the Market Brief Summit is a more intimate, K-12-focused affair. It is a great opportunity to hear directly from district leaders, as well as receive market insights from EdTech leaders from a variety of organizations including BrainPop, Renaissance Learning, and Zoobean.
Next year, I’m thinking a cowboy hat-themed happy hour might be in order!
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at tenzingtalent [at] substack.com if you want to be included in any future events we host.
Cheers,
Everett
Now, let’s get to the Jobs of the Week…
This week, we’re providing a curated selection of career opportunities from Colorado-based EdTech companies.
Senior Financial Analyst | Elsmere Education
Location: Denver, CO (Flexible remote work policy)
Education Focus: Higher Education
Mission: Unlocking the power of learning and transforming lives through innovative partnerships with colleges and universities.
Job Summary: Elsmere Education seeks a Senior Financial Analyst to manage financial forecasting, modeling, and strategic decision-making. Reporting to the VP of Finance, the role involves analyzing financial statements, building pricing models, and supporting M&A decisions. This fast-paced position requires strong Excel skills, experience in financial modeling, and effective collaboration with cross-functional teams.
Compensation: $105,000–$125,000 annually, with additional benefits like unlimited PTO, wellness programs, and flexible work options.
Senior Software Engineer (Backend C#) | Peaksware
Location: Louisville, CO (Hybrid)
Education Focus: Coach and Athlete Development
Mission: Peaksware aims to empower individuals through software that enhances training, education, and creativity.
Job Summary: The Senior Software Engineer will lead the development of backend systems for TrainingPeaks, focusing on scalable solutions, performance optimization, and robust APIs. Responsibilities include refactoring legacy code, mentoring junior developers, and contributing to architectural decisions. Ideal candidates have strong experience with C#, AWS, CI/CD tools, and cloud technologies. The role supports continued learning, collaboration, and innovation within a user-focused engineering team.
Compensation: $111,216–$185,360 annually, with bonuses and benefits.
Head of Marketing | Scaled Agile, Inc.
Location: Remote
Education Focus: Workforce collaboration
Mission: Scaled Agile aims to help enterprises thrive through the SAFe framework, enhancing collaboration and agility to create resilient, customer-focused organizations.
Job Summary: The Head of Marketing will lead Scaled Agile’s strategic marketing efforts, including content creation, brand building, and lead generation. Responsibilities include managing global marketing campaigns, improving SEO and customer acquisition, and expanding international presence. The role also involves developing lifecycle marketing strategies to engage customers and drive certification renewals, leveraging data analytics for performance optimization. Collaborative leadership and Agile methodologies are integral to success.
Compensation: $175,000–$200,000 annually, plus benefits and equity options.
Director, Business Intelligence | Skillsoft
Location: Remote (US)
Education Focus: Workforce Development
Mission: Skillsoft aims to transform learning and talent development by empowering organizations to unlock the potential of their people through engaging and customized educational solutions.
Job Summary: The Director of Business Intelligence will lead a small team to implement and manage a comprehensive BI strategy that supports data-driven decision-making. Responsibilities include developing reporting solutions, ensuring data quality, collaborating with stakeholders, and utilizing advanced BI tools. The role demands leadership, technical expertise, and a passion for analytics to drive meaningful insights.
Compensation: $174,000–$217,000 annually, plus bonus and full benefits
Strategic Account Executive | Udemy
Location: Remote (U.S.)
Education Focus: Online skill development and lifelong learning
Mission: Transform lives through accessible, high-quality education for individuals and organizations worldwide.
Job Summary:
Udemy seeks a Strategic Account Executive to lead enterprise sales in large organizations with over 25,000 employees. This role involves prospecting new clients, nurturing c-suite relationships, managing complex sales cycles, and closing high-value deals. Successful candidates will excel in developing strategies to expand Udemy’s market reach while collaborating with internal teams to enhance customer outcomes. The position emphasizes value-driven selling, innovation, and aligning client goals with Udemy’s mission.
Compensation: $285,000–$335,000 (On-Target Earnings), plus benefits and equity.
Need more hire power? Tenzing will do all the legwork (e.g., sourcing, vetting, and managing the hiring process) for half the cost of traditional headhunters.
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