Business Development Representative (One-on-One Advising)

Business Development Representative (One-on-One Advising)

For more than 80 years, Kaplan has been a trailblazer in education and professional advancement. We are a global company at the intersection of education and technology, focused on collaboration, innovation, and creativity to deliver a best-in-class educational experience and make Kaplan a great place to work. The future of education is here and we are eager to work alongside those who want to make a positive impact and inspire change in the world around them.

The Business Development Representative (BDR) for One-on-One Advising is a key driver of Kaplan Advising's growth, responsible for generating and qualifying new leads, engaging prospective families through proactive outreach, and building a strong pipeline of qualified opportunities for the 1:1 Advising sales team. This role serves as the front line of family acquisition, expanding Kaplan's reach and accelerating enrollment growth by ensuring senior advising team members spend their time with high-intent, well-matched prospects.

Primary/Key Responsibilities

• Conduct high-volume outbound prospecting via phone, email, and other channels to engage prospective families and generate interest in Kaplan's admissions consulting services.
• Qualify inbound leads from marketing campaigns, web inquiries, webinars, and referral sources to assess fit, intent, and readiness for a consultation.
• Schedule qualified consultations for the Senior Advising Manager team, ensuring smooth handoffs and accurate context on family goals, student profiles, and timing.
• Research and identify prospective families, schools, community partners, and referral channels to continuously expand the top of the funnel and uncover new sources of pipeline.
• Maintain accurate and timely records in CRM systems, logging all outreach activity, family interactions, and lead status updates to ensure pipeline visibility and data integrity.
• Meet and exceed activity and outcome targets including outbound touches, conversations held, qualified meetings booked, and pipeline contribution to revenue goals.
• Collaborate with team members to share feedback on lead quality, messaging effectiveness, and conversion trends, helping to refine campaigns and optimize lead generation strategies.
• Follow up consistently and persistently with prospective families across multi-touch sequences, nurturing interest and re-engaging cold or stalled leads to maximize conversion rates.
• Stay current on Kaplan's advising offerings, the K12 and college admissions landscape, and competitive positioning to articulate value clearly and answer initial family questions with credibility.
• Uphold Kaplan's standards of professionalism and integrity by maintaining a student- and family-focused approach in every interaction, ensuring trust and a positive first impression of the brand.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, Marketing, Education, or a related field.
• Minimum of 1 year of experience in a sales development, inside sales, customer engagement, admissions, or related outreach role, ideally within education or a high-touch service environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to build rapport quickly and articulate value to families.
• Comfort with high-volume outreach including cold calling, email prospecting, and multi-channel sequences.
• Working knowledge of CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and sales engagement tools.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage a large pipeline and prioritize effectively.
• Resilience, coachability, and a growth mindset; ability to handle objections and rejection while maintaining momentum.
• Curiosity and active listening skills to uncover family needs and qualify fit accurately.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience as an SDR, BDR, or Admissions Counselor in education, EdTech, or professional services.
• Familiarity with K12 and/or College Admissions markets.

Benefits and Compensation

Beyond Base Salary, Our Comprehensive Total Rewards Package Includes:

• Remote work provides a flexible work/life balance.
• Comprehensive Retirement Package: automatically enrolled in The Company Contribution Plan (8-10% annual company contribution based on tenure).
• Gift of Knowledge Program: tuition assistance and substantial discounts for employees and close family.
• Comprehensive health benefits: new hire eligibility starts on day 1.
• Generous Paid Time Off: includes paid holidays, vacation, personal, sick paid time-off, plus one (1) volunteer day and one (1) diversity and inclusion day.

We are committed to providing a supportive and rewarding work environment where every employee can thrive. You can learn more about our full benefits package and total rewards philosophy here.

At Kaplan, we believe in attracting, rewarding, and retaining exceptional talent. Our compensation philosophy is designed to be competitive within the market, reflecting the value we place on the skills, experience, and contributions of our employees, while taking into account labor market trends and total rewards.

For full-time positions, Kaplan has three salary grades. This position is Salary Grade A: $31,200 to $78,647. The specific compensation offered will be determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, education, skills, and market data. We are an equal opportunity employer and comply with all applicable federal and state wage laws.

Location

Remote/Nationwide, USA

Employee Type

Employee

Job Functional Area

Sales

Business Unit

00074 Kaplan Pre-College

Diversity & Inclusion Statement

Kaplan is committed to cultivating an inclusive workplace that values diversity, promotes equity, and integrates inclusivity into all aspects of our operations. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, nationality, or sex. We believe that diversity strengthens our organization, fuels innovation, and improves our ability to serve our students, customers, and communities. Learn more about our culture here.

Kaplan considers qualified applicants for employment even if applicants have an arrest or conviction in their background check records. Kaplan complies with related background check regulations, including but not limited to, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. There are various positions where certain convictions may disqualify applicants, such as those positions requiring interaction with minors, financial records, or other sensitive and/or confidential information.

Kaplan is a drug-free workplace and complies with applicable laws.

Key skills/competency

• Sales Development
• Lead Generation
• Prospecting
• CRM
• Communication Skills
• Sales
• Business Development
• Customer Engagement
• Outreach
• Salesforce