THE ORGANIZATION

Founded at the University of Michigan Medical School, TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students) is among the most innovative and rapidly-growing school-based mental health solutions in the country.

Young people today are growing up in an increasingly complex world. It’s no surprise that rates of loneliness, hopelessness, depression, and anxiety are soaring. To help them develop into healthy, productive adults, we must equip our youth with effective strategies for maintaining mental wellness amidst complexity and uncertainty. Research has identified a powerful set of evidence-based practices that are simple to learn and highly effective—supporting everyday wellness and addressing challenges when they arise. TRAILS provides a critical missing link: ensuring that the adults in our K-12 schools are fluent in these best practices and have the tools to teach them.

At TRAILS, we believe every adult in a school plays a role in supporting student mental health. That’s why we provide a highly accessible digital platform with role-specific learning pathways for all staff, building a community of support that can meet every student's needs. To date, TRAILS has brought essential skills and resources to more than 14,000 teachers, administrators, and school mental health professionals.

As we work to respond to massive demand for TRAILS programming from schools and districts throughout the United States, our team is guided by a core commitment to equity: The TRAILS growth strategy identifies Title I designated schools as our broadest target population, and we aim specifically to impact students who experience high risk for poor mental health outcomes and disproportionate barriers to quality care. As we grow our team, we seek candidates who share our commitment to equity in health and healthcare access, who practice cultural humility, and who thrive in and contribute to an inclusive working environment.

THE ROLE

We are seeking a mission-driven Director of Growth to lead and grow our K–12 go-to-market efforts. In this role, you will drive revenue by building relationships with district administrators, school counselors, and state-level decision-makers who are actively investing in student mental health infrastructure. You will own the full sales cycle from prospecting to close, and help shape the sales strategy for a product that genuinely improves student wellbeing.

This is a high-impact, high-visibility position for someone who deeply understands the rhythms of K–12 procurement, is passionate about mental health in schools, and knows how to build a repeatable, scalable sales motion in a mission-oriented environment.

THE RESPONSIBILITIES

Revenue & Pipeline Ownership (40%)

Own and exceed annual new annual recurring revenue and renewal targets for the K–12 segment
Build and manage a healthy, forecastable pipeline using a consultative sales approach
Lead complex, multi-stakeholder deals involving curriculum directors, principals, school psychologists, IT, and district finance
Navigate RFP, procurement, and approval processes common to public school districts

Market Development (30%)

Cultivate relationships with state education agencies, mental health coalitions, and intermediary organizations
Identify and pursue grant-funded opportunities (e.g., ESSER, Title IV, state mental health grants) where districts use public funding for our product
Represent the organization at key K–12 and mental health conferences

Strategy & Cross-functional Collaboration (20%)

Partner on K–12 campaign strategy, event presence (e.g., NASN, ASCA, SXSWedu), and inbound lead quality
Work closely with Customer Success teammates to ensure smooth handoffs and strong retention in your accounts
Provide structured feedback to Product on school-specific needs, objections, and competitive dynamics
Develop and refine sales playbooks, messaging, and objection-handling frameworks tailored to district buyers

Team responsibilities (10%)

Attend all staff meetings and retreats, workgroups and other relevant TRAILS meetings as necessary
Support TRAILS team with all hands on deck events as needed and other team initiatives

THE PERSON

Our experience suggests that the following types of professional experiences lend themselves to this work:

5–8+ years of B2B sales experience, with at least 3 years focused on selling into K–12 school districts
Demonstrated track record of meeting or exceeding quota in K–12 EdTech or adjacent markets (e.g., SEL, school counseling tools, student wellness platforms)
2+ years in a sales leadership or management role
Experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles of 3–9 months
Familiarity with grant-funded procurement processes in public education is a strong plus

Our experience suggests that the following types of skills lend themselves well to this work:

Genuine belief in the mission: that every student deserves access to mental health support
Deep understanding of the K–12 buyer landscape — who influences, who decides, and how budgets are allocated
Ability to speak credibly to school counselors, mental health coordinators, and district administrators about student wellbeing outcomes
Strong pipeline management discipline using CRM tools (Salesforce or HubSpot preferred)
Excellent communicator — with both internal teams and external partners
Comfortable navigating ambiguity in a growing startup or scale-up environment
Data-informed decision maker who can zoom out strategically and zoom in on individual deals
Resilient and adaptable — K–12 sales cycles are long and procurement can be unpredictable
Collaborative leader who believes in building and actively participating in a strong team culture

COMPENSATION

The salary range for this role is $127,155 - $134,219.

TRAILS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision as well as a 403B with a safe harbor match and short and long term disability. We offer a generous holiday and paid time off package.

APPLICATION NOTES

Our job descriptions reflect TRAILS’ assignment of essential functions and qualifications of the role. Nothing herein restricts management's right to assign, reassign or eliminate duties and responsibilities to this role at any time.
We are only considering applicants who are legally authorized to work in the United States.
Please note that TRAILS employees may be required to undergo a background check. Findings do not automatically exclude candidates from the hiring process, but will be taken into consideration.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

Addressing inequities in access to evidence-based mental health care is intrinsic to the TRAILS mission. The intentionality behind this approach is woven into everything we do at TRAILS, resulting in a staff-wide commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion for all facets of our program. If this commitment is something to which you could positively contribute, we encourage you to apply, particularly if your voice represents a historically excluded perspective.

TRAILS is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance.

Director of Growth

TLDR