Sales Manager

Company Overview Mantra Health is an award-winning digital mental health provider on a mission to make evidence-based care more accessible to students. We partner with colleges and universities to offer comprehensive virtual mental health services, including therapy, psychiatry, 24/7 crisis care, emotional wellness coaching, and self-care content, plus Beacon, our first-of-its-kind persistence intelligence platform. Our technology solutions integrate seamlessly with campus health systems to improve student well-being and graduation rates. Recognized as a leader in digital mental health, Mantra Health was named a Rising Star by the UCSF Digital Health Awards and won Juniper Research’s Gold Star for Best Digital Therapeutic Solution. Today, our programs support more than 1.3M students across 150+ campuses, including Penn State, MIT, and Miami Dade College. We’ve raised over $34m from leading investors, and we’re looking for ambitious, talented, action-oriented individuals to join us in shaping the future of student mental healthcare. Opportunity for Impact We are seeking a Sales Manager (Player-Coach) to scale our higher education go-to-market team, strengthening pipeline creation, deal execution, and team performance as we grow. This role is a two-phase leadership position: you will carry a personal quota for one complete sales cycle to build credibility and product fluency, while leading the team through pipeline reviews, CRM discipline, structured opportunity inspections, and hands-on deal coaching, and support the team’s core operating rhythms (weekly team meetings, trainings, and accountability practices) in close partnership with the VP of Revenue. After that initial phase, you will transition into full-time people management, owning day-to-day team leadership, coaching and developing reps, addressing performance gaps, strengthening cross-functional alignment with Marketing and Product, and driving overall team performance, pipeline hygiene, opportunity strategy, and forecast accuracy while building a high-performing sales culture that scales. In the second phase, you will scale the team by recruiting and hiring top sales talent. This position also offers a unique opportunity to build and scale the higher-ed GTM engine at a pivotal moment, shaping how Mantra shows up in the market, directly influencing student access to care through the partnerships you close, and seeing the impact of your work in revenue, retention, and campus outcomes. What You’ll Do Own and execute (a reduced) quota : Run a full end-to-end sales cycle in the higher-education market, from outbound and discovery through close and handoff, building deep product fluency and buyer insight. Drive pipeline hygiene and forecasting : Lead weekly pipeline reviews, ensure strong CRM discipline, improve deal velocity, and deliver accurate forecasts with clear risk and next steps. Coach and develop the team (player-coach) : Provide structured opportunity inspections, feedback, and enablement that raises rep performance while you are actively selling. Build durable operating rhythms : Establish and scale the team’s daily and weekly processes, accountability practices, and cross-functional alignment with Marketing, Product, and Revenue leadership. Use AI to increase selling and coaching effectiveness : Leverage Gong and Salesforce AI insights to summarize calls, flag deal risks, capture coaching moments, and reduce manual admin so the team spends more time on high-quality prospecting and deal execution. Who You Are Clear and direct communicator : Communicates with clarity, listens well, and sets expectations early. Gives candid feedback with empathy and follows through. Self-starter with strong ownership : Takes responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks. Leads by example, stays organized, and reliably closes loops. Comfortable with ambiguity : Stays calm in fast-changing environments, learns quickly, and can flex between hands-on execution and leadership as priorities shift. Team-first partner : Builds trust across functions, aligns stakeholders, and balances advocacy with collaboration to get to the best outcome. Sales Coach & Performance Bar Raiser : Raises performance through structured opportunity inspections, coaching conversations, and ongoing accountability. Sales Leadership & Team Building : Builds durable operating infrastructure and a culture of high standards, low ego, and continuous improvement. Complex Sales Execution : Runs and closes complex, multi-stakeholder higher-ed sales cycles from discovery through procurement, building credibility and deep buyer insight. Pipeline Management & Forecasting : Drives pipeline hygiene, strong CRM discipline, and accurate forecasting with clear deal risks and next steps. Must-Have Qualifications 8+ years in SaaS or technology sales. 5+ years selling into higher education (Student Affairs, Student Success, Wellness, or related departments). 1-2 years in formal or informal leadership capacity (player-coach or frontline sales leader). Startup or growth-stage company experience. Proven ability to close complex, multi-stakeholder deals in the high six-figure ACV ranges. Strong CRM discipline (Salesforce preferred) and a track record of forecast accuracy. Demonstrated alignment with Mantra’s values, including leading by example and building accountability systems that help a team thrive. Preferred Qualifications Higher Education or EdTech domain depth, including experience selling to senior institutional buyers (VPs, CIO, CISOs, Provosts, Presidents, Chancellors). Experience with tools like Gong and a demonstrated ability to use AI such as Claude and Starbridge to improve prospecting, deal prep, and coaching effectiveness. Familiarity with student success, wellness, retention, institutional research or institutional data platforms. Why Chose Mantra Impactful Opportunity: Build and scale Mantra’s higher-ed g