Description

Classera has entered into a long-term, strategic partnership with a Saudi government entity to design, deploy, and scale a global digital training ecosystem dedicated to Islamic Halal standards. This initiative is not a single project or market rollout; it is a multi-year, multi-country transformation program with implications across education, compliance, workforce enablement, and international institutional collaboration.

The Strategic Account Director role exists to own the end-to-end success of this partnership. This includes delivery accountability, platform evolution, stakeholder trust, international growth, and financial performance under a revenue-sharing model. The role functions as the central orchestrator across Classera's global organization and as the primary strategic interface with the government partner.

This is a high-visibility leadership position operating at the intersection of government relations, enterprise technology delivery, international business development, and cross-functional execution. The impact of this role spans Saudi Arabia, the broader Islamic world, and Classera's global partner ecosystem.

Core Accountability Statement

The Strategic Account Director is accountable for ensuring that:

• All contractual, technical, and strategic commitments to the partner are delivered to standard, on time, and at scale
• The Halal training platform evolves in alignment with partner objectives, regulatory requirements, and global deployment needs
• Classera's internal teams operate in lockstep toward a unified execution roadmap
• The partnership expands internationally in a structured, commercially viable, and reputationally sound manner
• Financial outcomes under the revenue-share model are accurately tracked, reported, and optimized

1. Program Ownership & Partnership Leadership

The role serves as the single point of accountability for the Saudi Halal Training Initiative across all dimensions-strategic, operational, technical, and commercial.

Key leadership responsibilities include:

• Acting as the primary owner of the partnership governance model, ensuring clarity in decision-making, escalation, and accountability
• Developing and maintaining a deep understanding of the partner's long-term vision, regulatory mandate, implementation roadmap, and success metrics
• Establishing trusted, high-credibility relationships with senior government stakeholders, including C-level sponsors, program leaders, and operational counterparts
• Leading structured governance forums such as quarterly business reviews, annual strategic planning cycles, and executive performance readouts
• Translating partner expectations into executable internal plans and ensuring alignment across Classera leadership

This role requires comfort operating at both strategic altitude and operational depth, with the ability to shift seamlessly between executive dialogue and delivery detail.

2. Platform Delivery, Customization & Technical Oversight

The Strategic Account Director owns end-to-end accountability for all platform-related commitments made under the partnership agreement.

This includes oversight of:

• Platform customizations aligned to Halal training requirements, certification workflows, and regional compliance needs
• Feature enhancements required to support scalability, reporting, content localization, and institutional onboarding
• Technical integrations with partner systems, regulatory databases, or third-party platforms where applicable
• White-labeling, branding, and user experience adaptations aligned with government and cultural expectations

To execute this, the role works in close coordination with:

• Engineering teams to validate feasibility, timelines, and delivery sequencing
• Product management to ensure requirements are clearly defined, prioritized, and aligned with the broader roadmap
• PMO functions to track milestones, dependencies, risks, and delivery health

The role is expected to proactively identify delivery risks, capacity constraints, or scope creep and escalate appropriately to executive leadership with solution-oriented recommendations.

3. Global Expansion & Business Development Enablement

Beyond delivery, the role plays a critical part in supporting the global expansion of the Halal training initiative.

Responsibilities include:

• Identifying priority Islamic and emerging markets where the Halal training platform can be deployed
• Collaborating with Classera's regional sales leaders, partnerships teams, and local representatives to position the solution effectively
• Supporting market entry strategies, pilot program launches, and executive-level engagements with prospective stakeholders
• Facilitating introductions and relationship development with ministries, regulators, NGOs, Islamic organizations, and private Halal institutions
• Contributing to proposal development, solution design, and commercial structuring for new markets

While not a quota-carrying sales role, this position requires a strong commercial mindset and the ability to support pipeline growth tied directly to the partnership.

4. Internal Cross-Functional Orchestration

One of the most critical success factors for this role is the ability to mobilize Classera's global organization toward a single, coherent execution plan.

This includes:

• Coordinating efforts across Product, Engineering, Customer Success, Support, PMO, Marketing, and regional Sales teams
• Establishing clear internal governance rhythms, including weekly or bi-weekly execution reviews
• Ensuring all internal stakeholders understand the strategic importance, timelines, and expectations associated with the partnership
• Resolving conflicts in prioritization, resourcing, or sequencing through influence rather than authority

The role demands strong internal leadership presence and the ability to drive alignment in a complex, matrixed environment.

5. Financial Performance & Revenue Share Governance

The partnership operates under a revenue-sharing model, making financial governance a core responsibility.

Key activities include:

• Monitoring revenue performance linked to the Halal training initiative
• Tracking operational and commercial metrics such as:
• Number of institutions onboarded
• Volume of courses delivered
• Platform adoption and utilization rates
• Gross and net revenue generated
• Preparing structured financial and operational reports for both Classera leadership and the partner entity
• Ensuring transparency, accuracy, and auditability of revenue-share calculations

This aspect of the role requires comfort working with finance teams, commercial models, and performance dashboards.

6. Operational Excellence & Scalable Execution

The Strategic Account Director is responsible not only for delivery, but for building a repeatable, scalable operating model.

This includes:

• Documenting best practices for onboarding institutions, deploying content, and supporting users across countries
• Driving continuous improvement in platform usability, onboarding experience, and support workflows
• Ensuring the partner receives a consistently high-quality experience at every touchpoint
• Creating frameworks that allow the Halal training model to be replicated efficiently in new markets

7. Risk Management, Compliance & Cultural Governance

Given the nature of the initiative, the role carries heightened responsibility for risk and compliance.

Responsibilities include:

• Early identification of operational, delivery, reputational, or regulatory risks
• Ensuring alignment with Saudi government policies, data protection requirements, and contractual obligations
• Maintaining sensitivity to religious, cultural, and geopolitical considerations related to Islamic education and Halal standards
• Operating within Classera's governance, escalation, and compliance frameworks

This role demands sound judgment, discretion, and a high level of cultural intelligence.

Experience & Capability Requirements

Professional Experience

• 7+ years in program leadership, strategic partnerships, enterprise customer success, or large-scale government account management
• Strong preference for experience in EdTech, LMS platforms, digital learning, or government-led transformation programs
• Proven track record delivering complex, long-term initiatives across multiple functions and geographies
• Prior exposure to Middle Eastern government stakeholders is a significant advantage

Core Competencies

• Executive-level communication and stakeholder management
• Deep understanding of technology delivery lifecycles and customization processes
• Ability to lead through influence in matrixed organizations
• Strong planning, prioritization, and execution discipline
• Commercial awareness and growth orientation
• High cultural sensitivity, particularly in Islamic and government contexts