Account Executive – Higher Education (DACH)

The Opportunity Higher Education is undergoing profound transformation, driven by the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, changing student expectations, increasing pressure on institutional finances, and the need to equip graduates with future-ready digital skills. We are seeking a strategic and consultative Account Executive to partner with leading universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutions, and sector organisations across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Eastern Europe. This individual will help institutions accelerate digital transformation, enhance teaching and learning, improve student outcomes, and foster creativity and innovation at scale. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong enterprise sales capabilities, a proven ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments, and experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver measurable value for customers. What You'll Do As an Account Executive within the Higher Education team, you will be responsible for a portfolio of strategically important institutions across the DACH and EE region. You will: Build trusted relationships with senior university leaders, including Presidents, Rectors, Vice Chancellors, CIOs, Chief Digital Officers, Pro-Vice Chancellors, Deans, and Teaching & Learning leaders. Develop and execute account strategies that align institutional priorities with Adobe's vision for creativity, digital literacy, AI adoption, and student success. Drive growth within existing accounts while identifying and developing new opportunities across faculties, departments, libraries, research centres, and central services. Position Adobe as a strategic partner in institutional transformation initiatives, including digital skills development, AI readiness, curriculum innovation, employability, and student engagement. Lead complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles and facilitate executive-level discussions focused on outcomes, impact, and value realisation. Collaborate closely with Customer Success Managers, Solution Consultants, Enterprise Architects, Digital Strategists, Marketing, and Partner teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Develop compelling business cases and value frameworks that demonstrate impact on student outcomes, staff productivity, institutional efficiency, and graduate employability. Partner with sector bodies, strategic alliances, and ecosystem partners to strengthen Adobe's presence and influence across the Higher Education community. Support thought leadership activities including conferences, executive forums, webinars, customer showcases, and sector events. What You Need to Succeed Proven enterprise software sales experience with a track record of securing complex, multi-year strategic agreements. Experience selling into Higher Education, Public Sector, Research, or other complex consultative environments is highly desirable. Demonstrated success engaging senior executive stakeholders and building consensus across diverse groups of decision-makers. Strong understanding of digital transformation, AI adoption, workforce readiness, teaching and learning innovation, or student experience initiatives. Proven ability to develop executive relationships and influence institutional strategy. Experience working effectively across cross-functional teams including solution consulting, customer success, marketing, and partners. Strong commercial acumen with a history of achieving or exceeding revenue objectives. Excellent presentation, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills. Fluent German and English language skills. Ability to travel across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Eastern Europe as required. Preferred Experience Experience working with universities, research institutions, or education technology providers. Understanding of the DACH and EE (an advantage) Higher Education landscape, procurement frameworks, and sector priorities. About Adobe Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity. Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. 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