Principal Deal Desk & Pricing Analyst | Hybrid | Reston, VA

Ellucian • Full-time • Reston, Virginia, United States • $93.50k - $140.94k / year • 2m ago

About Ellucian:

Ellucian is a global market leader in education technology. We power innovation for higher education, partnering with more than 2,800 customers across 50 countries and serving over 20 million students. Ellucian's AI-powered platform, trained on the richest dataset available in higher education, drives efficiency, personalized experiences, and strengthened engagement for all students, faculty and staff.

Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, from student recruitment, enrollment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement.

Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners, and user community of more than 45,000 provide best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes.

About the Opportunity:

The Principal Deal Desk & Pricing Analyst is a strategic partner to Sales, Finance, Legal, and Executive Leadership, responsible for leading complex deal structuring, pricing strategy, and commercial governance across the Global Sales organization. This role operates as a senior subject matter expert, advising on high-impact transactions, driving scalable processes, and ensuring alignment with Ellucian’s financial and operational objectives.

The Principal Deal Desk & Pricing Analyst brings deep expertise in pricing models, SaaS licensing, and enterprise negotiations, and plays a critical role in influencing deal strategy, mitigating risk, and optimizing revenue outcomes. This individual thrives in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment and demonstrates strong executive presence, analytical rigor, and sound judgment.

Where You Will Make an Impact

Serve as the senior escalation point and trusted advisor for complex, strategic, and non-standard deal structures across enterprise and global accounts
Lead cross-functional deal reviews with Sales Leadership, Finance, Legal, and Contracts to structure compliant, profitable, and scalable agreements
Drive pricing and discount governance, ensuring alignment with revenue, margin, and growth objectives
Architect and approve complex quotes, commercial schedules, amendments, renewals, and multi-element agreements including cumulative discount structures and global enterprise frameworks
Provide strategic guidance on licensing models, SaaS constructs, cloud services, and long-term commercial strategies
Identify deal risks and propose mitigation strategies while balancing customer needs and business objectives
Influence and improve end-to-end deal desk processes, tools, and policies to increase efficiency, visibility, and scalability
Develop and maintain advanced financial models to evaluate profitability, revenue impact, and scenario planning
Act as a subject matter expert on pricing strategy and commercial best practices; mentor junior analysts and elevate team capability
Partner with leadership to provide insights on deal trends, performance metrics, and areas for optimization

What You Will Bring

5+ years of progressive Deal Desk, Pricing, Financial Analysis or other relevant experience in a high-volume, enterprise-level environment with demonstrated ownership of complex and strategic transactions
4+ years in an analytical role within Sales, Finance, Revenue Operations, or related disciplines
Proven experience structuring and negotiating complex SaaS, cloud, and enterprise software agreements
Advanced ability to analyze, model, and recommend pricing and licensing strategies that optimize revenue and margin
Deep understanding of revenue principles, discount governance, and commercial risk management
Advanced expertise in Microsoft Excel including financial modeling, scenario analysis, and data interpretation
Strong working knowledge of CRM and ERP systems and deal lifecycle processes
Experience developing executive-level presentations and customer-facing commercial proposals
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and sound judgment
Highly organized, detail oriented, and adaptable in a fast-paced environment
Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, drive process improvement, and mentor others