Chief Executive Officer

About the role

The CEO is responsible for providing operational and strategic leadership for Zap Solutions with a focus on accelerating AI-driven product differentiation, evolving the company's GTM function by expanding Zap's geographic and vertical reach, and building the commercial and operational infrastructure that enables sustained growth. With the support of Banyan Software's Education Portfolio Leader, the CEO will establish strategies, plans, and practices to meet the company's growth and profitability goals. The successful profile will have demonstrated success in executive roles at growing vertical SaaS businesses and be prepared to deliver ongoing product innovation and scale Zap's go-to-market function. This is a compounding opportunity, not a turnaround. Zap enters Banyan's portfolio as a category leader with exceptional customer loyalty and a platform that has earned its position over 25 years. The right CEO is energized by building durable institutional value over the long term and finds Banyan's permanent ownership model, with no exit clock and operational autonomy. Specific Responsibilities The priorities of the CEO are to: Define and communicate a compelling vision and growth strategy for Zap Solutions and lead overall execution against it Maintain healthy and predictable growth by establishing and consistently meeting the execution milestones of the company's financial and operating plans Expand Zap's geographic and vertical reach beyond its current U.S. medical school base into graduate science programs, hospital systems, and the Canadian and Australian markets Own and strengthen relationships with key customers and institutional partners, including executive-level engagement and joint planning with major medical and graduate school accounts Design and execute a direct and expansion GTM strategy that drives new logo acquisition, deepens penetration in existing accounts, and maintains Zap's industry-leading customer satisfaction and retention Develop and execute operational initiatives to continually improve profitability and margin quality Drive product development discipline, including structured roadmap planning, AI capability delivery, and technical debt prioritization Ensure functional teams are productively working toward company priorities and operating with a customer-first mindset Bring outstanding leadership to the organization; build, retain, and develop a world-class team that can execute at scale without founder-level dependency Preserve and extend a winning culture where the team is engaged, challenged to succeed, and rewarded appropriately Operate as the primary interface to Banyan Software's Portfolio Leaders on business performance, financial results, and strategic direction Qualifications & Experience Experience as a CEO or senior executive of a SaaS business (enterprise or vertical SaaS preferred) or General Manager/EVP/VP of a $10M-$50M SaaS business unit Verifiable track record of value creation in vertical SaaS businesses serving regulated or compliance-sensitive markets; higher education, healthcare, or government verticals are advantageous P&L experience with strong financial literacy, SaaS unit economics fluency, and demonstrated ability to improve net revenue retention, pricing power, or margin durability Structured, process-oriented operator who can bring discipline and accountability without bureaucracy; specific experience building operating cadence and decision rights in founder-led businesses is a plus Experience inheriting and developing a founder-built team, with specific examples of raising the talent bar while preserving cultural cohesion Comfort operating within a PE-back

Benefits

Additional Information

Banyan Software is the best permanent home for software businesses that serve specialized industries, their employees, and their customers. We are on a mission to acquire, build, and grow great companies worldwide, helping them modernize through shared AI expertise and operational discipline. The Banyan Software Foundation, endowed with $100 million in Banyan stock, leverages technology to build a greener and more equitable world. Banyan is Great Place to Work Certified, a five-time Inc. 5000 honoree, and a top 10 company on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Atlanta, Banyan operates more than 100 portfolio companies across North America, the UK, EU, and APAC. About Zap Solutions Founded in 1997 and acquired by Banyan Software in July 2025, Zap Solutions is a Pittsburgh-based SaaS company with over 25 years of continuous operation in higher education admissions. Its flagship platform, AMP (Admissions Management Platform), manages the full student lifecycle from prospect through enrollment for medical schools and other graduate programs across the United States. AMP is used by 64% of U.S. medical schools, has processed over 6 million applications, and carries a 95%+ customer satisfaction rating and 99%+ infrastructure uptime.

Your Match

How well this role fits your profile.

Company Intel

What employees say

Worked at banyansoftware? Share your experience