Customer Success Manager

About this role

Kira is transforming how people learn by using AI to empower teachers to deliver personalized learning at scale. We’re backed by top investors and driven by a team that is deeply passionate about using technology to change education.

The Customer Success Manager (CSM) is a critical bridge between our customers and our product, responsible for ensuring that every school, district, and partner we work with achieves meaningful, measurable outcomes. This role is especially important as we scale our pilot programs and grow our base of early adopters; the CSM is often the difference between a customer who tries the product and one who transforms their institution around it.

This is a relationship-first, outcomes-obsessed role. You will work across internal teams- Sales, Professional Development, Support, Marketing, Product, and Executive Leadership- to make sure every customer has what they need to succeed, renew, and grow.

What You'll Do:

Pre-Sales & Onboarding Partnership

- Partner with the Sales team during pre-sales conversations to understand each customer's goals, vision, and definition of success before the contract is signed.

- Participate in late-stage sales calls and handoff meetings to ensure a warm, informed transition from Sales to Customer Success.

- Build and maintain a Success Plan for each account that documents goals, milestones, stakeholders, and success metrics from day one.

Pilot Management & Early Adoption

- Own the end-to-end experience for pilot and current customers, with a clear focus on driving first value- getting customers to their "aha moment" as quickly as possible.

- Design and execute structured pilot and adoption frameworks that include clear timelines, measurable outcomes, check-in cadences, and defined criteria for success.

- Proactively identify and remove barriers to adoption during the pilot phase, escalating internally as needed.

- Document learnings from pilots to help the broader team refine and improve the customer experience over time.

Relationship Management

- Serve as the primary point of contact and trusted advisor for your book of accounts.

- Maintain regular, proactive communication with customers, including scheduled check-ins, business and data reviews, and outreach when risks or opportunities arise.

- Build multi-threaded relationships within each account, engaging not just with day-to-day users but with administrators, curriculum leads, and other decision-makers.

- Engage executive sponsors from our leadership team into key customer relationships as strategic partners when appropriate to deepen trust and signal long-term investment.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Act as the internal advocate for your customers, representing their needs and feedback to Product, PD, and Support teams.

- Coordinate with the Professional Development team to ensure they can design and deliver training and PD sessions that drive meaningful product adoption.

- Loop in Support proactively and collaboratively when technical or operational issues arise, ensuring fast resolution and clear customer communication throughout.

- Surface trends across your portfolio to Sales, Product, and Leadership to inform roadmap priorities and go-to-market strategy.

- Partner with the Implementation Specialist during customer onboarding to stay informed on technical setup and integration status, ensuring a seamless handoff and continuity of relationship from day one.

- Serve as the bridge between the customer and the Implementation Specialist for any post-launch technical questions, coordinating timely resolution while maintaining the primary customer relationship.

Customer Journey & Product Adoption

- Guide customers through a clearly defined customer journey- from onboarding and early adoption through full implementation and expansion.

- Monitor product usage data and engagement signals to identify accounts that are thriving or at risk, and respond accordingly.

- Develop and execute tailored adoption plans that meet each customer where they are and move them toward full, sustainable use of the product.

- Educate customers on new features, best practices, and use cases that deepen the value they get from the platform.

Renewal & Expansion

- Own the renewal process for your book of business, ensuring customers are set up for renewal conversations well in advance of contract end dates.

- Create and maintain renewal deal records in CRM to ensure full pipeline visibility for the renewal and sales teams.

- Identify and develop expansion opportunities, such as additional seats, additional schools or grade levels, or adjacent product offerings, in partnership with Sales.

- Conduct regular business reviews (QBRs or equivalent) that tie product usage to customer outcomes and set the stage for renewal and growth conversations.

What We're Looking For:

- 3-6 years in a Customer Success, Account Management, or related client-facing role, ideally in EdTech, SaaS, or a mission-driven organization.

- Experience working with K-12 schools, districts, or educational institutions is strongly preferred.

- Demonstrated success managing pilots, onboarding programs, or early-stage customer relationships.

- Exceptional relationship builder — you earn trust quickly and maintain it over time.

- Strong project manager — you can juggle multiple accounts and competing priorities without dropping the ball.

- Clear, confident communicator — written and verbal — with the ability to adapt your style for teachers, administrators, and executive leaders alike.

- Data-informed — comfortable using CRM tools (HubSpot), usage dashboards, and customer data to guide decisions and actions.

- Collaborative and resourceful — you know when to bring in help and how to coordinate across teams to solve problems.

- Self-starter with a bias for action — especially important in our current phase of growth.

- You believe that customer success is a team

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