Manager, Customer Success (Higher Ed)

At Macmillan Learning, we're committed to driving innovation that transforms education. We seek team members who thrive on pushing boundaries, envisioning future possibilities, and building solutions that make a lasting impact. Whether you're a Pioneer shaping bold new ideas, a Builder turning possibilities into reality, or a Stabilizer optimizing for success, you'll play a vital role in advancing our mission. If you're excited by the prospect of testing new technologies, implementing transformative strategies, and thriving in a fast-paced, innovative environment, we’d love to hear from you!

As the Manager, Customer Success (Higher Ed), you will lead a high-performing team dedicated to supporting instructors and students using Macmillan’s courseware platform, Achieve. Your primary goal is to enhance customer satisfaction, drive adoption, and ensure retention by equipping instructors with the knowledge and tools they need to maximize the value of Macmillan’s products. Additionally, you will play a strategic role in identifying growth opportunities, including upsell, cross-sell, and renewals.

This role requires a proactive and results-oriented leader who can balance day-to-day operations with long-term strategic planning. The ideal candidate is an innovative thinker, an effective communicator, and a champion of customer success. This role manages other employees.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We strongly encourage and welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including women and people of color, to apply for this role. We're eager to meet people that believe in our mission and can contribute to our team in a variety of ways - not just candidates who check all the boxes. We believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we recognize that unique perspectives and experiences contribute to the strength of our team. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role. We value your potential, and we are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive and contribute their best.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Team Leadership & Strategy 

• Hire, mentor, and lead a team, fostering a culture of excellence through clear expectations, continuous feedback, and performance management (including contract employees)
• Develop and refine scalable processes, tools, and systems to enhance team effectiveness
• Leverage data from SFDC, Power BI, Amplitude, and other sources to inform strategic decisions, guide team discussions, and generate insights for leadership

Customer Retention & Growth

• Exceed customer retention goals by proactively identifying risks and implementing strategic retention initiatives
• Develop and execute upsell and cross-sell strategies to expand customer engagement and revenue
• Conduct on-campus visits, both independently and alongside team members, to strengthen customer relationships

Process Optimization

• Streamline and refine customer success workflows, playbooks, and best practices to drive operational efficiency
• Establish and monitor consistent activity expectations across the Customer Success team
• Ensure alignment of data tracking and reporting in Salesforce (SFDC) to support strategic decision-making

Relationship Management

• Foster strong, trust-based relationships with both internal and external customers by demonstrating professionalism, empathy, and proactive problem-solving
• Respond promptly and comprehensively to inquiries, always seeking ways to add value beyond the immediate request
• Serve as a trusted advisor to educators, administrators, and internal stakeholders, continuously advocating for customer needs

Voice of the Customer

• Collect and analyze customer feedback to provide valuable insights to product, marketing, editorial, and learning science teams
• Develop and showcase customer success stories, testimonials, and references to support marketing and sales efforts
• Actively contribute to product development and company-wide strategy by representing the customer perspective

Required Skills / Knowledge:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Experience with software sales, training, or customer support escalations
• Proven leadership experience in people management
• At least 5+ years of experience in two or more of the following areas:
  • Customer Success
  • Sales/Account Management
  • Teaching, tutoring, or