Manager, Customer Success (Higher Ed)

Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators, and developers. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com or see us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or join our Macmillan Community.  Macmillan Learning is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a family-owned global media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.   

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are actively seeking job applicants who reflect a broad representation of differences, including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical ability, neurodiversity, age, veteran, family and economic status and background, geographical background and status, and perspective. We believe that the best companies reflect the incredible diversity in viewpoints, backgrounds, and identities of the world in their staffs, and are committed to inclusive hiring across departments and levels. You can read more about our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion initiatives here. 

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 TA experience in Humanities, Social Sciences, or STEM
• Proficiency in G-Suite, CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), and analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, Amplitude).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience teaching with or supporting educational technology
• Familiarity with higher education environments and Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Blackboard, Canvas or Moodle
• Background in conflict resolution and de-escalation strategies

Salary Range: $90,000 - $95,000

Exemption Status: Exempt 

Physical Requirements: 

Must be able to concentrate and multi-task for long periods of time in a noisy/busy environment

This position is eligible for remote employment, excluding the following locations: Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming. 

Benefits 

Regular full-time and qualifying part-time employees and their dependents are eligible for Macmillan benefits, effective on the employee’s date of hire. Macmillan also offers health benefits coverage to qualifying same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners (may require additional documentation) of active employees. 

• Competitive pay and bonus plan
• Generous Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Contributions to your 401k retirement account through Fidelity 
• Generous paid time off, sick time, floating holidays, and paid holidays (Spring Reset Day , Juneteenth, Indigenous People's Day, Election Day, and more!)
• Employee Assistance Program, Education Assistance Program
• 100% employer-paid life and AD&D insurance
• And much more!

Macmillan Learning is a privately-held, family-owned company that inspires what’s possible for every learner. We envision a world in which every learner succeeds. Through our content, tools and services, we aim to make that a reality. To learn more, please visit macmillanlearning.com, join our Macmillan Community, stay connected to our Learning Stories blogs, or see us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or X. Macmillan Learning is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a global media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are actively seeking job applicants who reflect a broad representation of differences, including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical ability, neurodiversity, age, veteran, family and economic status and background, geographical background and status, and perspective. We believe that the best companies reflect the incredible diversity in viewpoints, backgrounds, and identities of the world in their staffs, and are committed to inclusive hiring across departments and levels. You can read more about our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion initiatives here.

The successful candidate for this position will be an employee of Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC d/b/a Macmillan Learning. Bedford Freeman & Worth Publishing Group, LLC has developed an affirmative action program in compliance with the NY Department of Education’s guidance.  Portions of the affirmative action program are available for review by applicants and employees by contacting Human Resources at Macmillan Learning.