Customer Success Manager (Remote)

Upswing•Durham, NC

3h•$70,000 - $95,000•Remote

About The Position

Upswing is a mission-driven education technology company focused on improving student engagement, persistence, and success. We partner with colleges and universities to provide integrated student support tools, including virtual tutoring, mental health referrals, predictive analytics, and Ana—our SMS-based virtual assistant. Our Customer Success or HERO team ensures partners see meaningful outcomes and long-term value through thoughtful consultation and proactive account management. The Customer Success Manager (CSM) is responsible for leading the ongoing relationship with Upswing’s institutional partners after implementation. CSMs serve as strategic advisors, ensuring each partner achieves their student support goals, fully adopts Upswing’s services, and engages meaningfully with platform data. This role owns renewal readiness, identifies expansion opportunities, and ensures each partner has a clear, measurable success plan. The ideal candidate combines relationship-building skills with a data-driven mindset and a strong understanding of higher education challenges.

Requirements

2–5 years of experience in customer success, account management, consulting, or higher education administration (SaaS or EdTech preferred).
Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
Ability to synthesize data and translate insights into partner recommendations.
Comfortable leading conversations around impact, value, risk, and renewal readiness.
Highly organized with strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple accounts.
Strong communication skills (written and verbal) and a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset.
Prior experience meeting and exceeding revenue-based goals for renewals, upsells, and cross-sells.
Passion for education, equity, and student success.

Responsibilities

Lead ongoing partner-facing meetings after implementation, serving as the primary point of contact for all strategic and operational updates.
Build strong, trusted relationships with institutional stakeholders at all levels.
Understand each institution’s goals, risks, success metrics, student populations, and success strategies.
Drive adoption and usage of Upswing’s services and products based on partner objectives.
Create and maintain partner success plans aligned to enrollment, persistence, and student support goals.
Provide partners with performance analyses, insights, and actionable recommendations to maximize student impact.
Manage renewal conversations with support from Senior CSMs or leadership when needed.
Identify and surface upsell and cross-sell opportunities that align with partner goals.
Maintain accurate forecasting and account health indicators in CRM (Hubspot) and internal tools.
Surface priority issues, partner feedback, and feature needs to Product and Support teams.
Collaborate cross-functionally to resolve partner concerns, ensure smooth operations, and influence product roadmap decisions.
Monitor account health, usage trends, and risk indicators, recommending interventions where appropriate.
Travel to industry conferences, provide in-person training, and do on-site visits to increase face-to-face interaction with decision-makers and influencers for key accounts.