Implementation Lead

Element451

About The Position

Element451 is an AI-native CRM and agent platform for higher education. The Implementation Lead owns customer implementation delivery from kickoff through go-live and transition to Customer Success. This customer-facing role leads project planning, timelines, stakeholder alignment, discovery, solution direction, launch readiness, and risk management. The lead ensures the platform is configured to support customer use cases and success criteria, validates readiness and intended outcomes with customers, and coordinates internal teams so implementations are predictable and positioned for long-term success.

Requirements

4–8 years of experience in SaaS implementation, project delivery, or customer onboarding, such as project management, implementation management, professional services, or technical program management.
Proven ability to manage multiple implementations simultaneously with strong stakeholder management.
Comfort communicating with technical and non-technical audiences, including Enrollment Operations, IT, and leadership.
Excellent project discipline, including timeline and risk management, communication, and follow-through.
Familiarity with CRM or marketing automation implementations.

Nice To Haves

Higher education experience is a strong plus.
Experience in a scaling environment is a plus.

Responsibilities

Own implementation delivery from kickoff through go-live and transition to Customer Success.
Build and manage project plans, including milestones, dependencies, decisions, and a weekly execution rhythm.
Drive accountability across internal teams and customer stakeholders to keep timelines on track.
Lead structured discovery to clarify goals, workflows, stakeholders, constraints, and measurable success criteria.
Translate requirements into a phased implementation approach and realistic timeline.
Partner with the Integrations Architect and Product on complex design decisions as needed.
Maintain go-live checklists covering UAT completion, data readiness, approvals, training coordination, and communications.
Identify risks early and implement mitigation plans; manage scope and transparently communicate tradeoffs.
Ensure go-live criteria cover technical readiness and alignment with intended customer outcomes.
Ensure the configured product supports customers’ primary use cases and defined success criteria.
Validate with customers that key workflows and capabilities are live, usable, and aligned with their goals.
Confirm readiness for value realization after launch, not only readiness for go-live.
Lead customer working sessions and executive updates.
Coordinate with Adoption & Enablement and Integrations specialists to ensure workstreams are completed effectively.
Clearly communicate how the implementation supports customer goals, including gaps, risks, and dependencies.