1871 - Senior Customer Success Manager of Growth Experience

1871 -

LOCATION

222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1212, Chicago, IL

 

ABOUT 1871

The story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 isn’t really about the fire. It’s about what happened next: A remarkable moment when the most brilliant engineers, architects, and inventors came together to build a new city. Their innovations – born of passion and practical ingenuity – shaped not just Chicago but the modern world. What started 150+ years ago continues to this day.

 

1871, a global non-profit innovation hub, exists to inspire, equip, and support founders, growth scalers, and innovators in building great businesses from all backgrounds. We deliver unfair advantages at scale. We are the only organization in the world that we know of that supports the full maturity curve of a business - idea to Fortune 50. The team supports ~450 early stage companies, 200+ growth stage members, and 100+ partners made up of the brightest digital designers, engineers, and leaders shaping new technologies, disrupting old business models, and resetting the boundaries of what’s possible.

 

1871 is a place where you can share ideas, make mistakes, partner with others, work hard, grow professionally, and, with a little luck, change the world. If that sounds like you, join us.

 

ABOUT THE ROLE:

As the Senior Manager of Growth Stage Experience at 1871, you will work closely with the Head of Member Experience, Chief Experience Officer (CXO), and leaders from the 1871 Marketing, Events, and Finance teams to manage relationships with existing 1871 growth stage members to ensure their needs are met and to identify business opportunities through membership renewals and expansion revenue. You will join a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment where your job each day is to ensure that members are having an unparalleled experience, such that they stay longer, expand their work with 1871, and refer others to the community. 

Reporting to the Head of Member Experience, the Senior Manager of Growth Stage Experience  will manage 1871’s existing Growth Member community. We are looking for someone who loves people and spends time building empathic relationships, in addition to being structured, data-driven, and a creative problem solver. Success in this role will hinge on your capacity to drive growth through Growth stage member retention, renewals, revenue through existing members and increased member engagement in 1871’s programs. Your ability to identify opportunities to improve member success metrics and close opportunities for revenue expansion will be key performance indicators. The individual in this role will quickly become a prominent face in the community as they will represent the 1871 team and be incredibly active within the Tech community.The goal of this role is ultimately to equip and support Growth stage leaders with the resources to build and scale their businesses and position 1871 as the premier place for Growth stage technology companies to scale their businesses, amplify their brand, and upskill their teams. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Relationship Management & Member Retention:

Own full Growth Member lifecycle, from new member orientation to renewal and any needs in between.

Establish yourself as a trusted advisor to growth stage founders and leaders; listen and understand customer challenges; and then develop and execute the  action plan to resolve [with support from greater Experience Team].

Facilitate meaningful connections across members (i.e. make peer to peer connections as well as between large companies and startups).

Lead growth stage member orientation and info sessions to welcome prospects and new members into our community. 

Sales and Business Development:

Negotiate contracts and proactively close annual  Growth member renewal agreements. 

Ensure the timely and successful delivery of solutions according to member needs and objectives.

Serve as an 1871 ambassador within the greater technology community

Project Management:

Effectively manage multiple member accounts simultaneously, ensuring all member needs are met against identified timelines 

Coordination and Collaboration:

Act as internal 1871 advocate to ensure growth member and partner needs are met, relaying member feedback to our internal product team as needed and establishing effective routes for team communication.

Problem Solving:

Keen eye and quick to identify issues, analyze data while maintaining  collaboration with teams to create effective solutions.

Exceptional interpersonal skills and adaptability to foster strong customer relationships while navigating diverse challenges in dynamic environments.

Designing and owning the customer journey with the customer experience in mind.

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Data Analysis and Reporting

Responsible for the strategy, tracking and reporting on metrics related to customer growth, customer health, churn and retention, and overall effectiveness of growth  membership.Regular review of performance against targets, with proactive adjustments to tactics and strategies, is essential.

THIS ROLE IS A FIT FOR SOMEONE WHO IS…

A customer success enthusiast – you enjoy delivering the best experience possible and constantly identifying new ways to improve the member experience. The customer is always top of mind and your solutions are creative and all-encompassing of the 1871 ecosystem.

A connector – you intrinsically enjoy problem solving with a set product suite and consistently finding the right fit within the tech community for members based on their unique needs. There is something for everyone at 1871

A team player -- you appreciate your team depending on you and therefore you work hard to play your part to drive the bigger mission of the organization.

A relationship builder - you enjoy creating and nurturing relationships and can cultivate mutual benefits along the way. You work to strengthen relationships internally as much as externally to provide the best experience from the inside out.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in managing customer success or membership experience and existing member sales.

Demonstrated success in strategy and execution, passion for problem solving while striving for  continuous improvement.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Demonstrate proficiency in analyzing performance data, making data-driven decisions, and meeting or exceeding established targets.

Ability to follow-through on commitments and communicate relevant information to internal and external stakeholders of all levels—the member company  C-suite team and 1871 C-suite team.

Experience maintaining CRM data (HubSpot experience is a plus)

Strong leadership, people management and team building skills

Benefits

1871 offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, 401k, unlimited PTO, opportunities to participate in workshops and events, and more

 

PERKS

In addition to our impressive benefits, there are other fun reasons to work with us.

Work at the center of Chicago tech innovation.

Unparalleled access to opportunities and networking with some of the biggest players in tech.

Convenient downtown location

Casual environment and dress code

Work as part of a diverse team

Remote work opportunities [This role has a hybrid format - virtual 2 days a week and in person from the 1871 space in the Merchandise Mart for 3 days a week.]

 

1871/CEC is an equal employment opportunity employer with a strong focus on crafting an inclusive and diverse environment. We encourage individuals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds to apply for this position.

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