Associate Customer Success Manager, Scale

Associate Customer Success Manager, Scale

You are a problem-solver first and a relationship builder second. You thrive in fast-paced environments where technical troubleshooting and customer support are your bread and butter. You have the startup adaptability to work in evolving processes and the customer empathy to maintain strong relationships without needing extensive strategic planning. You balance efficiency with genuine care, and you're equally comfortable diving into support as you are helping customers find success using technology. You see customers as partners in solving problems, not just accounts to manage. You're ready to build with your team and grow with the company. If this describes you, Kaleidoscope is thrilled you're here.

We're re-imagining the role of technology in the scholarship space. Millions of capable students face financial barriers, while organizations wanting to help often lack the infrastructure to do it effectively. We provide the tools, services, and support organizations need to launch and operate world-class scholarship programs. Our customers range from established foundations to corporations building community impact and future workforce, to individuals creating their legacy - and we're expanding into entirely new markets. We're not just building software; we're supporting our partners in creating opportunity. If you care about impact and want to be part of a team moving the needle on real problems, this is the place.

Position Summary The (Associate Customer Success Manager, Scale) owns the full relationship for a scaled portfolio of self-service accounts - handling day-to-day support and problem resolution while also being accountable for renewal and expansion outcomes, tied to NRR and GRR. What makes this role distinctive is its full ownership of the account relationship at scale. You are the primary owner of your portfolio, accountable for renewal and expansion outcomes as well as day-to-day support - Account Managers stay involved for complex commercial terms and contracting, but you drive the relationship: resolving issues quickly, keeping customers self-sufficient, and proactively managing the path toward renewal and growth. Success in this role means more than closing tickets quickly or hitting a renewal number in isolation it means customers reach genuine self-sufficiency and continue or expand their investment in Kaleidoscope, because you managed both the day-to-day experience and the commercial relationship well.

Your primary responsibilities include handling customer requests through email and support tickets, providing thoughtful troubleshooting, client journey management, and strategically escalating to specialized teams (Product, Engineering, Strategic CSMs) when needed. You'll partner with Account Managers on complex commercial terms and contracting, but you own the renewal and expansion conversation directly with your customers - alongside making sure they have what they need to succeed day to day. As we refine how support and customer success work together, your role may evolve, and your insights about what's working, what needs adjustment, and how we can scale and serve customers will inform how we evolve. This is a hybrid role based in our Minneapolis office3 days on-site, 2 days remote.

Position Responsibilities

• Support & Issue Resolution (Primary Focus)
• Triage and resolve support requests through Intercom with rapid response times and high-quality resolutions
• Handle technical troubleshooting, process questions, and general platform questions independently
• Maintain detailed ticket documentation to ensure context and continuity
• Escalate appropriately to Product, Engineering, or other teams when issues fall outside support scope
• Provide proactive, empathetic communication about issue status and resolution timelines
• Use AI-generated ticket summaries and suggested responses as a starting point, editing and contextualizing every reply before it reaches a customer

• Self-Service & Knowledge Base Development
• Contribute to knowledge base by identifying common questions and writing help articles
• Build inline product walkthroughs and contextual help to reduce support volume
• Test and improve AI-assisted support responses, identifying gaps and opportunities
• Surface product patterns and feature requests to the Product team
• Use recurring ticket patterns to build self-service fixes (help articles, in-app guidance, AI chat assistant guidance) instead of answering the same question repeatedly

• Customer Health & Collaboration
• Manage Customer Journey Lifecycle with leading technology tools
• Monitor customer health through ticket patterns and engagement metrics
• Communicate proactively with Account Managers about account health and escalations
• Collaborate with internal teams on customer issues and product improvements
• Track whether assigned customers are becoming self-sufficient over time (declining repeat contacts, growing self-service usage, positive customer feedback) as the real measure of success, not just tickets closed
• Own and manage renewal and expansion conversations directly with customers, looping in Account Managers for complex commercial terms and contracting

• Renewal & Expansion Ownership
• Own renewal and expansion outcomes for your assigned portfolio, measured against NRR and GRR targets
• Understand each customer's budget cycle, procurement process, and approval chain for renewals and expansions
• Time commercial conversations effectively knowing when to shift from a support or trusted-advisor conversation to a commercial one
• Build simple business cases for continued or expanded investment, grounded in the customer's own usage, goals, and success metrics
• Navigate the distinction between the day-to-day user, the internal champion, and the economic buyer, engaging each with the right conversation at the right time

• Team & Company Responsibilities
• Meet performance targets for response time, resolution time, customer satisfaction, customer self-sufficiency, and portfolio-level NRR/GRR
• Collaborate with teammates to share best practices and process improvements
• Serve as a culture champion of Kaleidoscope, working in accordance with company policies and values
• Maintain reliable attendance and perform other duties as assigned
• Hybrid role: 3 days per week in our Minneapolis office, 2 days remote

Required Qualifications

• Experience with support platforms a plus (Intercom, Zendesk, or similar ticketing/live chat systems) or demonstrated ability to quickly learn support tools
• Strong technical troubleshooting skills with ability to solve problems independently
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to prioritize effectively when managing multiple support requests
• Ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment with evolving priorities
• Comfort using AI tools to draft, summarize, and triage support communications, with sound judgment to review and edit AI-generated content for accuracy and tone before it reaches a customer
• Comfort holding commercial conversations with customers discussing renewal timing, budget, and the value delivered to date
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
• Ability to pass a background check
• Authorized to work in the US for any employer

Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ years of customer support or customer success experience in a software or tech environment
• Bachelor's degree or higher
• Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM platforms
• Experience with AI-powered support or customer success tools (e.g., AI-assisted ticket triage, suggested responses, health scoring)
• Experience with scholarship, grant management, nonprofit technology, or education sector software
• Experience building or contributing to knowledge bases or support documentation
• Startup or scale-up experience in a high-growth environment

What We'll Deliver Tools & Resources

• Support and retention platforms with AI capabilities
• Salesforce CRM for customer context
• Clear playbooks and processes for common support scenarios
• Regular training on product features and best practices

Professional Development

• Customer support training and enablement
• Scholarship and grant industry training
• Mentorship from experienced support and customer success team members
• Regular feedback and coaching
• Clear visibility into team metrics and performance

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-paced, high-growth, mission-driven team
• Competitive pay and benefits package including:
• Medical, dental, vision coverage
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