SaaS Deployment Strategist - Government Onboarding Lead

Who Are We? Government technology has failed the public for decades, and Americans have been conditioned to expect websites from the 90s, even for the most important civic services. Who Are We? Government technology has failed the public for decades, and Americans have been conditioned to expect websites from the 90s, even for the most important civic services. Kaizen exists to restore citizens' trust in American public services by building technology that actually works. We partner with agencies at every level of government to replace legacy constituent service systems with modern, AI-native software that is worthy of the people they serve. We started in Parks and Recreation, and now we're building towards something much larger, the software layer that powers how Americans access the services their government owes them across all parts of government. Our platform already reaches 40 million residents across 50+ agencies in 17 states. Founded in 2022 and based in New York City, Kaizen has raised $35 million from NEA, A16z, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital. We're builders, designers, and operators who believe that beautifully designed software isn't a luxury in government, but it's how you earn trust back. Location This is a hybrid role based out of our New York City HQ. Candidates must reside in New York or be able to commute to New York City to work out of our office at least three times a week (Tuesdays - Thursdays). The Role We’re looking for a Deployment Strategist to lead complex SaaS implementations and customer onboarding for government partners nationwide. In this role, you’ll be the primary driver of successful launches - owning the end-to-end implementation journey from kickoff through go-live and beyond. You’ll work closely with customer stakeholders while partnering deeply with Engineering, Product, and Design (EPD) to ensure our platform is configured, adopted, and scaled effectively. This role sits at the intersection of implementation, product execution, and technical problem-solving. It’s ideal for someone who has led enterprise or mid-market SaaS deployments, thrives in ambiguity, and enjoys translating real-world customer needs into durable product and process improvements. Who You Are You’ve led complex SaaS implementations or onboarding, acting as the quarterback for customers during high-stakes launches. You’re comfortable owning both strategy and execution - defining rollout plans, configuring systems, and jumping in to solve problems hands-on. You can move fluently between technical details and business context, whether that means mapping data flows, explaining workflows, or aligning non-technical stakeholders. You think beyond go-live, with a strong point of view on adoption, change management, and long-term customer success. You bring structure to messy, ambiguous environments and enjoy building repeatable processes from scratch. You’re motivated by mission-driven work and believe modern software can meaningfully improve how public institutions serve communities. What You’ll Do Lead end-to-end implementations: Discovery, scoping, configuration, data migration, integrations, training, go-live, and post-launch support. Drive successful customer onboarding: Partner with customers to ensure strong adoption, clear workflows, and operational readiness at launch. Translate customer needs into product insights: Capture patterns, edge cases, and feedback from implementations and turn them into actionable input for Product and Engineering. Unblock technical and operational challenges: Work cross-functionally with EPD, Sales, and Support to troubleshoot issues, clarify requirements, and keep launches on track. Operate with urgency and empathy: Whether debugging a configuration issue or creating training materials, you’ll do what it takes to support customers during critical moments. Build scalable implementation systems: Contribute to playbooks, templates, internal tools, and documentation that make deployments faster, more predictable, and easier to scale. Act as a trusted advisor: Guide public sector partners through change, helping them modernize workflows and rethink how services are delivered. What You Bring 3+ years of experience in SaaS implementation, onboarding, solutions engineering, customer success, or product-adjacent roles (e.g., Implementation Consultant, Solutions Architect, Technical PM). A proven track record of leading multi-stakeholder software rollouts, ideally in enterprise, public sector, healthcare, or other complex environments. Technical fluency - comfortable working with APIs, data models, system configurations, or integrations (hands-on experience is a strong plus). Experience translating customer requirements into implementation plans, technical workflows, or product requirements. Strong communication skills across a wide range of audiences, from frontline users to executive stakeholders. Familiarity with project management and delivery tools (e.g., Jira, Linear, Asana, Monday). A bias toward action, ownership, and continuous improvement. A builder’s mindset, with excitement for improving internal processes, tooling, and documentation as the company scales. What Kaizen Offers Comprehensive medical through Oxford/United - Gold and Platinum PPO plans, with 85% of premiums covered on the Platinum plan and a $0 employee premium option. Dental through Guardian PPO and vision through Beam, with 99% of employee premiums covered and 50% for dependents. $100,000 in fully paid life insurance. FSA and Dependent Care FSA. 401(k) access through Guideline. 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for birthing parents. 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents. Unlimited PTO & closed for all federal holidays. Company-wide winter break the week of Christmas. One-time home office or desk setup stipend up to $750. $50/month commuter benefit. $100/month for wellness or productivity - your call on how you use it! $500/year for professional development. $250/year for recreation. Company-provided laptop. Expensed lunch while in the office. Kaizen is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. If you need an accommodation during the interview process, email us at View email address on click.appcast.io. #J-18808-Ljbffr