Manager, Implementation Team

About Smith System

Smith System exists to reduce collisions, protect drivers, and save lives. Crashes aren't accidents—they're predictable and preventable. For more than 70 years, Smith System has helped organizations build safer drivers through proven behavior-based training and modern driver risk management solutions.

Position Summary

The Manager, Implementation Team is responsible for leading and developing the team that delivers customer onboarding and implementation services across Smith System solutions.

Unlike contributor roles on the Implementation Team, this is a people leadership position focused on team performance, employee development, operational excellence, and customer outcomes. The Manager, Implementation Team is accountable for building and developing a high-performing team that consistently delivers exceptional onboarding experiences and rapid customer deployment.

Reporting directly to the Vice President of Operations, this position plays a critical role in customer satisfaction, time-to-value, team development, and long-term operational success.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Implementation Specialists responsible for customer onboarding and deployment activities.
• Provide ongoing coaching, performance feedback, and professional development opportunities.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, quarterly development discussions, and performance evaluations.
• Identify employee strengths and align responsibilities to maximize individual and team effectiveness.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer focus.

Team Training & Enablement

• Equip team members with the implementation knowledge and customer-facing skills necessary for success.
• Develop and communicate onboarding procedures, implementation standards, and best practices.
• Provide guidance on customer communication, project execution, and implementation methodology.
• Ensure team members are prepared to successfully onboard customers across Smith System solutions.

Team Management & Operational Excellence

• Define clear expectations, success metrics, and performance standards for the Implementation Team.
• Lead weekly team meetings to review priorities, workload, progress, and blockers.
• Monitor team capacity and resource allocation to ensure successful project delivery.
• Remove obstacles that prevent team members from effectively serving customers.
• Drive continuous improvement efforts that improve implementation consistency, efficiency, and customer outcomes.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Customer Experience, Sales, Product, and Operations teams.
• Align implementation activities with broader company objectives and strategic initiatives.
• Support escalation management and resolution of customer onboarding challenges.
• Ensure seamless transitions from implementation to ongoing customer support and account management.

Implementation Team Scope

The Implementation Team owns the customer onboarding experience from signed contract through go-live and handoff.

Solutions supported by the team include:

• Engage (Trainer Center, Engage App, and eLearning)
• Geotab (small-scale implementations)
• Motor Pool
• Fleetio

Success is measured by:

• Customer Satisfaction throughout the onboarding experience
• Time to Delivery from contract execution to full deployment

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• 5+ years of experience in customer onboarding, implementation, customer success, project management, operations, or related customer-facing functions.
• 3+ years of direct people leadership experience, including coaching, performance management, and employee development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams through changing priorities while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence across all levels of an organization.
• Experience establishing performance expectations, accountability measures, and team development plans.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Product, Customer Experience, and Operations teams.
• Proficiency with business systems and software platforms, including CRM, project management, and productivity tools.

Preferred

• Experience leading implementation, onboarding, customer success, professional services, or service delivery teams.
• Experience scaling processes, building team structures, and improving operational performance.
• Experience working in SaaS, technology, fleet management, transportation, training, telematics, or related industries.
• Familiarity with implementation methodologies, change management practices, and customer adoption strategies.
• Experience working with platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Monday.com, Geotab, Fleetio, or similar business applications.
• Demonstrated success improving customer satisfaction, reducing time-to-value, or driving operational efficiency metrics.
• Experience hiring, onboarding, and developing high-performing teams.

What Success Looks Like

In the First 30 Days

• Develop a strong understanding of Smith System products, implementation processes, and team workflows.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders across Operations, Customer Experience, Sales, and Product.
• Learn current implementation metrics, procedures, and team responsibilities.
• Begin coaching team members and participating in operational planning activities.

In the First 90 Days

• Establish clear expectations and development plans for team members.
• Drive improvements in team execution, communication, and onboarding consistency.
• Implement process enhancements that support customer satisfaction and time-to-value goals.
• Become a trusted leader and partner across customer-facing teams.
• Demonstrate measurable progress against team performance and operational objectives.

Reporting & Structure

This position reports directly to the Vice President of Operations and partners closely with Customer Experience, Sales, Product, and other cross-functional teams.

Why Join Smith System

• Mission-driven organization focused on protecting drivers and improving roadway safety.
• Opportunity to build and develop a high-performing customer-facing team.
• Direct impact on customer satisfaction, operational excellence, and company growth.
• High-visibility leadership role with meaningful influence on the customer experience.
• Collaborative culture focused on continuous improvement and employee development.
• Competitive compensation and benefits package.
• Hybrid work environment based in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Compensation

$110,000 – $130,000 annually depending on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Smith System is committed to diversity and inclusivity. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences.