Requirements
- You've spent meaningful time in a startup environment and it suits you - you're not looking for it to slow down
- 10+ years in client-facing roles: customer success, implementation, solutions engineering, or technical account management
- 3+ years managing a team, with real examples of developing people and holding performance standards
- Experience in a fast-moving startup - you're comfortable with ambiguity and a changing brief
- Proven track record of owning complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise implementations end-to-end
- Technically literate: comfortable with APIs, JSON, data concepts, and basic troubleshooting, even if you're not writing code
- Enterprise CRM exposure (Salesforce, HubSpot) - you understand how your clients' revenue stacks work
What the job involves
- This is a hands‑on leadership role owning how Kernel delivers for its enterprise clients. You'll sit at the intersection of client success, solutions engineering, and implementation - leading both the function and the team behind it
- You'll work closely with Sales, Product, and Engineering to ensure every client in our portfolio is getting real value, fast. In practice that means two things: being a strong client partner yourself, and being an even stronger people manager for the team that does this work every day
- Own the client relationship at a senior level across a portfolio of enterprise accounts
- Keep implementations moving at pace - time-to-value should be fast
- Drive the client relationship forward through regular cadence - present, proactive, and trusted at every stage
- Act as the escalation point for complex delivery challenges - you're comfortable pushing back
- Partner with Sales on expansions, renewals, and new account onboarding
- US-based clients are a significant part of the portfolio, so evening availability is expected
- Lead and develop a team of Solutions Engineers and Implementation specialists
- Run 1:1s, build growth plans, give clear feedback - the team needs a leader who genuinely invests in them
- Manage performance with rigor, including having difficult conversations when needed
- Build a culture of accountability and craft
- Partner with finance, ops, product on cross‑functional projects and process improvements
- Help define how the delivery function scales as we grow from 50 to 100+ enterprise customers
- And everything else: The role will evolve as Kernel does - you'll take on things that don't exist yet, and leave your mark on how this function is built
