Head of Customer Success

About

Excel@Uni aims to be a renowned Scholarship Support Provider that administers funds for thousands of local & international students annually. Through our technology‑driven solutions, we will increase access to educational advancement opportunities for all. Our purpose is to simplify student success, by providing the best technology‑driven scholarship support, enabling managers to invest in more students.

Our ultimate ambition for Excel@Uni is to produce graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds so they end up in highly skilled jobs that can generate the kind of income that alleviates generational poverty. Our student success solutions include monitoring of student progress, one‑on‑one tutoring support, peer‑to‑peer mentoring, and resources for personal development and career readiness. We also provide end‑to‑end student funding administration for our clients. This process encompasses all elements of the student funding ecosystem.

We are looking for a Head of Customer Success to lead and scale our client success (accounts management function) at Excel@Uni. This role is accountable for the retention, upsells, and overall health of our client portfolio, while leading a small team of Account Managers to deliver a consistent, high‑quality client experience.

You will operate at the intersection of client delivery, upsells, and product feedback, ensuring that our clients achieve meaningful outcomes while enabling the business to scale efficiently.

As part of our growth, this function is transitioning from being founder‑led to a dedicated function owner. The successful candidate will work closely with leadership to take over and formalise this function. During an initial handover period, which will be facilitated by the founder‑Chief Partnerships Officer, with a planned transition to direct reporting to the CEO.

If you work in customer success or account management and are looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful impact, support the important work of our clients, contribute to improving the lives of students, and be part of a collaborative, high‑energy team, then this role could be a great fit for you.

Core Values (Unity C.H.E.C)

• Unity: Always there for each other in the good and the bad, recognising the importance and difficulty of the mission at hand.
• Commitment: Dedicated to the betterment of our end users with a long‑term commitment to our mission.
• Honesty: Honest in the way we express feedback to our stakeholders and in the way we conduct ourselves.
• Empathetic: Empathetic to the struggles and challenges that our end user students face.
• Customer Centric: Committed to creating a truly engaging and valued experience for our clients and students to help them succeed.

Requirements

• Open to candidates with an interdisciplinary background and a structured, process‑driven mindset, combined with strong interpersonal skills. Acceptable qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, Engineering, or a related field; alternatively, candidates with relevant years of proven customer relationship management experience will also be considered.
• Exposure and proficiency with the following tools: MS Office, Gmail, the Google Workspace ecosystem of services, and Zendesk‑Sell (or equivalent CRM tool).
• Remain curious and eager to improve professional skills, while working in a fluctuating‑stress environment.
• The successful candidate will be working remotely most of the time. However, candidates must be able to get to the company office, client offices or workshop venues as and when required.
• Must have stable Wi‑Fi or fibre connection at home; every new team member at Excel@Uni is provided with a state‑of‑the‑art laptop and mobile device.
• Availability to complete an on‑site culture test (to be communicated to shortlisted candidates).
• Completion of a basic technical assessment as part of the recruitment process.

Experience / Skills

• 5+ years hands‑on experience related to building the post‑sales relationship with customers.
• 3+ years of proven experience managing & leading a team of account managers.
• Proven effective customer service skills and experience in account management.
• Proficient in all core Microsoft Office applications as well as CRM software.
• Ability to build rapport with clients from diverse demographics, especially to understand their desired outcomes.
• Ability to use digital tools to manage multiple client data & accounts simultaneously.
• Excellent written & verbal communication skills (including running & recording system demos for clients).
• Ability to identify inefficiencies in company products and suggest improvements.
• Ability to work with multiple product managers to help clients schedule and fulfil their requests.
• Experience in selling/delivering ICT‑sector products will be advantageous.

Candidate Attributes

• Technically strong with a passion for technology as a whole.
• Demonstrates a willingness to learn and impart knowledge onto others.
• Works well under pressure and meets deadlines.
• Adaptability: adjusts quickly to changing priorities and conditions; copes effectively with complexity and change.
• Innovative problem solver (there will be no shortage of opportunities to learn and try new things).
• Disciplined self‑starter who can work unsupervised/autonomously in a flexible work environment.
• Able to act without being told (intuitively identify problems and suggest solutions).
• Analytical thinker with attention to detail.
• Strategic mindset (able to see how daily work helps the company goals).
• Business acumen (develop intuition for the problems our clients are solving).
• Acts ethically and truthfully.
• Communicates clearly with all stakeholders to manage expectations.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Own Client Outcomes, Retention, and Growth

• Own client retention, expansion revenue, and overall account health across your portfolio.
• Proactively manage client relationships to reduce churn and increase long‑term value.
• Identify and execute upsell and cross‑sell opportunities across the Excel@Uni product suite.
• Lead all renewal processes and commercial conversations in partnership with sales where required.
• Drive product adoption and usage across client organisations and their users/students.

2. Lead and Develop the Account Management Team

• Lead, coach, and manage a team of Account Managers to deliver consistent, high‑quality client engagement.
• Set clear KPIs, targets, and performance standards for the team.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, coaching sessions, and quality checks on client interactions.
• Build team capability in client management, product knowledge, and commercial thinking.
• Ensure effective capacity planning and workload allocation as the client base grows.

3. Build Scalable Customer Success Systems

• Design and implement structured, repeatable processes for onboarding, servicing, and client engagement.
• Develop and maintain playbooks, templates, and best practices to support scale.
• Ensure all key workflows and client interactions are well‑documented (e.g., ClickUp or equivalent tools).
• Continuously improve operational efficiency to support a growing client base without compromising quality.

4. Drive Cross‑Functional Alignment

• Act as the primary bridge between clients and internal teams (product, sales, operations).
• Translate client needs into clear, structured inputs for product and service improvements.
• Manage client expectations while ensuring internal teams have the space to deliver sustainably.
• Contribute to shaping the product roadmap through aggregated client insights and trends.

5. Lead Client Reporting and Strategic Engagement

• Own the preparation and delivery of Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and other strategic client engagements.
• Develop clear reporting on client sentiment, progress, risks, and opportunities.
• Build and maintain internal dashboards and tracking systems for account health and performance.
• Identify early warning signals and proactively intervene to mitigate risk.

6. Champion the Voice of the Customer

• Serve as the voice of the customer across the organisation.
• Surface recurring themes, challenges, and opportunities to inform strategic decisions.
• Ensure client feedback is captured, structured, and actioned effectively.

Compensation & Logistics

• Salary: Negotiable based on your experience.
• Work Hours: Weekdays 09:00 – 17:00.
• Start Date: Immediately.
• Location: Johannesburg/Cape Town and remote work position.