US Customer Success Manager (SaaS, Higher Ed)

The short version

You like people. You like solving problems. You like being trusted to just get on with it.

As a Customer Success Manager at Gecko, you’ll own a portfolio of Higher Education customers and make sure they’re genuinely successful with our platform; not just renewing, but genuinely getting value from it.

You’ll build strong relationships, run renewals and expansions, support customers with day-to-day questions as part of broader account ownership, and spot opportunities before they turn into problems. You’ll be the person customers trust, and the person internally who actually knows what’s going on in their accounts.

You’ll be commercially aware and comfortable owning renewals and expansion conversations, without losing sight of what’s best for the customer.

Internally at Gecko, this role is called Customer Success Executive (CSE).

Working pattern

This role is based in the UK and supports our US customer base, so it needs to align broadly with US working hours, typically around 12:00 to 19:00 UK time, with some flexibility.

What you’ll actually be doing

Owning customer relationships

• Being the main point of contact for a group of universities, from onboarding onwards.

• Getting to know your customers properly: their goals, pressures, politics, and pain points.

• Running regular check-ins, reviews, and QBRs that are useful (not box-ticking).

• Visiting customers on campus at least once a year, and more often where it adds value.

Keeping customers with us (because they want to stay)

• Owning renewals end to end; planning ahead, showing value, and keeping things on track.

• Watching usage and engagement so you can spot risks early and do something about them.

• Making sure customers feel supported, heard, and confident in what we’re building.

Growing accounts in a sensible way

• Taking ownership of retention and growth across your accounts, including identifying and progressing expansion opportunities.

• Spotting where Gecko could add value across teams, departments, or use cases, and being confident opening those conversations.

• Leading expansion conversations from discovery through to close.

• Running demos and account reviews that connect outcomes to product value and commercial impact.

• Keeping Salesforce up to date so account history, risks, and opportunities are easy for others to follow.

Supporting customers day to day

• Acting as a first point of contact for customer issues, owning them through to resolution with support from the wider team, not as a ticket-only function.

• Balancing reactive support with proactive account management (yes, we know that’s a skill).

You’ll know you’re doing well when…

• Customers renew on time and don’t need chasing.

• They’re actually using the platform - and telling us (and others) why it’s valuable.

• You’ve built relationships where people are open and honest with you.

• Risks don’t come as a surprise.

• Your accounts are well-run, well-documented, and calm most of the time.

This role is probably for you if…

• You’re comfortable with commercial responsibility and understand how retention and expansion drive a SaaS business.

• You’ve worked in an account manager or client-facing role in SaaS, Higher Ed, or something similar.

• You’re comfortable balancing customer advocacy with commercial ownership.

• You’re comfortable working broadly in line with US hours, typically around 12:00 to 19:00 UK time.

• You’re confident running meetings, demos, and reviews with different types of people.

• You’re curious by default; you ask questions, dig into problems, and keep learning.

• You like owning things and don’t need someone checking your homework.

• You’re organised enough to juggle multiple accounts without dropping the ball.

• You’re happy to travel within the UK and also to the US for customer visits and sector events when needed.

And why Gecko?

We build software that helps universities better engage and support students, and we care a lot about how we work while doing it.

At Gecko, you’ll get:

• Work-Life Balance: 33 days of holiday and flexible working.

• JFDI attitude: We believe in getting things done, keeping things moving, and cutting out unnecessary faff, all within a shorter 34-hour workweek.

• Remote first: Home office setup, MacBook, and headphones of your choice.

• Work from elsewhere: Our workation policy gives you flexibility to work away from home at points through the year.

• Health and wellbeing: Private healthcare, EAP, death in service, and pension.

• Trust and autonomy: We hire smart people and trust them to get on with it.

• Good people: A collaborative, supportive team that cares about doing good work well.

• Room to shape things: Customer Success is evolving at Gecko, and this role will have a real hand in that.

• Connected virtual culture: We’re fully remote, but collaborative by default. Our virtual office is a big part of how we stay connected, solve problems quickly, and keep work feeling human.

Ready to Join the Gecko Team?

If you like ownership, care about customers, and want to do good work with good people, we’d love to hear from you!

You can find out more about working with us here ⬅️

Note on Using AI in Your Application

At Gecko, we encourage you to use AI tools to enhance your application, but we value authenticity and honesty. Use AI to refine your content, but do ensure it truly reflects your skills and experiences.

For more on responsible AI use in job applications, visit our AI guidance page 👈

We’re excited to see your authentic skills and experiences shine!

*Please note that we can only accept applications from UK-based applicants who already have a valid right to work in the UK.

**Agencies, we kindly ask that you read this Hiring Notice before getting in touch.