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CoLab · 8 hours ago

Strategic Customer Success Manager (Aerospace & Defense)

Chicago, IL

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level

7+ years exp

CoLab is a company that helps engineering teams bring life-changing products to the world years sooner. As a Strategic Customer Success Manager, you will serve as a trusted advisor to complex global Aerospace & Defense customers, leading the post-sale customer journey and ensuring effective adoption of CoLab to achieve measurable ROI.

ComputerInformation TechnologySoftware

Responsibilities

Own gross revenue retention (GRR) across your portfolio, with strong influence over net revenue retention (NRR) and strategic expansion within global A&D accounts

Define and execute a customer success strategy aligned with long-cycle aerospace programs, engineering milestones, and CoLab's broader expansion motion

Lead executive engagement, stakeholder mapping, and success planning to drive measurable business outcomes

Conduct executive-level business reviews that connect CoLab adoption to quantifiable impact such as reduced engineering change cycles, improved program velocity, or supplier collaboration efficiency

Translate customer insights, usage data, and feedback into actionable strategies that accelerate time-to-value and showcase ROI

Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Product, and Solutions Engineering to deliver adoption outcomes, manage risk, and uncover new growth opportunities

Coach customer champions to build internal advocacy and communicate success stories that drive organizational buy-in and expansion

Lead customers through change management and workflow optimization, helping them embed CoLab into critical engineering and manufacturing processes

Identify risk signals early, define mitigation plans, and escalate with urgency when required

Contribute to the evolution of CoLab's Customer Success playbooks and frameworks, raising the standard for strategic execution and operational excellence across the team

Act as a cross-functional leader, modeling accountability, ownership, and clarity in a fast-paced, scaling environment

Qualification

Customer Success ManagementStrategic ConsultingEnterprise Account ManagementAerospace & Defense knowledgeChange ManagementData-driven decision makingExecutive CommunicationCustomer Journey OrchestrationRisk MitigationCross-functional CollaborationOrganizational SkillsProblem Solving

Required

7+ years in Customer Success, Strategic Consulting, or Enterprise Account Management, preferably with exposure to aerospace, defense, or complex engineering/manufacturing environments

All applicants must be eligible for the necessary authorizations to access information or technology governed by export control and defense compliance programs (ex: ITAR, EAR, or Canada's Controlled Goods Program)

Proven track record driving enterprise transformation and measurable outcomes for global manufacturing or defense-industry customers

Comfortable navigating compliance, procurement, and security requirements common in A&D (ex: ITAR, export control, multi-site governance)

Experience with customer journey orchestration and success planning in a high-ACV SaaS environment

Track record of partnering with Sales to shape and execute multi-threaded expansion strategies in large, complex organizations

Familiarity with navigating complex procurement, security, and compliance processes in enterprise accounts

Strong executive presence and communication skills

Comfortable operating in fast-paced, high-growth environments

Highly organized, data-driven, and accountable

Ability to travel up to 25% of the time