Enterprise Customer Success Manager

Aeropay; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision

Maternity/Paternity Leave

401(k) Employer Match

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Aeropay, a Chicago-based fintech, seeks an Account Director to own Tier 1 merchant relationships. You will drive strategy, growth and retention while partnering with a Customer Success Manager to maintain account health and expansion.

You will lead executive conversations, steer renewal negotiations, and align product capabilities with merchant objectives. This role requires strong strategic thinking, impeccable communication, and a track record of delivering high-impact initiatives.

Qualifications

• 8-12 years in strategic account management or enterprise customer success, ideally in payments/fintech with API-driven product.
• Direct experience partnering with founders or C-suite executives is a strong plus.
• Exceptional executive presence with credibility among senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own strategy and relationships for Tier 1 merchant accounts; act as executive sponsor.
• Develop long-term account plans to drive retention, growth and expansion.
• Own portfolio economics including forecasting, margins, renewal scope.
• Collaborate with assigned CSM for day-to-day work; guide complex needs.
• Lead executive conversations, present reviews, roadmaps to senior audiences.
• Monitor product alignment with merchant objectives; mitigate risk.
• Drive renewals, negotiations and expansion opportunities.

Skills

Strategic acct mgmt

Executive presence

Payments/fintech

Negotiation

Cross-functional

Job description

About Us

We have been recognized as one of Built In Chicago’s Best Startups to Work for in 2026!

Aeropay is a financial technology company modernizing money movement with pay by bank solutions. Headquartered in Chicago and backed by leading investors, Aeropay enables businesses to accept compliant, cashless payments through direct bank-to-bank (ACH) transfers, eliminating card fees and outdated payment rails. Powering online checkouts, in-store transactions and embedded payments, Aeropay’s flexible APIs and integrations are built on a secure and scalable infrastructure with compliance at the core. In industries where risk mitigation and user experience matter most, our platform gives our partners a faster, safer and more intuitive way to pay.

Reports to: VP of Customer Success

FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Overview

The Account Director is the senior strategic and commercial owner of Aeropay's most valuable Tier 1 merchant relationships. Operating with autonomy, commercial rigor and executive presence, you\'ll act as a trusted advisor to founders and C-suite stakeholders while driving customer retention, expansion and account health. An assigned CSM owns the day-to-day operational work, so you can stay focused on strategy, growth and the overall health of Aeropay’s key client relationships.

Key Responsibilities

Account Ownership & Strategy

• Own the strategy and relationships for a portfolio of Tier 1 merchant accounts, serving as the executive sponsor and primary point of accountability
• Develop long-term account strategies that drive retention, growth and expansion, including upsell, increased share of wallet and volume growth
• Own portfolio economics, including forecasting, margin health and scope control tied to renewal negotiations
• Partner with an assigned Customer Success Manager (CSM), who owns all day-to-day tactical work
• Serve as a subject matter expert that Tier 2 teams can lean on for guidance on complex account needs

Executive Relationship Management

• Lead conversations with executive stakeholders — including CEOs, Presidents and C-suite executives — building credibility and trust at speed
• Maintain deep, long-term relationships across multiple levels of an organization — including high-touch, in-person engagement — to expand beyond day-to-day contacts and foster executive alignment
• Confidently present business reviews, roadmaps and strategic recommendations to senior audiences

Strategic & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Understand each merchant\'s unique business objectives and connect product capabilities to measurable business outcomes
• Monitor exposure and fraud risk across assigned accounts, anticipating issues and developing proactive mitigation plans

Commercial Negotiation

• Navigate renewals, pricing discussions, escalations and contract conversations as a skilled negotiator
• Identify and drive expansion opportunities, growing share of wallet and transaction volume while protecting the account from competitive risk
• Understand P&L implications and the business impact of strategic decisions

Escalation & Problem Solving

• Handle client escalations and high-pressure situations with empathy, professionalism and confidence
• Balance customer advocacy with company objectives to make sound decisions despite occasional ambiguity
• Proactively identify issues before they become problems and drive initiatives to successful completion

Qualifications

• 8-12 years of experience in strategic account management, enterprise customer success or related client-facing roles, ideally within payments or fintech with an API driven product — a traditional SaaS background is not a strong fit for this role
• Experience partnering directly with a founder or C-suite executive is a strong plus
• Exceptional executive presence, with a track record of building trust and credibility among C-suite stakeholders and commanding a room in high-stakes conversations
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen — highly consultative rather than transactional
• Naturally influential, with strong written and verbal communication skills
• Highly organized and able to manage competing priorities across multiple accounts
• Comfortable with ambiguity and change, using data to guide strategy and tell compelling stories
• Bias toward action and accountability, with a proven track record of driving impactful initiatives to completion

Working Location, Compensation & Benefits

• This role is expected to be in office at Aeropay’s downtown Chicago HQ weekly from Monday through Thursday
• Salary Range: $140K - $160K base salary (DOE)
• This role includes a variable compensation structure based on performance
• Benefits Offered:
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage
• Maternity/Paternity Leave
• 401(k) Employer Match
• Flexible PTO

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

Aeropay is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from harassment and discrimination. We celebrate the unique differences of our employees because that is what drives curiosity, innovation and the overall success of our business. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, parental status, genetic history, political affiliation or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations in which we operate.

Compensation

The base pay range for this role is $140,000 – $160,000 per year.