Client Success Manager

Institute of Food Technologists (IFT); Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision plans

Life and Long Term Disability insurance

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

A non-profit organization in food science is looking for a Client Success Manager to lead customer retention and relationship management in sponsorship and advertising sectors. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience and strong project management skills. This role involves customer onboarding, performance reporting, and collaboration with sales teams. Offers competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Customer Success or Client Services in sponsorship/advertising.
• Proven track record in implementing customer success processes.
• Strong project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage customer retention and NPS for sponsorship and advertising.
• Develop and manage onboarding processes for clients.
• Create and implement help center content and tutorials.

Skills

Customer engagement

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications, or Food Science

Tools

HubSpot

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Summary/Objective

The Client Success Manager (CSM) is a key leader in our mission-driven non-profit, instrumental in delivering on our sponsorship and advertising products supporting tradeshow and advertising clients within the Food and Beverage industry. Serving as the primary bridge between our internal execution teams and our customers, this role will manage the customer success process, including onboarding, collecting creative for all placements, developing and delivering performance reports, and ensuring we have effectively delivered on all agreed upon assets. The CSM’s insights will directly shape how we drive value for exhibitors, sponsors, and advertisers in support of advancing IFT’s mission and vision.

Essential Responsibilities

• Responsible for maintaining and growing customer retention and NPS across our sponsorship and advertising customers
• Manages the creation and implementation of a sponsor and advertiser onboarding process that drives deadline achievement and improves the customer experience
• Create, implement, and manage help center content, tutorials, and guides (video and written) that decrease time to onboard clients and for customer task completion, regularly reviewing for relevance and making changes as needed
• Develop, implement, and manage a tracking, monitoring, and automatic reminder system for creative collection and deadline reminders
• Identify, design, and implement automated processes that increase efficiency and productivity by collaborating with Sales and Marketing teams
• Manages all elements of the customer’s contract (sponsorship and advertising) to ensure they are executed correctly and on time
• Serves as the primary point of contact with all customers for execution of their campaign including addressing questions, delivering informed responses, and ensuring campaign success
• Supports strategic account planning and contributes to building long-term relationships that foster loyalty and growth
• Analyzes and interprets data to serve as the internal voice of the customer, ensuring insights are clearly and concisely communicated to Sales, Meetings, and Integrated Communications teams
• Design, implement, and execute on a unified customer experience in collaboration with our event logistics manager
• Responsible for creating campaign reports demonstrating performance and ROI; Ensures timely delivery of post show / post campaign reports to customer
• Respond and solves for customer inquiries via email, chat, or video calls
• Serves as customer liaison during the campaign implementation process ensuring clear communication, timely coordination, and alignment of deliverables with client expectations
• Proactively addresses questions, resolves issues, and facilitates feedback loops to support a successful campaign launch and execution
• Continuously monitors asset and product performance metrics to generate data-driven creative and content recommendations tailored to customer needs
• Collaborates closely with sales account managers to identify strategic upsell opportunities, leveraging performance insights to enhance customer engagement and drive revenue growth
• Identifies and manages implementation-related issues by coordinating with internal teams and the customer to ensure timely resolution
• Facilitates cross-functional collaboration to address immediate concerns while contributing to the development of sustainable, long-term solutions that enhance future campaign execution
• Partners with the Senior Account Manager to proactively drive customer retention and satisfaction by ensuring consistent engagement, timely resolution of issues, and alignment of service delivery with client expectations
• Stays up-to-date with industry trends, competitor activities, and market developments to identify new business opportunities and maintain a competitive edge
• Effectively uses sales and customer management software including HubSpot to store communications and conversations with customers
• Ensures compliance with industry and legal regulations and best practices, and adherence to IFT processes and procedures
• Works collaboratively across the IFT Sales team to understand sponsor and advertiser needs, goals, and opportunities
• Works with the IFT Meetings, Integrated Communications, and Sales teams to develop sponsorship and advertising opportunities

Travel Required

• Occasional domestic travel is expected including the ability to attend occasional evening, weekend, and overnight meetings

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications, Food Science, or equivalent
• Demonstrated experience in customer-facing roles within sponsorship and advertising
• 5+ years experience or demonstrated competency in Customer Success, Client Services, or related role within the sponsorship and advertising industry
• Experience implementing customer success processes and systems that drive KPIs
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Demonstrated project management skills
• Knowledge of database systems and management

Preferred Experience

• HubSpot software
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Experience in association meetings and events
• Experience in the Food and Beverage Industry

Other Duties

This position, and all others at IFT, may be modified at any time. To ensure operational efficiency and meet the changing needs of our customers and our Business, other duties may be assigned as needed.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $80,000 to 85,000 Per Year (commensurate with experience and qualifications)

Benefits: IFT offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to reward and energize our employees, so they can live a balanced life and maintain their well-being. We offer medical, dental, and vision plans at affordable rates. Life and Long Term Disability insurance is completely free to all employees. Most benefits begin the first of the month following employee’s start date. To learn more about IFT and our excellent benefits, please visit our careers page here: https://www.ift.org/about-ift/work-at-ift