Customer Success Manager

Poka Inc.; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 49,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work policy

MacBook Pro + home office allowance

Group insurance from day one

Job summary

Poka is seeking a Customer Success Manager for manufacturing accounts. You will manage portfolios, drive adoption and ROI, and guide sites from early adoption to renewal. You will collaborate with Onboarding, Support, Product and Sales to ensure a joined-up customer experience.

You bring 4+ years in manufacturing, knowledge of Lean/CI/TPM, and experience training teams. English communication is essential; travel up to 20% is expected.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in a manufacturing environment (e.g., Production Supervisor, CI Specialist, Process/Quality Engineer).
• Knowledge of Lean, CI or TPM; Green Belt or similar is a plus.
• Experience training teams or leading improvement events on site.
• Comfort with operating data like OEE, downtime and scrap; able to explain numbers.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of manufacturing accounts, driving adoption, engagement and ROI across the customer lifecycle.
• Build relationships with operators, supervisors, CI leads and plant managers; grow confidence with senior stakeholders.
• Help customers apply Poka to CI/TPM initiatives using Playbooks and use cases.

Skills

Manufacturing background

Lean / CI / TPM

Training & rollout experience

Data interpretation (OEE, downtime)

English communication

Willingness to travel

Curiosity about AI/technology

Job description

At Poka, we're changing how the world's industrial teams work — capturing the knowledge of their best people and putting it in every operator's hands.

Our connected worker platform is purpose-built for manufacturing and the wider industrial world, with industrial AI inside the shift, not on top of it. The result: frontline performance that becomes compounding knowledge and measurable impact — every shift, every site, every region.

We're proud to support global leaders like Nestlé, Bosch, Mars, and Danone across 3,000+ sites in 70+ countries. And as a fast-growing part of the IFS family, you'll join a team whose daily work directly shapes the platform behind how modern manufacturing gets done.

Customer Success Manager, Manufacturing

At Poka, we're changing how the world's industrial teams work, capturing the knowledge of their best people and putting it in every operator's hands.

Our connected worker platform is purpose-built for manufacturing and the wider industrial world, with industrial AI inside the shift, not on top of it. The result: frontline performance that becomes compounding knowledge and measurable impact, every shift, every site, every region.

We're proud to support global leaders like Nestlé, Bosch, Mars, and Danone across 3,000+ sites in 70+ countries. And as a fast-growing part of the IFS family, you'll join a team whose daily work directly shapes the platform behind how modern manufacturing gets done.

You've spent time on the floor. You know what an unplanned stop or a rushed changeover really costs. Now you get to help the plants using Poka fix those problems at scale.

Role overview

As a Customer Success Manager, you'll look after a portfolio of manufacturing customers and help them get real, measurable value from Poka. You'll guide sites from early adoption through to renewal, help their teams apply Poka to their CI and TPM work, and become the person they call when they want to do more.

You’ll report to our Director of Customer Success and work alongside experienced Senior CSMs who’ll help you ramp up. Your manufacturing background is the foundation. We’ll teach you the SaaS side.

What you'll be doing

• Manage a portfolio of manufacturing accounts, driving adoption, engagement and ROI across the customer lifecycle
• Build relationships with operators, supervisors, CI leads and plant managers, and grow your confidence with senior stakeholders over time
• Help customers apply Poka to their CI and TPM initiatives using our library of Playbooks and proven use cases
• Run regular check-ins and business reviews, tracking usage and the operational KPIs that matter to each site
• Spot when a customer is stuck, get to the root cause, and work with them on practical fixes
• Flag expansion opportunities to Account Managers and support renewal conversations
• Work closely with Onboarding, Support, Product and Sales so customers get a joined-up experience
• Use AI tools in your daily work, from summarising calls to preparing business reviews and analysing usage data
• Share ideas to improve CS team tools and workflows
• Travel to customer sites up to 20% of the time (typically 2 visits per quarter)

What you bring

• 4+ years in a manufacturing environment, in roles such as Production Supervisor, CI Specialist, Process or Quality Engineer, Maintenance Planner or Operations Coordinator
• Working knowledge of Lean, CI or TPM (a Green Belt or similar is an asset)
• Experience training people, leading improvement events or supporting a new system rollout on site
• Comfort with operational data like OEE, downtime and scrap, and the ability to explain what the numbers mean
• Solid organisation skills and the ability to keep several accounts moving at once
• Curiosity about technology and AI. You've already tried AI tools at work and want to get better with them
• Clear written and verbal communication in English (French is a bonus)
• Willingness to travel up to 20%

No SaaS experience? That's fine. If you understand how a plant runs and you enjoy helping people get better at their jobs, we'd love to hear from you, even if you don't tick every box.

Why Poka

You’ll join a team that knows manufacturing from the inside, with Senior CSMs to learn from and a clear path toward Senior and Enterprise CSM roles as you grow. Your work shows up on the floor: in faster onboarding, fewer repeat problems and frontline teams that keep what they know.

What we offer:

• Scale-up energy with huge backing and a global yet close-knit team.
• Generous vacation policy, additional paid days, and charity day.
• Hybrid work policy - Employees who live within a 40 km radius of our Québec City office or a 15 km radius of our Montréal office are required to work in-office two days per week.
• 100% remote work if you do not live within the radiuses mentioned above.
• A truly flexible schedule that allows you to adapt your work hours.
• Group insurance from day one (dental, medication, disability, travel, etc.) with employer contributions, including access to telemedicine and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• A retirement savings plan with employer contributions.
• A MacBook Pro and a $500 home office allowance upon hiring.
• A generous annual learning and development budget to support your growth, plus the tools and opportunities you need to keep progressing in your career.
• A rewarding employee referral program for successful hires.
• Tasty snacks available at all times in our offices (fresh fruits, snacks, pastries, coffee, tea, etc.)
• Certain benefits are exclusively accessible to employees in Canada.

Want to learn more about our culture? Click HERE.

Please note: An understanding of English is essential at Poka, as it is the language used during company-wide meetings and many internal communications, ensuring effective collaboration and decision-making. In addition, as Poka operates in an international environment, English is the primary language for communicating with our clients and partners, enabling us to better serve them and represent Poka in a professional manner.