Director, Customer Implementation

Neara; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel to customer sites

HQ onboarding immersion at NYC

Job summary

Neara, based in San Francisco, is building AI-powered digital twins of electricity grids to help utilities stress-test networks against extreme weather. We seek a leader who can own high-stakes enterprise accounts, steer complex projects, and deliver real business value with autonomy.

You will lead a small team of elite technical contributors, validate solutions, and navigate demanding stakeholders with total independence, driving outcomes from strategy to execution.

Qualifications

• Proven delivery record navigating high-pressure, complex implementations.
• Technical credibility leading teams with strong ICs.
• Exceptional problem solving under pressure with clear, actionable recommendations.
• Adaptive learning: ability to master new industries quickly.
• Radical independence and high autonomy with minimal oversight.

Responsibilities

• Account strategy: Develop and maintain a living account strategy that aligns long-term objectives.
• Value-driven delivery: Ensure the customer realizes real business value from our platform.
• Team leadership: Mentor a team of technical ICs and coach through high-stakes interactions.
• Organisational navigation: Map influence and build multi-level relationships in enterprise environments.
• Decisive judgment: Escalate or handle issues independently with calm under pressure.

Skills

Delivery leadership

Technical credibility

Problem solving

Adaptive learning

Radical independence

Job description

Imagine having the power to stress-test an entire power grid against a hurricane or thunderstorm before the clouds even gather. That is the reality we are creating at Neara.

We use advanced machine learning to create engineering-grade, physics enabled digital twins of electricity grids across four continents, this helps asset owners understand their biggest challenges and bring the most viable solutions to life across millions of kilometres of infrastructure.

By simulating extreme weather and structural stress at a network-wide scale, we empower the world’s largest utilities to pinpoint risks, optimise investments and build a more resilient global energy future.

Our team is a collection of brilliant minds who are fanatical about making a tangible difference in the real world, utilising AI and machine learning to accelerate everything from data classification to complex scenario analysis. We have built a special culture where innovation thrives because everyone owns the mission and we need smart, creative people to help us scale this impact to every corner of the globe.

We are seeking a leader who thrives at the intersection of complex project management, high-touch customer success and strategic consulting. This is a role for an orchestrator—someone who can take full ownership of high-stakes enterprise accounts, navigating technical work streams and demanding stakeholders with total autonomy.

You will lead a small team of elite technical contributors. While you don\'t need to be the deepest coder in the room, you must possess the technical intuition to validate solutions, identify inefficiencies and ensure your team is delivering at their highest potential. Your mission is simple: move the needle for the customer. You aren\'t here to manage a contract, you are here to solve the real problem.

Core Responsibilities

• Account strategy: Develop and maintain a "living" account strategy. You define the what, why and how, ensuring the team remains aligned on long-term objectives rather than just ticking boxes.
• Value-driven delivery: Shift the focus from hitting milestones to realizing actual business value. You are accountable for ensuring the customer is materially better off because of our platform.
• Team leadership: Mentor and challenge a team of technical ICs. You will unblock their workflows, hold them to high standards and coach them through high-stakes customer interactions.
• Organisational navigation: Master the internal politics of enterprise environments. You will map influence, build multi-level relationships and navigate complex stakeholder landscapes to drive consensus. This is a core part of the job, not a nice-to-have.
• Decisive judgment: You will know when to escalate and when to handle it yourself. When things go wrong, you will stay calm, diagnose fast and act. You’ll remain calm under pressure and take corrective action without waiting for external direction.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven delivery record: You have successfully navigated high-pressure, complex implementations. You’ve seen things go wrong, learned from the experience and know how to course-correct effectively.
• Technical credibility: You have led teams with strong technical ICs. You earned their respect, not by out-coding them, but by being sharp, direct and useful. You know how to get the best out of people who have high expertise in specific domains.
• Exceptional problem solving: You can structure ambiguous challenges and provide clear, actionable recommendations under pressure. You can do this for operational and organisational challenges as readily as technical ones.
• Adaptive learning: You have a demonstrated ability to master new industries or domains at an accelerated pace.
• Radical independence: You are a self-starter who prioritises alignment over permission. You thrive in environments with high autonomy and low hand-holding.

Who You Are

• Startup operators: Former CEOs, COOs, Heads of Delivery, or senior generalists from technical product companies operating in highly complex environments.
• Engagement Managers: Senior consultants who have led technical delivery from strategy through to execution. You are an SME on implementation not just strategy.
• Technical Program Leads: Leaders who have managed cross-functional teams on high-stakes, large-scale implementations. You can develop people around you, not just co-ordinate them.

Things To Note

• Location: We prefer candidates based near their primary customer.
• Travel: Expect regular travel to customer sites. Onboarding includes a one-month immersion at our HQ (NYC or equivalent).

Compensation Range: $180K - $250K