Customer Experience Manager - JHB

MANCOSA; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

MANCOSA, a DHET registered private higher education distance education provider, seeks a Customer Experience Manager in Johannesburg to lead the student lifecycle experience from recruitment to alumni, using data analytics to drive retention and service improvements.

You will align multiple departments, design proactive interventions, and deliver executive dashboards and reports that inform strategy and enhance the student journey.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Admin/Operations/Marketing or related field.
• 5–7 years in customer experience or student success management.
• Proficient in dashboards, CRM reporting, and data literacy.
• Familiar with SA distance/blended learning, regulatory context.
• Strong analytical and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Student Lifecycle Management: map and optimize lifecycle across four phases (Acquisition, Onboarding, Engagement, Graduation).
• Proactive intervention design to protect retention at critical attrition points.
• Oversee onboarding frameworks with digital platform orientation and clear roadmaps.
• Act as the primary operational bridge between departments to ensure a unified student experience.
• Provide regular data-driven reports and executive dashboards to inform strategy.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Data analytics

Stakeholder management

Excellent communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/related

Postgraduate qualification advantageous

Tools

CRM systems

HubSpot

SIS

LMS

Power BI

Job description

MANCOSA, a DHET registered and CHE accredited private higher education distance education provider, offering undergraduate and postgraduate business qualifications, has the following vacancy available: Customer Experience Manager - JHB

CORE PURPOSE:

The Customer Experience Manager at MANCOSA leads the operational execution of the MANCOSA Experience; assisting teams to develop and execute their departmental experiences across entire student lifecycle, spanning recruitment conversion, onboarding, continuous academic engagement, retention, graduation, and alumni integration. Using the Shared Ownership Framework his role is responsible for eliminating institutional friction points, championing the student-centric culture across the institution, and ensuring every touchpoint reinforces MANCOSA's reputation for academic excellence and supportive student care. By leveraging advanced data analytics and dashboards, the Customer Experience Manager transforms student behavioral metrics and feedback into proactive retention strategies and cross-departmental operational enhancements.

CORE FUNCTIONS INCLUDE:

• 1. End-to-End Student Lifecycle Management
  • Lifecycle Journey Mapping: Map, audit, and continually optimize the complete student lifecycle across four distinct phases: Acquisition & Onboarding, Active Learning & Engagement, Retention & Progression, and Graduation & Alumni Transition.
  • Proactive Intervention Design: Establish early-warning mechanisms and engagement interventions at critical attrition risk points (e.g., first-semester transition, module submission deadlines, and exam periods) to protect student retention and success rates.
  • Student Onboarding Excellence: Oversee the design and delivery of seamless onboarding frameworks that equip new students with digital platform orientation, academic readiness tools, and clear administrative roadmaps.
  • Custodian of the Shared Ownership Framework – fostering collaboration and hand-offs between departmental processes and ensuring a smooth student experience.
• a. Metric Tracking & Interpretation:
  • Monitor, analyse, and interpret real-time statistical dashboards covering student satisfaction scores (CSAT) ticket resolution times, engagement rates on learning management systems (LMS), and retention/dropout analytics.
• b. Predictive Insights:
  • Translate complex dataset trends into actionable operational strategies, identifying systemic bottlenecks or academic support gaps before they impact student progression.
• c. Reporting & Executive Dashboards:
  • Provide regular, data-driven reports and predictive insights to the executive committee and manager highlighting institutional Customer experience performance and return on experience initiatives.
• a. Inter-Departmental Alignment
  • Act as the primary operational bridge between Student Enrolment, Student Services, Academic Administration, Finance, Examinations and Graduation to ensure a unified, frictionless service delivery model.
• b. Feedback Loops:
  • Institute systematic feedback loops that channel student voice and frontline support insights directly to academic departments and curriculum design teams for continuous improvement.
• c. Change Management Communication:
  • Drive clear communication strategies across internal departments regarding new student policies, procedural updates, and service-level agreements (SLAs).
• 4. Quality Assurance & Service Excellence
  • SLA & Touchpoint Governance: Define, monitor, and enforce rigorous service-level agreements (SLAs) for all student-facing queries, support tickets, and administrative requests across all communication channels (Email, WhatsApp, Telephony, Chatbots, and Walk-ins).
  • Voice of the Student (VoS) Programs: Design and execute regular student experience surveys, focus groups, and sentiment analyses to gauge engagement and institutional responsiveness.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Education: Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Communications, Marketing, or a related field (Postgraduate qualification or specialization in Customer Experience Management is highly advantageous).
• Experience: 5 to 7 years of proven professional experience in customer experience, operations, or student success management, preferably within a tertiary education, higher education institution (HEI), or large-scale service environment.
• Data Literacy: Demonstrated expertise in reading, interpreting, and building statistical dashboards, customer analytics models, and CRM reporting tools.
• Industry Knowledge: Strong familiarity with the distance and blended learning landscape in South Africa, alongside an understanding of regulatory frameworks impacting private higher education.
• Analytical Acumen: Advanced capability to interpret quantitative data, student metrics, and complex dashboards to drive strategic decision-making.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Exceptional interpersonal, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and align diverse academic and operational departments.
• Communication Mastery: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, capable of drafting executive reports, policy frameworks, and student-facing communications with empathy and clarity.
• Problem-Solving & Agility: High emotional intelligence paired with a structured, solutions-oriented approach to resolving escalated student friction points.
• Technological Proficiency: Familiarity with modern CRM systems (CRM, Hubspot, SIS), student management systems (LMS), and data visualization tools (Power BI).