Account Manager

Role Overview

• Serve as the primary point of contact and trusted advisor for each lighthouse institution throughout their multi-year engagement with DataKind.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with institutional leadership — including IR Directors, Chief Data Officers, Provosts, and Presidents — grounded in trust, responsiveness, and deep understanding of each partner's context and goals.
• Conduct regular check-ins and relationship health reviews to stay ahead of any concerns before they become problems.
• Own the renewal process for each partnership, tracking engagement signals and proactively addressing retention risks.
• Develop a clear understanding of each institution's evolving needs and ensure DataKind's offerings continue to deliver meaningful value.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to make the case for renewal and document partnership outcomes that support it.
• Coordinate with DataKind's implementation and product teams to ensure smooth onboarding for new partners, acting as the institutional advocate throughout.
• Translate partner needs and feedback into clear briefs for internal teams.
• Help institutions understand what's available to them, connect them to resources, and remove barriers to adoption — without necessarily being the one solving technical problems directly.
• Facilitate Learning Circles and cohort activities among lighthouse institutions, creating opportunities for peer connection and shared problem-solving.
• Coordinate cross-institutional knowledge sharing and help surface best practices that can inform broader sector adoption.
• Serve as the voice of your partners internally. Synthesize themes across accounts and bring structured feedback to Product and Engineering on institutional needs, usability issues, and opportunities for improvement.
• Contribute to the development of scalable account management processes and playbooks as DataKind grows.

Requirements

• Deep alignment with DataKind's mission and commitment to educational equity and data-driven social impact
• 4+ years of experience in account management, partnership management, customer success, or higher education administration
• Proven track record of managing complex, multi-stakeholder relationships in higher education or a similarly mission-driven environment
• Strong understanding of how higher education institutions operate — including key decision-makers, institutional priorities, and common challenges around student success and data use
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to build trust at all levels of an organization
• Comfortable working cross-functionally, translating between institutional partners and internal technical teams without needing to own the technical work
• Strong organizational skills with experience managing multiple concurrent partnerships or accounts
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly to institutional partners (up to 25–40% during peak periods)

Benefits

• Flexibility and time off. Enjoy genuine flexibility that goes beyond adjustable hours. We build in shared time off, organization-wide recharge days, bi-weekly meeting-free days, and flexible PTO (with a minimum of 20 vacation days encouraged annually).
• Comprehensive Wellness Support. We care for your total wellbeing with 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees (72% for dependents), a wellness reimbursement program for the activities and purchases that matter to you, and 12 weeks paid parental leave when you need it most.
• A Culture of Growth. Every team member receives professional development funding each year, alongside mentorship and advancement opportunities. We invest in your future with a 401(k) plan with 5% employer matching.
• Meaningful Connection. Despite being distributed across time zones, we value being able to come together in person for conferences, strategic planning, and at our annual staff retreat.
• Living our Values. DataKind is committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment in our day-to-day work and via special initiatives driven by our DEI Steering Committee.