Head of Customer Operations

Have you struggled to reserve that coveted summer camping spot at a state park? Wondered why you’re still filling out a paper form at the DMV? Or tried (and failed) to book your favorite pickleball court from your phone?

Kaizen Labs is rebuilding the government’s digital front door - bringing modern, people-first software to the public services millions of Americans rely on every day. From parks & recreation and permitting to licensing and payments, we’re replacing outdated systems with intuitive, beautiful technology designed for residents and the public servants who serve them.

Our platform now powers over 50 agencies across 17 states, reaching more than 30 million residents. Recent partners include Maricopa County (AZ), San Bernardino County (CA), and the Cherokee Nation. In Maryland, our platform helped eliminate seven-mile traffic jams at state parks, saving hundreds of thousands in costs and dramatically improving the visitor experience.

Founded in 2022 and based in New York City, Kaizen has raised $35 million from world-class investors, including NEA, Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, 776, and Carpenter Capital.

We’re a team of builders, designers, and operators redefining what it means to serve the public in the digital age - and we’re just getting started.

This is a hybrid role based out of our New York City HQ. Candidates must be able to commute to New York City and work from our office at least three times per week (Tuesday–Thursday).

We're seeking a Head of Customer Operations to own the bridge between our customers and our Engineering, Product, and Design organizations. This is a high-stakes, customer-facing leadership role responsible for leading complex government deployments, building a proactive customer success function, and establishing the support infrastructure that ensures our customers consistently realize value from our platform.

You'll embed with our most strategic customers across Local, State, and Federal government to lead mission-critical software launches, translate operational challenges into product requirements, and build trusted relationships with government executives navigating digital transformation. This role requires equal parts technical execution, strategic thinking, and team leadership. You'll be deploying software, standing up customer success and support functions, and scaling how we deliver impact as Kaizen grows.

Lead High-Stakes Customer Deployments

• Own end-to-end delivery of complex, mission-critical customer launches from scoping through go-live and sustained adoption

• Embed with government teams to deeply understand workflows, identify relevant datasets, and map critical operational questions to software solutions

• Serve as the primary technical and strategic point of contact for our highest-priority accounts during deployment

• Manage technical setup, data integration, workflow configuration, and stakeholder alignment across multiple simultaneous implementations

• Navigate ambiguous, fast-moving contexts where you define the direction and execute the work

Systematize the Deployment Function

• Develop repeatable deployment playbooks, technical documentation, and training materials that enable our deployment team to scale

• Identify patterns across customer implementations and codify learnings into scalable processes and tools

• Establish metrics, reporting frameworks, and best practices to track deployment health, customer outcomes, and team efficiency

• Maximize AI tools to build internal capabilities that improve how we scope, sequence, and execute deployments as the team grows

Build and Scale the Customer Success and Support Function

• Own customer retention, health, and expansion, establishing the frameworks, cadences, and metrics that ensure customers consistently realize value post-launch

• Stand up and scale support operations from the ground up, including triage workflows, SLAs, escalation paths, and self-service resources appropriate for government clients

• Build feedback loops between support, success, and product so customer insights and recurring issues drive systemic improvements to the platform

• Serve as the strategic voice of the customer internally, translating operational challenges into clear, data-informed feedback that shapes the product roadmap

Develop Team and Organizational Capability

• Mentor deployment strategists, customer success managers, and other team members on technical configuration, customer strategy, and operational excellence

• Support onboarding and knowledge transfer for new hires joining the customer operations function

• Model high execution standards, systems thinking, and customer-centric problem solving

• Contribute to building a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

• 8+ years in software implementation, customer success, solutions architecture, technical consulting, or post-sales leadership roles with direct customer engagement

• Proven track record leading complex, high-stakes software rollouts and driving long-term customer outcomes, ideally in government, healthcare, or industries with legacy systems and regulatory constraints

• Experience building or scaling customer success and/or support functions, including defining processes, metrics, and team structures from the ground up

• An experienced builder with high proficiency in the latest generation of AI tools, like Claude Code, CoWork, GPT, and others

• Strong technical fluency: you understand software architecture, data pipelines, system integrations, and can work alongside engineers to solve deployment and support challenges

• Ability to translate ambiguous customer problems into structured technical requirements and influence product roadmaps through clear, data-informed feedback

• Exceptional communication skills across all levels, from frontline government staff to company leadership, with proven ability to present technical concepts to non-technical audiences

• High agency and ownership: you spot problems, propose solutions, and get things done without needing to be managed

• Mission-driven: you care deeply about public institutions and believe great software can help them better serve communities

• Comfortable with regular travel and on-site customer work (up to 30% depending on deployment cycles)

🩺 Comprehensive Health Coverage

We offer Gold, and Platinum PPO plans through Oxford (United), with 85% of premiums covered for employees on the Platinum plan, with a $0 premium option

🏥 Dental, Vision & Financial Wellness

You’re covered with Guardian PPO dental and Beam vision plans - Kaizen pays 99% of premiums for employees and 50% for dependents. We also offer:

• 💳 Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA & Dependent Care FSA)

• 🛡️ $100,000 in fully paid life insurance

• 🏦 401(k) access through Guideline

🤰🏼 Parental Leave That Supports Families

Because time with your growing family matters.

• 🍼 16 weeks fully paid for birthing parents and 10 weeks paid for non-birthing parents

🗽 Everyday Support & Flexibility

• 🚆 $50/month toward your commute

• 🏡 One-time setup stipend (up to $750) for your home or NYC office

• 💪 $100/month for wellness or productivity

🎡 Perks That Make Life Better

• 🎉 $250/year for recreation - because fun matters

• 📚 $500/year for professional development - because growth does too

• 🍱 Expensed lunch three days a week when you're in the office

• 💻 Company-provided laptop

🌴 Time Off to Recharge

• 🌅 Unlimited PTO

• 🇺🇸 All federal holidays off

• ☃️ A company-wide winter break during the week of Christmas

Kaizen provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

We are committed to maintaining a supportive and inclusive environment for people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We respect the varied identities, abilities, cultures, and traditions of the individuals who comprise our organization and recognize the value that different backgrounds and points of view bring to our organization.

If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please email us at [email protected]. This information will be treated as confidential and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the interview process.