Deployment Strategist Lead

Job Description

Job DescriptionWho Are We?

Have you struggled to reserve that coveted summer camping spot at a state park? Have you wondered why you’re stuck filling out a paper form to renew a permit? What about not being able to reserve your favorite pickleball court from your phone?

Kaizen Labs is redefining government technology and building solutions across parks & recreation, permitting, citizen engagement, and more. We recognize that incumbent software systems are inefficient and sometimes broken. That’s why we believe residents and public servants across America’s 85,000 government agencies deserve access to modern, trusted software that rivals what we use in our daily lives.

Kaizen’s software currently serves ~1.5 million residents across the country and this number will increase to 7 million in the first half of 2025. Some of our partners include the City of Santa Clarita, MetroParks of Butler County, and the Town of Weymouth. Here is a quick video capturing the essence of our work with Pima County, AZ!

Founded in 2022 and based in New York City, we’re backed by Accel and Andreessen Horowitz. Our team of 25 (and growing) is eager to leave a lasting impact on the public services that are so critical to our health, safety, and wellness.

The Role

This is not a typical implementation role, and as a Deployment Strategist Lead, you’ll help shape not just how we launch customers, but how we scale our approach as Kaizen grows.

You’ll lead complex deployments across the country, mentor and coach other Deployment Strategists, and build the operational muscle we need to deliver consistent, delightful, and high-impact experiences to public sector partners. You’ll bring structure to ambiguity, guide high-stakes customer relationships, and work directly with our product and engineering teams to translate real-world needs into better software.

If you’re excited by the idea of sitting at the intersection of civic systems, strategy, and software, this role might be for you.

Location

This is a hybrid role. You will be expected to join our team in person in New York City three days a week.

What You’ll Do

• Own mission-critical deployments: Serve as the strategic lead for our most complex and high-priority customer launches, often juggling technical configuration, workflow mapping, change management, and C-level stakeholders.

• Build and refine the playbook: Identify best practices from your deployments and codify them into repeatable processes and training materials to level up the whole team.

• Coach and mentor: Support onboarding and ongoing development of other Deployment Strategists, offering guidance on customer strategy, configuration, communications, and more.

• Partner across teams: Act as the connective tissue between Engineering, Product Design, and Sales, bringing structured feedback, surfacing patterns, and influencing roadmap decisions.

• Up-level our customer relationships: Serve as a trusted advisor to senior government leaders, helping them not only adopt Kaizen but rethink how they serve their communities.

• Advance our systems and tools: Identify gaps in how we operate and lead the charge on new tools, automations, and internal workflows that improve our effectiveness.

• Lead with empathy and urgency: Whether it’s building a last-minute training deck for field staff or jumping on-site to troubleshoot a deployment, you’ll do what it takes to make our end users and customers successful.

Who You Are

• You’ve led customer-facing work in ambiguous, high-stakes environments and are comfortable setting direction with incomplete information.

• You’re as comfortable thinking strategically as you are getting in the weeds and doing the work.

• You care deeply about public institutions and believe software can unlock better outcomes for people who depend on them.

• You’re a systems thinker who looks at implementation not just as a checklist, but as an opportunity to improve how we operate at scale.

• You’re energized by mentoring others and creating clarity in fast-moving environments.

What You’ll Bring

• 5 - 8 years of experience in software deployment, onboarding, implementation, customer success, or solutions consulting - ideally within industries that interface with legacy systems (e.g., government, healthcare, or civic tech). Experience leading or mentoring teams is a strong plus.

• Demonstrated success leading large, complex software implementations with public sector clients or similarly complex organizations.

• A track record of building playbooks, tools, or internal processes that scaled impact across a team.

• Proven ability to manage software rollouts, train end users, and foster product adoption across various stakeholders.

• Strong relationship-building skills with public sector clients (e.g., parks and recreation departments, local governments, transit, etc.).

• Experience turning customer feedback into actionable product enhancements.

• Familiarity with data tools and technical workflows - bonus points for experience with SQL, Python, APIs.

• Ability to write lightweight code or build internal tooling to accelerate deployment or adoption.

• Strong project management capabilities - comfortable using tools like Jira, Linear, Asana, or Monday.com.

• Willingness to travel up to 10% for customer onboarding and fieldwork.

💚 At Kaizen, we believe that great work starts with taking great care of our people. We’re building something meaningful, and that starts with a culture where people genuinely love to work. Here’s how we support you - in and out of the workplace:

🩺 Comprehensive Health Coverage

We offer Silver, 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 careers@kaizenlabs.co. This information will be treated as confidential and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the interview process.

Compensation Range: $150K - $200K