Customer Activations Manager

About the role

You own the complete lifecycle of a Warp customer from the moment they sign through to graduation and expansion. You are responsible for ensuring that every new customer experiences a seamless and value-driven onboarding journey. This role requires you to manage multiple implementations at varying scales simultaneously while maintaining strict attention to detail. You will directly influence the first impression Warp makes by driving time to first payroll and ensuring activation targets are met or exceeded. You are a builder who iterates on processes and playbooks to improve outcomes for every customer. You will work closely with cross-functional partners to remove blockers and ensure smooth transitions to long-term success. This position demands high ownership, bias for action, and the ability to translate complex setups into clear, executable plans.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Own every new customer onboarding end-to-end from signed contract through graduation, ensuring clean handoff criteria to Account Management.
• Execute tiered onboarding tracks calibrated to company size, providing lightweight self-serve oversight for small accounts and structured multi-stakeholder implementations for mid-market and enterprise.
• Drive first payroll on the first eligible pay cycle, ensuring data migration accuracy, tax registrations, and bank verification are complete before the customer's next pay period closes.
• Certify graduation by confirming stakeholder engagement, delivering post-go-live training, and verifying feature adoption appropriate to the customer's setup and complexity.
• Manage a portfolio of concurrent implementations with precision, maintaining proactive outreach, clear timelines, and zero dropped handoffs across all engagement stages.
• Execute against tier-specific templates, escalation paths, and graduation checklists while identifying opportunities for improvement and updating playbooks accordingly.
• Partner cross-functionally with Engineering for custom setups, Tax Ops on state registration dependencies, and Support on go-live blockers to resolve issues efficiently.
• Feed structured product feedback from implementation directly into the product team to influence roadmap priorities and feature development.
• Own and continuously improve the playbooks, templates, escalation paths, and graduation criteria used to guide every implementation you manage.
• Maintain strict adherence to timelines and quality standards while juggling multiple implementations across small startups and large enterprises.

Requirements

• At least 3+ years of experience in implementation, customer success, or project management within a B2B SaaS organization.
• Demonstrated track record of hitting activation or onboarding KPIs in previous roles.
• Strong project management DNA with an organized, process-driven approach and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent implementations while maintaining attention to detail and timelines.
• Excellent communication skills to move multiple customer stakeholders through structured checklists without losing momentum or relationships.
• Ability to calibrate your approach based on company size, understanding the different needs of a 5-person startup versus a 120-person company.
• Prior experience with payroll, HR tech, or fintech products is required due to the critical nature of pay cycle accuracy.
• A builder's mindset with a history of improving processes, writing playbooks, or closing gaps that were not originally part of your responsibilities.
• High agency and a genuine bias for action in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment where you do not wait to be unblocked.
• Willingness to work from the New York office five days a week to maintain speed and proximity with the team.
• Comfort working within systems and processes that are designed to scale as Warp grows from early-stage to enterprise deployments.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive customer data with the utmost care at all times.
• Alignment with Warp's mission to build AI-native infrastructure that automates core work for ambitious companies.
• Readiness to engage with executive-level stakeholders and translate technical concepts into clear, actionable plans.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and shift focus quickly as customer and business needs evolve.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with HRIS systems, accounting software such as QuickBooks or Xero, or other payroll platforms.
• Experience working in an early-stage or hyper-growth environment where processes are frequently evolving.
• Background working with complex tax registrations and compliance requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience building and maintaining internal tools or dashboards to track implementation health.
• Knowledge of best practices for customer success workflows in platforms that include HRIS, payroll, and IT services.
• Previous exposure to cross-functional collaboration with product, finance, and legal teams during onboarding lifecycle management.

Practical notes

New York based role requiring five days in the office per week. Travel is not required for this position. Employment is full-time and eligible for standard Warp benefits as applicable. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.