Deployment Strategist

Job description

We live in a world where technology is rapidly changing the educational experiences of students and teachers everywhere, and we have the opportunity to shape how this change takes place. Kira’s mission is to harness transformative AI technologies to make world-class personalized teaching and learning accessible to everyone. We are a rapidly growing startup backed by top-tier Venture Capital funds including New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Andrew Ng’s AI Fund, and Primavera. The Deployment Strategist sits at the intersection of product, engineering, and customer success - embedding directly with customers to figure out how Kira should work for them, and implementing solutions alongside product managers, designers, and engineers. This is a forward-deployed role for someone who thrives in high-intensity environments, has used AI extensively in their own work, and is comfortable thinking ambitiously while also pushing back on both customers and internal teams to keep priorities honest. The role also carries real ownership over how Kira's largest accounts adopt and expand - from first rollout through renewal. WHAT YOU’LL DO Product Strategy & Prioritization - Push back when needed on both the customer side and the internal side, and help prioritize what actually matters - Partner with product and engineering to help solution how Kira should evolve based on real customer needs - Evaluate a customer's context and determine which version or configuration of Kira works best for them - Own the understanding of how Kira fits into each customer's environment, workflows, and goals - Spend significant time inside a customer's day-to-day operations to surface bottlenecks and the problems most worth solving Prototyping & Technical Collaboration - Build prototypes to test and validate solutions before they're built out in full - Work directly with engineers to help them understand customer problems and unblock solutioning — no coding required, but fluency with effective prompt engineering to build detailed prototypes, technical concepts and AI tools is essential - Translate technical capabilities into clear, business-level outcomes and recommendations that customers and executives can act on Implementation & Customer Enablement - Implement the product for a customer in a way that serves their needs best - Get deeply embedded in the product experience for each customer, including the ability to do things such as use Kira’s AI functionality to build out AI-generated courses on behalf of the customer, configure their organization within Kira, and generally define product workflows that work best for them - Serve as the connective tissue between what the customer needs and what the product and engineering teams can deliver Strategic Account Growth - Own the full arc of an enterprise account — from initial adoption through renewal and expansion — and design the rollout plans that get teams there - Run workshops, onboarding sessions, and business reviews that build alignment across a customer's stakeholders - Identify the datasets, systems, and workflows within a customer's organization that offer the biggest opportunity for AI-driven impact WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - Background in high-intensity roles (e.g., consulting, startups, military, professional services, high-growth SaaS/AI account leadership, or similar fast-paced, high-stakes environments) - Extensive hands-on experience using AI tools in day-to-day work, and a track record of helping others adopt AI-native ways of working - 7+ years of relevant experience, ideally including driving adoption, renewals, or expansion within enterprise or strategic accounts - Technical experience is a plus (e.g., comfort working alongside engineers to scope and deploy solutions, reading technical documentation, or a prior technical role) - Being able to think creatively and ambitiously to come up with effective product solutions - Comfortable operating in ambiguity, and confident pushing back on both customers and internal teams when priorities need sharpening - Skilled communicator who can run workshops and stakeholder conversations and translate technical capability into a clear business case - Strong prioritization instincts and the judgment to know what's worth solving now versus later - A genuine desire to be embedded in the product, not just adjacent to it SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE LOOKS LIKE - Defining and implementing product workflows that allow customers to achieve their educational goals using Kira's AI functionality - Driving adoption, renewal, and expansion across a portfolio of enterprise and strategic accounts - Serving as an effective connective tissue between customer needs and internal product/engineering delivery WHAT WE OFFER - $160,000–$200,000 base salary + variable compensation, plus meaningful equity - Medical, dental, vision and life insurance, including a medical insurance plan with 100% coverage of employee - Daily lunch credit through DoorDash in office + free DashPass to use anytime for work or personal use - Wellhub Membership: 100% company-paid access to premium gym networks (Orangetheory, SoulCycle), 60+ wellness apps (Headspace, MyFitnessPal, Apple Fitness+), and 1:1 coaching sessions spanning fitness, mental health, nutrition, and sleep - 401(k) matching - Pet friendly office 🐶 Equal Employment Opportunity Employer At Kira, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Kira believes that diversity and inclusion among our employees are critical to our success as a company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Selection for employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. Background Check Kira will make a conditional job offer in line with local, state and federal laws, and a subsequent criminal, education, and employment history background check will then be issued.